No Bootstraps When You're Barefoot: My rise from a Jamaican plantation shack to the boardrooms of Bay Street by Wes Hall (Audio Book)
Wes Hall spent his early childhood in a zinc-roofed shack, one of several children supported by his grandmother. That was paradise compared to the two years he lived with his verbally abusive and violent mother; at thirteen, his mother threw him out, and he had to live by his wits for the next three years. At sixteen, Wes came to Canada, sponsored by a father he'd only seen a few times as a child, and by the time he was eighteen, he was out of his father's house, once more on his own. Yet Wes Hall went on to become a major entrepreneur, business leader, philanthropist, and change-maker, working his way up from a humble position in a law firm mailroom by way of his intelligence, his curiosity, and his ability to see opportunities that other people don't.
When people expected his thick Jamaican accent, lack of money and education, not to mention the colour of his skin, to shut down his future, Wes was not to be stopped. He is still overturning expectations to this day. Well aware of racism and injustice, his lack of privilege and the other roadblocks to his success, Wes has always believed that he can walk along any cliff edge without falling. His book teases out and shows how he fostered that resolve in himself, exploring his childhood and the milestone successes and failures of his career in order to share not only how he stopped himself from falling, but survived and thrived, and then dedicated himself to bringing his family and his community along with him.
Now, with the founding of the BlackNorth Initiative, Wes takes aim at ending systemic anti-Black racism. It's a huge goal, but one he's tackling with heart, soul, smarts, and every connection he's made in an extraordinary career that's taken him to the centre of the Canadian establishment. Throughout his life he's resisted sinking into despair or getting lost in anger; now he wants to tell truth to power and pave a path forward.
Wes Hall on Racism, Wealth, and Reality | Legacy Lounge
Review -
Every time I finish reading a great memoir, I think about how lucky I am to love to read. I read widely, including titles by authors of all nationalities, cultures, genders and more. Why? I am given a window into hardships, struggles and life journeys I have not experienced. I gain understanding of the how laws and opinions can create invisible barriers. I learn something from every memoir, and No Bootstraps When You're Barefoot is no exception.
Wes Hall manages to write his story from childhood to boardroom and beyond honestly. He openly and honestly shares his life story. I was profoundly affected many times - the trauma and abuse he suffered when young, and the racism that he faced as he worked toward success - but his goal was not to gain sympathy. The author shares his journey to show the forces that shaped him, to give others struggling hope, and to offer insight into the subtleties of how racism works behind the scene in the way businesses are run. Even after reaching the top tier as a successful CEO of his own highly competitive company, there were moments of disrespect during interactions with banks I found very disturbing.
Hall's memoir shares not only his story of rising despite poverty and abuse, but his gratitude for the amazing grandmother who led by example, and for those who helped open doors or took a chance on him. Also evident is his strong love of family, the importance of his faith and his deep desire to lift up those struggling like he did. And you'll find it peppered with some of the wisdom he garnered along the way.
I recommend this as an audio book as the author's voice comes through strongly, elevating the experience.
Buy the Book: Amazon US ~ Amazon CA
Meet the Author -
WES HALL, as the executive chairman and founder of Kingsdale Advisors, is one of North America’s most influential powerbrokers and Canada’s preeminent leader in shareholder advisory services, playing pivotal roles on multi-million and billion-dollar transactions for Air Canada, Xstrata, Citigroup, Tim Horton’s, PetroCanada and many others. Hall is also the owner of QM Environmental, a leading national environmental and industrial services provider with over 450 employees, among other businesses. An instructor at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, he teaches Black Entrepreneurship & Leadership, a first-of-its-kind course in North America; he is the founder of the anti-Black racism initiative, BlackNorth; and in October 2021 became one of the investors on the hit series Dragon’s Den.
Meet the Author -
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