Wednesday, September 4, 2024. Slightly cooler weather yesterday, but sunny and in the mid-to-low 70s in New York.
I spent a good part of my afternoon reading Risks and Returns: Creating Success in Business and Life. By Wilbur Ross.
Ordinarily I’d look at the cover and pass on it, as the subject itself literally doesn’t generally interest me. Now, because I know Wilbur and have known him since the ‘90s, I also know his wife Hilary Geary Ross, both very nice people and a pleasure to know.
I knew Wilbur was in the investment business and even had a firm of his own. I knew that he was successful and prosperous but Wilbur kept that part of his life back at the office or wherever he operated quite efficiently. The thing about his business and his success was irrelevant: he liked having a good time, and he likes the company of people.
A number of years ago, as in time flies, Wilbur, who had been married and divorced at least once, started dating Hilary, herself both widowed and divorced. Somewhere along the line they decided to marry. It turned out to be a very good idea for both individuals. You could see it. It must have been the right time and the right place for both.
So. As you may or may not know, Wilbur was in Donald Trump’s cabinet as Secretary of Commerce, and he and Hilary took a big house in Washington and hung out the welcome sign. But that was then. The last time I saw them Wilbur told me about his book, and I asked for a copy so that I could tell others about it.
So I started it, to get a sense of it. The first part is how Wilbur got into the business. He came from a solid family in New Jersey. His mother and father saw to it that he’d get a good education and sent him to excellent schools and college. However. His interest in banking was already in mind from summer job experiences.
Now. This is an excellent book if you have any interest whatsoever in the financial aspect. And if you don’t, you will still find it interesting because this book is a real story about succeeding in his business. It’s the kind of book that used to be a man’s book. Not anymore. Because it’s a book about How This World (of theirs) Works.
But it is also about “how it all works” in terms of business which he explains with precision and a kind of reality that anybody can relate to.
And he succeeded. But that came from one of his great talents: listening and learning. And as you’re reading this memoir, in a a very real way, it’s a common adventure as he explains it all and demonstrates his approach. It turned out he was very successful and is no doubt a man of means, but The Story of How and Where and What it Took is a lesson for all of us.
It’s also a great book for students pursuing a similar course.
