Up from Nothing: The Untold Story of How We (All) Succeed

By John Hope Bryant and Andrew Young

A bestselling author and entrepreneur outlines the mindset and methods we need to achieve the American Dream no matter what our current circumstances are.

Facing a challenging economy, too many Americans despair of improving their lives. But John Hope Bryant insists that America is still the Land of Opportunity. Up from Nothing revives the forgotten story of the American Dream. It’s about our beginnings as a nation of go-getters who believed they were winners before they won.

Using the inspiring story of his own rise from humble beginnings, and that of his parents and grandparents, Bryant shows how individually we can change our mindset from survivor to thriver to winner and move beyond just getting by or being financially independent to becoming wildly successful. Collectively, we need to become a nation of winners once again.

By ensuring that every stakeholder in America has access to the Five Pillars of Success—massive education, financial literacy, strong family structure, self-esteem, and supportive role models—Bryant shows how we can fulfill the promise of America's greatness. But to do so, we must turn away from distractions—such as political in-fighting or racial and class divisions—and focus on what we can control. This is not a book of tips on how to get a better job or make more money. It’s about adopting a new way of thinking that will do all that for us and more. Up from Nothing is the new (old) business plan to keep us winning as a country.

“John Bryant reminds us that the American Dream wasn’t meant for some of us, but for all of us. Nobody has worked harder to lift the horizons for those without hope.” —Quincy Jones

“John takes us back to an idea of America where all can win. Instead of getting mired down by envy, greed, hate, and despair, John challenges us to rise up with positive thinking, self-confidence, aspiration, and hope—and to do it together.” —Brad Hanson, president and CEO, Meta Financial Group and Metabank

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Oct 6, 2020
• ISBN: 9781523090372

John Hope Bryant

Recognized as one of Time magazine’s “50 for the Future” leaders, John Hope Bryant is an entrepreneur, author, and advisor and one of the nation’s most recognized empowerment leaders. He is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Operation HOPE and Bryant Group Companies. Bryant is the author of Love Leadership and is the only African-American bestselling business author. He served as chairman of the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability, Subcommittee on the Underserved and Community Empowerment, and was appointed by President Obama in 2014 as a member of the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability for Young Americans. He is also cofounder of the Gallup-HOPE Index, the only national research poll on youth financial dignity and youth economic energy in the United States.

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Praise for Up from Nothing

John takes us back to an idea of America where all can win. Instead of getting mired down by envy, greed, hate, and despair, John challenges us to rise up with positive thinking, self-confidence, aspiration, and hope—and to do it together.

—Brad Hanson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Meta Financial Group and Metabank

John Hope Bryant’s personal journey and professional accomplishments are an inspiration for me and many others. And the lessons that can be drawn from his experience have significant implications for all of us as leaders. In particular, his focus on the importance of mindset—the power of believing in oneself and having faith in those around you—is a critical insight for all of us. He helps us remember to see the best in ourselves and others and to convey that confidence to them. When we do this, we can unlock an enormous amount of potential in people and collectively achieve goals that no one ever thought possible.

—Timothy Welsh, Vice Chair, Consumer and Business Banking, U.S. Bancorp

"In Up from Nothing, John Hope Bryant has captured the essence of America’s next societal challenge—to shed our fascination with division and instead focus on actions that will cement our standing as the greatest nation in the world. This book celebrates and elevates the ideas at the core of the American Dream—that success means choosing your own terms, that the future is more important than the past, and that self-worth is the most valuable asset of all."

—Dallas Tanne, cofounder, President, and CEO, Invitation Homes

Reading this book was both informative and transformative. Whether we come from the hollers of Appalachia or the inner cities of LA, all of us battle the same obstacles and search for the same answers. The five foundational pillars Bryant identifies to ensure a level playing field of opportunity for all are brought to life through his biographical journey, which teaches us through applied experience while inspiring us with possibility and the desire to implement change immediately. Simply amazing!

—Brad D. Smith, Executive Chairman, Intuit

"Sometimes it can be hard to really understand the plight of others when your personal experiences have been vastly different. It is difficult to know what is unseen. John Hope Bryant has lived many different lives and is successful in a diverse number of social and economic circles, which he shares in Up from Nothing. This book will help widen perspectives and narrow the differences between us. John is amazing and so inspiring, and the book is both well-timed and relevant."

—Susie Buffett, Chair, The Sherwood Foundation

Full economic inclusion is an essential concept for an America that is currently fearful and fractured but never feckless. John Hope Bryant’s prescription forecasts bringing this concept to life will yield a prognosis of enduring stability and sustainable prosperity. Read on and let’s get to it.

—Lisa M. Borders, former Chair, The Coca-Cola Foundation

This book arrived at the right moment in time, with the right stories for the right reason. It’s beautifully written with a compelling perspective that establishes the case for optimism. We can all find our own reflection within these pages and be inspired to strive and thrive for ourselves and the greater good.

—Eduardo Martinez, President, The UPS Foundation, and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, UPS

"This is a time when the world is uncertain and looks for pragmatic suggestions in order to chart viable livelihoods as we rebuild. Following the devastation caused by a global pandemic, it is reasonable that the right chosen voices rise to inspire us out of gloom.

"It is correct that a black man, whose entire heritage is underscored by immense physical hardship and emotional pain, should be the one we trust on our way to triumph. John Hope Bryant has proven again and again with his compassionate understanding of humanity and his sharp acumen that he is more than credible. This book is precisely the guide we need as a manual to help us navigate a way to greatness.

He has illustrated the importance of proximity to greatness by quoting familiar figures who have been actively positive in our own business’s growth. This evidences the power of owning our narrative and determines how the future frames us. He correctly calibrates our historic victories as a reference while challenging us to innovate and engineer new paths!

—Lindo and Zondwa Mandela, Mandela Legacy Foundation

John Bryant is both a force of nature and a force of good for this country. John has committed himself to helping those communities that have had less access to the American Dream. He works tirelessly to improve financial literacy, and his consistent efforts on economic empowerment, improved education for minority children, and access to attractively priced capital are admirable. Unfortunately, the world will not get better or more fair overnight, but it will get better over time if all of us take a moment to listen more carefully to many of John’s recurring observations. John Bryant’s goal is to push our country to acknowledge obvious inequalities and take the required steps to address them. It may not be easy, but it will be worthwhile—so I share John’s goal and respect his passion for making the world a better place.

—Tony Ressler, cofounder and Executive Chairman, Ares Management Corp.

John Bryant continues to challenge us all to be (and to do) better. His focus on personal accountability, a concept too often cast aside these days, provides an important reminder that all of us can and should take control of our own destiny. John is a living example that the American Dream lives on and can be achieved by all.

—Frank D. Martell, President and CEO, CoreLogic

"I want to offer up an amen to the powerful testimony that is my dear friend’s new book, Up from Nothing. John shares masterfully and vulnerably the truth of his rise in business, philanthropy, stewardship, and education. Having lived what he teaches—some may even say preaches—every chapter of his life is a solid lesson in what it takes within ourselves and, importantly, as a nation to climb the ladder of success, to rise up together. John and I have never needed to research if we are blood related (though my mom suggests we most likely are), because we have always known we are of kindred minds and soul. We share the precious goal of giving forward without languishing in accusations about our pasts. Right now, for the first time in history, we are sharing the global goal of survival against a vicious pandemic, which makes John’s book even more academically, spiritually, and universally relevant—and necessary. This book is a blessing to everyone no matter his or her station in life. It bears reading over and over . . . as I certainly shall."

—Janice Bryant Howroyd, founder and CEO, ActOne Group

UP FROM

NOTHING

Up from Nothing

Copyright © 2020 by John Hope Bryant

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

Ordering information for print editions

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Distributed to the U.S. trade and internationally by Penguin Random House Publisher Services.

Berrett-Koehler and the BK logo are registered trademarks of Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

First Edition

Hardcover print edition ISBN 978-1-5230-9035-8

PDF e-book ISBN 978-1-5230-9036-5

IDPF e-book ISBN 978-1-5230-9037-2

Digital audio ISBN 978-1-5230-9038-9

2020-1

Book producer and text designer: BookMatters; copyeditor: Kirsten Janene-Nelson; proofer: Janet Reed Blake; indexer: Leonard Rosenbaum; cover designer: Nita Ybarra

CONTENTS

Foreword, AMBASSADOR ANDREW YOUNG

Preface

Introduction:

America’s Up from Nothing Story

ONE What We Forgot about the American Dream

TWO The Thrivers and the Winners

THREE The Survivors—What’s Getting in Their (and Everybody’s) Way

FOUR The Five Pillars of Success

FIVE Capitalism for All

SIX Our Mental Upgrade as a Nation

Conclusion

Notes

Resources

Acknowledgments

Index

About the Author

About Operation HOPE

To Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and the long list of others whose lives were taken, yet seen, so that finally, the story of the struggle for justice for Black America, in the United States of America, might finally be told. Our work as a nation now is to ensure not one of them died in vain.

We are not invisible. We are relevant. We do count. We all can contribute. All of us are America. This is our country together. Let’s go.

FOREWORD

AMBASSADOR ANDREW YOUNG

Up from Nothing is a fascinating story, and John Hope Bryant really believes that it’s not just his story, but it’s the story available for all of us. It’s how we all succeed.

If there ever was a time that America needed a giant push from the bottom of the pyramid—a massive creation of new ideas for new businesses, of new services, of new ways to expand our economy in the wake of this pandemic—this book is that push, and it is right on time. John makes it sound very easy, but I’m sure it was not ever easy for him. Nor will it be easy for any of the rest of us who are starting out at the bottom. But John is blessed with an unparalleled capacity of self-esteem and self-confidence, and I often wonder where it came from. In his book he gives most of the credit to his mother and father, but there are many mothers and fathers who bestow blessings upon their children without those children achieving similar results. There’s something special about John Bryant, something I’ve been trying to figure out for almost twenty years.

John told me that he’d tried to engage me as a mentor for almost ten years, starting in the late nineties, and that I’d seemed to have been avoiding him. He’s probably right; the young people who we in the civil rights movement were looking for in the 1960s and 1970s were mostly young men and women who were willing to sacrifice even their lives for the freedom struggle. Whereas John had grown up in Los Angeles, specifically Compton, amid all of the racial pressures and tensions and police activity and police conflict, and I didn’t sense that kind of sacrificial humility in him. But then, at a conference in South Africa, at a restaurant called the Back of the Moon, I witnessed John and Lance Triggs, dancing with two South African women, in a dance competition—and, wow, those brothers were good. I later learned that they had both come up through Don Cornelius’s Soul Train, which had launched a cultural revolution in Black America. It takes a heck of a lot of confidence to dance down a soul train line every day, offering a different step or style and rhythm to a national audience. And so, for me, Soul Train completed the puzzle. Yes, John was curious, and confident, and ambitious, but there is a type of self-esteem that one develops in dance competitions in the hood. John seems to have taken his mother’s love and support, mixed it with the encouragement of mentors from business, church, and City Hall, and blended it with that ghetto swag—creating quite a personality. And once I figured him out, I realized the extent to which he’d done something special and made it work. Not only in the fires of Watts, but also in the calm and reason of board rooms from Los Angeles to New York.

Now, everybody doesn’t have to be a Soul Train dancer to be a success, but dance in African culture, like spirituals, gives you almost a direct connection between earth and heaven. I’m from New Orleans, and it’s hard for me to imagine a God who has no rhythm, or an economy with no sense of swag. John’s story describes his struggle with the social and economic realities of being born black in America. But, having no sense of inferiority or lack of confidence, he’s been put to the test around the world and, somehow, anywhere he goes, they always invite him back.

This is a story well worth reading. It’s a story that any young person of any race, creed, color, or agenda can learn much from. And it’s a story that those who were born