Bernie Marcus - Kick Up Some Dust

Dedicated to all the Home Depot associates and customers. None of this would be possible without you.

Dedicated to my wife, Billi, who has been such a big part of this journey.

After we met, Bernie asked me to come visit him at his house in Boca Raton. My crew and I drove up to the security gate, and they wouldnt let us in. I cant imagine why. I didnt have my identification, and I told them, respectfully, Im here to meet with Bernie Marcus. But they werent buying it. No matter how many times Bernie called security, we werent getting in. So, Bernie finally jumped in his car to come get me. When he arrived, the security team figured out that we werent lying, but it seemed they just couldnt imagine a world where Pitbull and Bernie Marcus were friends.

On the surface, we couldnt be more different. He was a poor Jewish kid from Newark who became a pharmacist and hit it big with Home Depot in 1978. Im a rapper and hustler who grew up in Miami in the 1980s around entrepreneurs selling a different kind of product. I learned English from watching Sesame Street and released my first album at the age of twenty-three. Hes Bernie. Im Mr. Worldwide. Take a closer look, and youll see something else. Were like Warren Buffet and Jay-Z, Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg. Our connection may not be obvious, but its powerful.

Were both the children of immigrants. His parents fled Russia and Ukraine, and my grandmother resisted Fidel Castro. My aunt was a political prisoner. My mother was part of Operation Peter Pan in the early 1960s, and my father escaped Cuba and brought refugees over to America during the Mariel boatlift. Both of our families struggled to survive. Bernies dad was a cabinetmaker, while his mother worked in a factory, like my grandmother. My father made sandwiches and hustled anything he could, and my mother cleaned houses and sold anything she could get her hands on.

Bernie and I both grew up on the streetshe joined a gang, and while I was never a troublemaker, I was always around trouble. We worked hard as kidsI parked cars at the Orange Bowl, cleaned birdcages, and worked at flea markets. Bernie cleaned toilets and worked at a bowling alley. But we had loving parents who believed in this country and risked everything for freedom and a slice of the American Dream.

Bernie and I first met in my hometown, in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami. He came to see what we were doing at SLAM! (Sports Leadership Arts and Management Academy)our first public charter school for students, kindergarten through high school. As a kid, I went to all kinds of different schools in all kinds of neighborhoods. Most were built to fail. But I learned that a great teacher or mentor can save your life. For me, it was Hope Martinez, who taught me in high school. She believed in me and gave me that boost I needed. Ive always believed that life has a way of putting amazing people in our paths, so I invited Bernie to come to our school and tell his story. Im sure the kids were thinking: Who is this old guy? What does he know about our lives? But then he started talkingand they started listening. He was funny, blunt, and not afraid to tell the truth. Kids love that. It all came down to one message: Work hard and challenge yourself. He didnt tell them what they wanted to hear, but what they needed to hear: Nobody is going to do it for you; youve got to do it yourself. I couldnt have said it better. We now have twelve SLAM! schools, and were building more every year. We get to help this new generation stand up, make a difference, and change the world. Im proud that Bernie got to see that firsthand, and Im grateful for the wisdom he shared with those kids.

Another thing I love about Bernie is his generosity. People who make it big either sit around and count their money, or they get to work helping people. When my career took off, I realized that I could use my fame to make a difference in others lives. I could have an endless string of number one records, but on their own they mean nothing. I could keep performing in front of the sold-out crowds around the world, but in the end, it has to mean something. Giving back to my community matters because it provides me the opportunity to build more, do more, give more. When you read this book, youll see that Bernie does the same thing. He cares about education, free enterprise, medicine, and veterans. He cares about the community the same way I do.

Kids of immigrant parents know something that other kids dont: The biggest gift you have is your freedom. When I talk to people who are on the fence about the United States, I always say that Im here to make sure we stay the United States, not the divided states. Freedom isnt perfect, but freedom is priceless. This country has problems, but when you see whats happening in other parts of the world, you understand how lucky you are and how much your parents sacrificed for you to grow up here in America. I know, and Bernie knows.

If youre an entrepreneur, youve got to be a bit of a hustler. Nothing should hold you back from your vision or your goals. If you focus and you believe, you can make anything happen. And when you do, you should reach out and help those who havent had their chance yet. I like to say there is only one racethe human race. We all have the same blood. We all breathe the same air. We all deserve the same opportunity. My parents and Bernies parents took the biggest chance of all, so I look in the mirror every day to ask if Im making the most of the opportunities provided to me. Am I doing my best for myself and for others? Figure out how to answer that question, and youll see that the harder you work, the more opportunities will come your way.

Im glad youre reading this book. Bernie is a very special man with a very special vision, and we have a strong connection. We both figured out what the world needed at exactly the right time. Home Depot helped people build homes, neighborhoods, and communities. In his vision for it, he made it affordable. He made it easy. He made it possible for you to do it yourself. I did it with music across languages and cultures around the world. My first name, Armando, can be translated to mean to buildanother point of connection between us. Music builds bridges and puts joy back into the world. Thats where my inspiration for I Believe That We Will Win came from. With the right attitude, we can face everything and rise.

Bernie and I have talked a lot about what really mattersand how to make a difference. I tell him that my mother taught me that you shouldnt take no for an answer. I like when people say you cant, you wont, you never will, because it lets us prove them wrong. Read this book, and youll see that Bernie also believes that every no is just a new opportunity. In cant there is can. In dont there is do. And in impossible there is possible. In Miami wed say, Ponte las pilas, pa lante quenoay mas nada, pasos cortos y vista larga siempre, which translates roughly as put your batteries in (and get going) and short steps, long vision, or as Bernie would say, You gotta find the chutzpah to kick up some dust.

Armando Christan Prez (Pitbull) has sold more than 25 million albums and over 100 million singles worldwide, and he has over 15 billion YouTube views. He has performed in over fifty countries for millions of people and is also a motivational speaker and global brand ambassador. In addition to his music and business endeavors, Pitbull focuses his philanthropy on education and the environment.

When I became CEO of Home Depot on January 3, 2007, replacing Bob Nardelli, the first call I made was to Bernie Marcus. Along with Arthur Blank and Ken Langone, he founded the retail icon, served as the first chairman and CEO, and led it for nineteen years through a period of explosive growth. Nobody knew more about Home Depots business, culture, and values than Bernie. I knew it was important to talk with him. But I was not prepared for what followed.