About this item
Highlights
- The longtime CEO of Coach shares stories and strategies behind the company's stunning growth from a $6 million business to a $5 billion global brand.Lew Frankfort knew nothing about fashion when he became assistant to the founder of Coach.
- About the Author: Lew Frankfort is Chairman Emeritus and former CEO of Coach, Inc.
- 304 Pages
- Biography + Autobiography, Business
Description
Book Synopsis
The longtime CEO of Coach shares stories and strategies behind the company's stunning growth from a $6 million business to a $5 billion global brand.
Lew Frankfort knew nothing about fashion when he became assistant to the founder of Coach. By the time he left, Frankfort had spent 29 years as CEO, growing Coach from a scrappy maker of leather bags with a small cult following to a beloved lifestyle brand. Along the way, Coach created a new market segment--accessible luxury--that redefined an industry. In Bag Man, Frankfort explains how the son of a Bronx policeman, after working in city government, built a business that challenged conventions, grew it 1000%, and became recognized as one of the world's best CEOs.
Bag Man offers lessons from both achievements and missteps as Coach reinvented itself over decades. Throughout, Frankfort considers a more personal aspect of leadership--how the double-edged sword of fear and drive can lead to success but also take a toll. He shares his struggles with a haunting fear of failure, including how it drove an obsession with consumer insights that made Coach unique in the industry.
Summing up Coach's philosophy in three words--"magic plus logic"--Bag Man shows how blending creativity and data-driven discipline can produce sustainable, profitable growth, helping to:
- Design and market products people love
- Build a roster of talent and a performance-driven culture
- Drive strategies that pair a brand's unique value with the right market opportunities
- Scale the business to achieve next-level organic growth
- Operate as a respected public company
A riveting, candid business memoir, Bag Man traces an extraordinary leadership journey that built a legacy brand.
Review Quotes
Advance Praise for Bag Man:
"Running a consumer business means constantly reevaluating what you think you know about your customer--and yourself. Lew Frankfort's Bag Man is a real and plainspoken diary of years in the trenches. It is also a valuable collection of the kind of hard-won business and personal insights I only learned myself through years of trial and error." -- Scott Galloway, Professor of Marketing, NYU Stern; cohost, Pivot and Prof G Markets podcasts
"A very entertaining and inspiring tale of a true American brand." -- Diane von Furstenberg, designer, author, and philanthropist
"If you're an entrepreneur, a leader, a brand builder--or just someone who's scared sh*tless of failing but still wants to swing big--Bag Man is required reading. I've known Lew for years and he was a preview to the modern, successful executive." -- Gary Vaynerchuk, serial entrepreneur, chairman of VaynerX, and New York Times bestselling author
"Bag Man reminds us that great leadership is not just about vision and execution--it's also about self-awareness and the willingness to evolve. Lew Frankfort's story is a powerful example of holding oneself to high standards, learning through discomfort, and constantly evolving." -- Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO, Thrive Global
About the Author
Lew Frankfort is Chairman Emeritus and former CEO of Coach, Inc. He has been recognized multiple times on Barron's "World's Best CEOs" list and on Institutional Investor's "Best CEOs in America" list. Frankfort is a cofounder of Benvolio Group, an investment firm that focuses on early-stage, disruptive, consumer-facing brands. He and his wife, Bobbie, live in New York City.
