I’ve just finished reading Sam Walton’s autobiographical book: Made in America, My Story, and I can tell you it’s one of the best books I’ve read in recent years. I’ll tell you why:
To be honest, I’d never heard of Sam Walton before I accidentally bought his book (yes it really was an accident!). I had no idea he was once the richest man in America, nor that he founded Wal-Mart from scratch, a company that he personally grew from a single franchise store to turning over $50Bn, and that now turns over in excess of $400Bn a year!
Sam was a very down to earth and unassuming man, who devoted his enter life to living and growing the Walmart dream. I say was, because Sam’s dead, and perhaps slightly bizarrely, that fact escaped me for the first half of the book. It was only when I realised that the book had been written nearly 20 years ago, and his picture on the front was clearly a man in his 70’s, that I thought he might be, something Google quickly confirmed. I confess to being a bit sad learning that, as you can’t but warm to the old fella and his affable nature.
What’s most amazing is that his message of hard work, quality products, devotion to your customers, and an unswerving drive for cost cutting (as a multi-billionaire, he always flew economy class!) is as relevant today as it was in the 60’s. I can honestly say, of all the books I’ve read written by entrepreneurs, this book has taught me the most about how to run a successful business. And it works for any kind of business, even a Crossfit affiliate!
What’s more as the book is nearly 20 years old, on Amazon you can pick it up cheap as chips, cheaper in fact: 1 cent in the USA or 1 penny in the UK! I highly recommend it; it’s a book that you won’t want to put down.
