“Bag Man: The Story Behind the Improbable Rise of Coach”
by Lew Frankfort
2025/Harvard Business Review Press
$32/283 pages
Growing up in the Bronx, Lew Frankfort knew next-to-nothing about purses. After a series of jobs and careers that didn’t quite fit, he was primed for change. His wife had launched a diaper bag business, so he knew a little bit about satchels, which put him in a good place to accept a new challenge. Coach, a small privately-owned company that made handbags, needed a new employee.
Coach bags weren’t just purses. They were hand-made in a small factory by craftspeople who took personal pride in their product and because of that, the bags had developed a cult-like following.
The owner of the company was nearing retirement and had been looking for someone to take over soon.
The learning curve was steep with Frankfort reporting to an owner who didn’t seem to like change. Still, he sallied forth on his ideas, with permission and without, to grow the company (which required a lot of time away from home, and produced frequent nightmares of sliding down a hill).
Eventually, the owner of the company told Frankfort he “wasn’t ready to be a CEO” but had the tools to become one. And then the company was sold. “I was excited,” Frankfort says. “Did I fear crashing, or that my house would slide down that steep slope? You bet I did.”
The book provides insight into how great innovators and CEOs are made. With an abundance of anecdotes and a lot of subtle pointers for success, “Bag Man” is action-packed and plenty entertaining.
