Hello, Newman
(FORTUNE Small Business) – Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good (Doubleday, $22.95), the new book by actor Paul Newman and partner A.E. Hotchner, shares the secrets of the success of Newman's Own, the wildly popular food company. Butch Cassidy's business plan is a mix of appealing humility--the entrepreneurs use pool furniture in the office--and stuff you probably won't be able to do unless you're Paul Newman. (His eschew-expensive-advertising-and-rely-on-public-appearances plan won't be as effective for those of us who haven't won an Academy Award.) Along the way, the duo blame Ben & Jerry's, their distributor, for the failure of their ice cream line, and reprint grateful letters from kids who attended Newman and Hotchner's camps for the terminally ill. These guys, whose company has given $137 million to charity, deserve praise, and their book is written in a breezy, engaging style. But it won't help you pull in $109 million in sales, as they did last year. Who do you think you are? Paul Newman? -- JEFFREY L. SEGLIN |
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