Rating: 
Summary: Motivation for Entrepreneurs
Review: Nancy Koehn's Brand New inspires the entrepreneur in us all. Her book gives readers a greater appreciation for the risk and rewards of entrepreneurship, and an admiration for those who made their enthusiasm for a product or idea work to their advantage.The history and environment surrounding the advent of each of the entrepreneurs is especially enlightening, spotlighting how each person was able to see current trends and how they could capitalize upon them. Though sometimes lengthy and repetitive, the book is an overall good read for anyone interested in business, marketing, strategy or history. I particularly liked the stories surrounding Heinz, Estee Lauder, and Starbucks.
Rating: 
Summary: Reflections from one of Koehn's former MBA students
Review: Nancy Koehn's Brand New: How Entrepreneurs Earned Consumer's Trust from Wedgewook to Dell is a book for the summer reading lists of anyone about to begin business school, their friends and family, and everyone who is curious about what it takes to make dreams come true. Unlike most books on management, this one has universal appeal. History buffs will become immersed in the colorful, personal stories about the adventures of six entrepreneurs over the course of two centuries, and their great moments. Whether women or men, immigrant or native, urban or rural, passionate about their product or driven by the pursuit of profits-the stars in Koehn's book offer invaluable lessons. Josiah Wedgewood teaches us about product positioning and partnerships. After reading Brand New, who can forget this potter's hob-nobbing with English royalty, naming his pieces after Dukes and Duchesses, and branding them with his own signature-all in attempt to appeal to a rising middle class interested in purchasing items formerly just for the rich? In the book, readers also learn behind-the-scenes facts, such as Wedgewood's collaborations with Bentley, the unsung hero who provided the business acumen to perfectly complement Wedgewood's skills as a salesman and potter. Koehn uses colorful examples to teach us about the woes of financial distress. The reader learns about Henry Heinz' ledger of accounts via sample journal entries entitled "Panic Times." And who can forget the headlines of a local newspaper: "Trio in a Pickle"-- used to describe Heinz and his business partners after the firm's bankrupcy when three executives were sentenced to jail time? In Brand New, the stories of Estee Lauder and Michael Dell bring new meaning to the business term, "managing growth." The reader can empathize with the personal and physical impact business growth can have on people. We read about both Lauder and Dell working out of their small apartment and dorm-rooms, respectively, until sales for both companies go through the roof and necessitate major change. Marshall Field and Howard Schultz exemplify "continuous learning and improvement." Field learns time and time again as fires destroy his Chicago department stores. For each inferno he learned a new lesson and turned problems to his advantage. Field capitalized on the fateful reminders of the importance of insurance, of inventory separation, and of learning strategic ways to design in-store floor patterns to maximize customer traffic and sales/square foot. As for Schultz, his business education was a bit more pleasant. He took time out early on in his career to visit Italy to learn as much as he could about Mediterranean coffee houses. The lessons are numerous, and Koehn artfully uses her stories to teach us about business and life. Her stories are humbling. She reminds those who recently struck it big in the dotcom era of the true meaning of sweat equity. More important, she reminds entrepreneurs of all varieties, and those near to them, that we all are a part of something larger-that we are making history today. Those who read Brand New are better for it, just as her students at Harvard Business School are better for taking her courses on business history and entrepreneurial management. Now, through her book, a larger audience has the good fortune to be students of the finishing school Koehn provides to polish her MBA students.
Rating:
Summary: everything you wanted to know about branding . . . and more
Review: professor koehn presents the subject of branding in a fascinating historical perspective; a interesting, insightful and sometimes surprising read. a very useful book for anyone who is managing a brand, trying to understand the value of brands, or wants to understand how branding fits into the lore of business. an excellent reference and clearly meticulously researched
Rating:
Summary: everything you wanted to know about branding . . . and more
Review: professor koehn presents the subject of branding in a fascinating historical perspective; a interesting, insightful and sometimes surprising read. a very useful book for anyone who is managing a brand, trying to understand the value of brands, or wants to understand how branding fits into the lore of business. an excellent reference and clearly meticulously researched
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Reading
Review: Sick of reading books about branding in the new economy, ebrands, digital brands and every other thing that marketers try to sell you? Then read this book for inspiration, which is not only about branding, but poignantly illustrates the pleasures and the pain of entrepreneurship, and managing a growing business. This book is very well written, with excellent observations and pointers for success. Although the majority of the book is case studies, these are not the usual 'filler' material that have become so common in business books. I highly recommend the studies of Wedgewood, Heinz and Marshall Field, and how they took advantage of new trends such as railroads and communications. These are not so far from the revolution that the Internet has placed many corporations in. The historical perspective is excellent, and for once this is not written by a big 5 consultant with something to prove, or a service to flog.
Rating:
Summary: Building Trust by Being Dependable When Others Aren't
Review: Stories are the way that we all learn best. Professor Koehn has provided six meticulously detailed ones about brand development by 18th and 19th century entrepreneurs (Josiah Wedgwood, H.J. Heinz, Marshall Field) as well as 20th century ones (Estee Lauder, Howard Schultz, and Michael Dell). Almost any reader will learn details new to her or him from these cases. Each example focuses on how important brands got started on a shoestring. The book has a major weakness in that the financial details of the six businesses are too sketchy to really help understand the economics of what the entrepreneurs did. Wedgwood improved the quality of earthenware, and changed the way that the products were used by the wealthy and the aspiring. He courted the visible elites and royalty to inspire emulation by those who could afford the products. H.J. Heinz offered quality and convenience at a time when most preserved food products were shoddy and women did most of their own preserving. Marshall Field courted the carriage trade who could afford to pay top dollar for top quality goods and service. Estee Lauder provided high quality cosmetics at more affordable prices. Howard Schultz introduced most Americans to the latte, taking coffee from being a source of caffeine to a tasteful experience. Michael Dell changed the business model for how corporations got their computing equipment, customizing for each one just-in-time. Having been educated in both history and in business, it is clear that Professor Koehn comes at the problem more from the historical discipline than from the business one. As a result, the book will be most appealing to those who are interested in the origins of one or more of these brands, companies, or entrepreneurs. At this level, the book is five-star entertainment. Business readers will find that relevant details are often missing. For example, Wedgwood staged very expensive exhibitions of his wares. You wonder how he could afford to do this, and finally learn near the end of the study that the company had enormous profit margins. H.J. Heinz is described as being very successful in a predecessor company, yet he goes bankrupt. Some information about his margins would probably have revealed that he had low margins. The information is not included. There are bits and pieces of ratios and annual revenue numbers, but the financial side of these examples is clearly underdeveloped. That's a shame, since they all built up important enterprises on a shoestring. The choice of cases seems flawed from a business perspective. Five of the six are consumer products and services. Of the five, all appealed initially to high income people when good products and services were largely unavailable. Forming brands in such an environment is no great trick. Readers would have learned more about brand building from cases where the competition was fierce from people who were providing exactly the same choices. As a result, from a business perspective, this is a three star book. I averaged the five and the three star ratings out to reach my four star conclusion. After you read this book, you should think about how you decide which brands to trust, and how you go about establishing the trustworthiness of brands that you represent. What else is important before trust can be earned? In particular, pay attention to the significance of establishing improved business models (something that all six entrepreneurs had in common). Make your brand stand alone in its desirability in the eyes of all who see it!
Rating:
Summary: Building Trust by Being Dependable When Others Aren't
Review: Stories are the way that we all learn best. Professor Koehn has provided six meticulously detailed ones about brand development by 18th and 19th century entrepreneurs (Josiah Wedgwood, H.J. Heinz, Marshall Field) as well as 20th century ones (Estee Lauder, Howard Schultz, and Michael Dell). Almost any reader will learn details new to her or him from these cases. Each example focuses on how important brands got started on a shoestring. The book has a major weakness in that the financial details of the six businesses are too sketchy to really help understand the economics of what the entrepreneurs did.
Wedgwood improved the quality of earthenware, and changed the way that the products were used by the wealthy and the aspiring. He courted the visible elites and royalty to inspire emulation by those who could afford the products. H.J. Heinz offered quality and convenience at a time when most preserved food products were shoddy and women did most of their own preserving. Marshall Field courted the carriage trade who could afford to pay top dollar for top quality goods and service. Estee Lauder provided high quality cosmetics at more affordable prices. Howard Schultz introduced most Americans to the latte, taking coffee from being a source of caffeine to a tasteful experience. Michael Dell changed the business model for how corporations got their computing equipment, customizing for each one just-in-time. Having been educated in both history and in business, it is clear that Professor Koehn comes at the problem more from the historical discipline than from the business one. As a result, the book will be most appealing to those who are interested in the origins of one or more of these brands, companies, or entrepreneurs. At this level, the book is five-star entertainment. Business readers will find that relevant details are often missing. For example, Wedgwood staged very expensive exhibitions of his wares. You wonder how he could afford to do this, and finally learn near the end of the study that the company had enormous profit margins. H.J. Heinz is described as being very successful in a predecessor company, yet he goes bankrupt. Some information about his margins would probably have revealed that he had low margins. The information is not included. There are bits and pieces of ratios and annual revenue numbers, but the financial side of these examples is clearly underdeveloped. That's a shame, since they all built up important enterprises on a shoestring. The choice of cases seems flawed from a business perspective. Five of the six are consumer products and services. Of the five, all appealed initially to high income people when good products and services were largely unavailable. Forming brands in such an environment is no great trick. Readers would have learned more about brand building from cases where the competition was fierce from people who were providing exactly the same choices. As a result, from a business perspective, this is a three star book. I averaged the five and the three star ratings out to reach my four star conclusion. After you read this book, you should think about how you decide which brands to trust, and how you go about establishing the trustworthiness of brands that you represent. What else is important before trust can be earned? In particular, pay attention to the significance of establishing improved business models (something that all six entrepreneurs had in common). Make your brand stand alone in its desirability in the eyes of all who see it!
Rating:
Summary: A future classic text on entrepreneurship
Review: This book is a fascinating look at what it really takes for entrepreneurs to succeed. Koehn demonstrates truly exceptional depth of knowledge about her subject and delivers a book that is as entertaining as it is educational. What is perhaps most interesting is the parallels she draws between business leaders of such different eras. This approach helps the reader clearly see the enduring business principles and talents that are unchanging and essential. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in business history or entrepreneurship.
Rating:
Summary: Earning Consumer's Trust
Review: This highly readable business book profiles six successful entrepreneurs from the eighteenth to the twentieth century. Each profile (Josiah Wedgwood, Henry Heinz, Marshall Field, Estee Lauder, Howard Schultz, and Michael Dell) details the milieu of the era and offers insight into the environmental business factors that each of these business builders faced.
It is this holistic approach to the subject of each profile that makes the stories so compelling. Using her command of history, Ms. Koehn outlines the period view of each of the products (pickles to perfume) and vividly draws the reader into the strategy of each of these entrepreneurs' approach to the market and building their brand. It is the power of these stories that gives the brand message such import. All of these people had a great number of competitors in their market niche but their focussed approach to the brand associated with their goods or services is what set them apart. Ms. Koehn uses some excellent demographic and financial information (indexed to today's dollars) that provide the backdrop for the scale of the success each of these entrepreneurs' achieved. This provides just enough quantitative information to provide texture without clouding the real story in statistics. As an executive in the software business today, I found a great deal of comfort in the fact that the challenges I face in today's competitive marketplace are not new. In fact, with great courage and resolve, they have been solved again and again in differing but similar ways over centuries.
Rating:
Summary: Earning Consumer's Trust
Review: This highly readable business book profiles six successful entrepreneurs from the eighteenth to the twentieth century. Each profile (Josiah Wedgwood, Henry Heinz, Marshall Field, Estee Lauder, Howard Schultz, and Michael Dell) details the milieu of the era and offers insight into the environmental business factors that each of these business builders faced. It is this holistic approach to the subject of each profile that makes the stories so compelling. Using her command of history, Ms. Koehn outlines the period view of each of the products (pickles to perfume) and vividly draws the reader into the strategy of each of these entrepreneurs' approach to the market and building their brand. It is the power of these stories that gives the brand message such import. All of these people had a great number of competitors in their market niche but their focussed approach to the brand associated with their goods or services is what set them apart. Ms. Koehn uses some excellent demographic and financial information (indexed to today's dollars) that provide the backdrop for the scale of the success each of these entrepreneurs' achieved. This provides just enough quantitative information to provide texture without clouding the real story in statistics. As an executive in the software business today, I found a great deal of comfort in the fact that the challenges I face in today's competitive marketplace are not new. In fact, with great courage and resolve, they have been solved again and again in differing but similar ways over centuries.
| 
