I Guarantee It
The Untold Story Behind the Founder of Men's Wearhouse
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America knew George Zimmer for one of the most famous slogans in television advertising history: “I guarantee it.”
Zimmer rode his promise to lead the Men’s Wearhouse to unimagined success as a retail giant. Now, years removed from his stunning dismissal as leader of the company he founded, I Guarantee It recounts the journey of Zimmer’s rise, the fall of the Men’s Wearhouse, and his personal renewal.
For forty-one years, George Zimmer forged a relationship with American men who wanted to like the way they looked without getting too fussy about it.
He made them a promise that came straight from the shoulder: “I guarantee it,” he said, and it was ironclad. By the millions, customers walked into The Men’s Wearhouse stores in all fifty states and Canada, where they received “quality, service, and a good price,” where they bought suits, ties, sports coats, and slacks by the tens of billions of dollars.
Then a backstabbing — the handpicked board of directors fired Zimmer from the company he had created and developed into the most successful men’s specialty store in world history.
Eight years later, Zimmer is back to tell his story: a man raised by a prosperous and loving family, a fun-loving son of the sixties, a merchant, an entrepreneur, a pitchman for the ages.
Zimmer’s ouster devastated but did not destroy him. His is a story of hard work and resilience, about a life in business that succeeded beyond belief and followed the Golden Rule. It’s a story that will teach and inspire.
He guarantees it.
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Love > Fear. Growing up in the trailer parks of the 80's, moving out of them in the 90s, and becoming the first person in my immediate family (and only the second person in my triple-digit-numbering extended family) to go to college at the turn of the Millenium, I was one of those kids that saw George Zimmer's famous “You're going to love the way you look. I guarantee it.” commercials all over Atlanta TV. (And I think they even ran on radio? Though Zimmer never mentions those campaigns in this text. So maybe I'm wrong there. 20+ yr old memories at this point. ;) ) But being that (even former) trailer park kid... Mens' Wearhouse prices of $250 and up were a bit too rich for my blood, so I actually shopped at some of the competitors Zimmer mentions late in the text about buying out. :)
With this background, I found this memoir from a man I recognized from TV in my childhood to be quite fascinating. In many ways quite honest - even at times brutally so - and astute, Zimmer openly admits to his luck, sometimes brilliance, and several of the key mistakes he made along the way. He also makes quite clear that he is still hurt by his 2013 ouster from the company he created - and its continual efforts to keep him from becoming a competitor. But in the end, this is a story about a truly remarkable “fortunate son”. A hippie who grew to become one of the titans of industry in America. (And who used his money to get the first Medical Marijuana legalization passed.) A progressive who is absolutely dedicated to capitalism. And a man who firmly believes that a paradigm shift from fear to love is what is needed in both industry and society as a whole.
An utterly fascinating read, and a shortish one to boot - I finished it in about 4 hours or so. Very much recommended.