Kick Up Some Dust, Bernie Marcus
Kick Up Some Dust, Bernie Marcus
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
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Kick Up Some Dust
Lessons on Thinking Big, Giving Back, and Doing It Yourself

Author: Bernie Marcus

Narrator: Fred Sanders

Unabridged: 7 hr 33 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 10/18/2022


Synopsis

A candid, rollicking business memoir from the Home Depot cofounder, filled with personal stories, savvy business advice, and timeless lessons for a life well lived""A classic Cinderella story of the American dream fulfilled, told with humor and honesty."" — GARY SINISE""An extraordinary story. ... [Tells] Marcus's version of the American dream, from tenement to boardroom, homespun into lessons for readers wanting to make it in business or philanthropy."" — Financial TimesThe start of Home Depot sounds like the beginning of a bad joke: Two Jews and an Italian decide to build a new kind of hardware store... In 1978, Bernie Marcus's livelihood depended on just such a scenario. Having been fired at the age of forty-nine, he teamed up with Arthur Blank and Ken Langone on a bold new endeavor. Their first day in business was so disastrous that the next morning, Marcus's wife wouldn't let him shave because she didn't want a razor in his hands. But the last laugh would be theirs, as the business partners grew Home Depot into the world's largest home improvement retailer, empowering millions of Americans to ""do it yourself.""""Doing it yourself"" has been the theme of Bernie Marcus's entire life. By the time he was fifteen, he had held more than a dozen jobs, joined a gang, and worked as a hypnotist in the Catskills. The son of a cabinetmaker and garment worker who survived the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, Bernie overcame a hardscrabble upbringing to author one of the best entrepreneurial stories in American history. Today, Home Depot employs 500,000 associates at 2,300 stores and is one of the most recognized and admired companies in the world.The same energy that made Home Depot successful has helped Bernie give away more than $2 billion and pioneer a new model for philanthropy, transforming millions of lives. There is no single, winning formula for trying to make the world a better place, but Bernie shares what he's learned—that the skills needed to build a Fortune 500 company are the same ones that can help cure cancer, treat veterans with PTSD, and transform autism treatment. And it doesn't take a fortune to make a big difference in your community.Kick Up Some Dust will inspire you to dream, build, and give—and, maybe, change the world.

About Bernie Marcus

BERNIE MARCUS co-founded Home Depot, the world’s largest home improvement retailer, and served as its inaugural CEO and as its chairman until his retirement in 2002. Over the last several decades, he has redirected his entrepreneurial spirit toward hundreds of charitable endeavors to solve big problems. He has given away more than $2 billion and is a signatory of the Giving Pledge.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Howard on July 23, 2024

5 Stars for Kicking Up Some Dust: Lessons on Thinking Big, Giving Back, and Doing It Yourself (audiobook) by Bernie Marcus read by Fred Sanders. As much time as I spend in Home Depot this book felt like a biography of my second family. I’m there nearly every day and sometimes three or four times in......more

Goodreads review by Noah on March 01, 2024

I had never read a book by a billionaire before. But as a Home Depot associate, I felt it fitting this be my first. And now having read it, I can say it was both inspiring and a little bit like sitting with Grandpa hearing him rabble on about his whole life. But truly, BM’s story is amazing. He has......more

Goodreads review by Thomas on January 20, 2023

I grabbed this book off the new release / new to the library shelf on a whim. It was an interesting read. I enjoyed reading about Mr. Marcus's (and Home Depot's) early life and the challenges that had to be overcome. Rather than a hard-hitting in-depth business book, the advice and stories remind me......more

Goodreads review by Lindsey on March 07, 2023

There’s a Reason Why I Shop at HomeDepot I have a better perspective every time I’m in the store. Very inspirational story for someone who dedicated most of his life to work and philanthropy.......more

Goodreads review by Janet on May 08, 2023

I loved this autobiography of a great man, Bernie Marcus. He has lived an amazing life and had a phenomenal career. His most well-known accomplishment was being one of the founders of Home Depot, but he didn't start that project until he was almost 50 years old. As a child, he grew up in extreme pov......more