Time to Get Tough: How Cookies, Coffee, and a Crash Led to Success in Business and Life

by Michael J. Coles, Catherine M. Lewis, Jim Kennedy (Foreword by)

Overview

Michael J. Coles, the cofounder of the Great American Cookie Company and the former CEO of Caribou Coffee, did not follow a conventional path into business. He does not have an Ivy League pedigree or an MBA from a top-ten business school. He grew up poor, starting work at the age of thirteen. He had many false starts and painful defeats, but Coles has a habit of defying expectations. His life and career have been about turning obstacles into opportunities, tragedies into triumphs, and poverty into philanthropy.

In Time to Get Tough, Coles explains how he started a $100-million company with only $8,000, overcame a near-fatal motorcycle accident, ran for the U.S. Congress, and set three transcontinental cycling world records. His story also offers a firsthand perspective on the business, political, and philanthropic climate in the last quarter of the twentieth century and serves as an important case study for anyone interested in overcoming a seemingly insurmountable challenge. Readers will also discover practical leadership lessons and unconventional ways of approaching business.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780820357768
Publisher:	University of Georgia Press
Publication date:	09/01/2021
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.62(d)

About the Author

MICHAEL J. COLES is an entrepreneur, businessman, and community leader. He is the cofounder of the Great American Cookie Company and the former CEO of Caribou Coffee. He is also the namesake of the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University. He lives in Atlanta and Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

CATHERINE M. LEWIS is the assistant vice president of Museums, Archives, and Rare Books and a professor of history at Kennesaw State University. She is the author, coeditor, or coauthor of thirteen books, including (with Sandra D. Deal and Jennifer W. Dickey) Memories of the Mansion: The Story of the Georgia Governor's Mansion (Georgia).

Michael J. Coles (Author)
MICHAEL J. COLES is an entrepreneur, businessman, and community leader. He is the cofounder of the Great American Cookie Company and the former CEO of Caribou Coffee. He is also the namesake of the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University. He lives in Atlanta and Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Catherine M. Lewis (Author)
CATHERINE M. LEWIS is the assistant vice president of Museums, Archives, and Rare Books and a professor of history at Kennesaw State University. She is the author, coeditor, or coauthor of thirteen books, including (with Sandra D. Deal and Jennifer W. Dickey) Memories of the Mansion: The Story of the Georgia Governor's Mansion (Georgia).

Editorial Reviews

[Coles'] story offers a firsthand perspective on the business, political and philanthropic climate in the last quarter of the 20th century, as well as practical leadership lessons and unconventional tactics.

Southern Seasons Magazine

Time to Get Tough: How Cookies, Coffee and a Crash Let to Success in Business and Life” is a rollicking, revealing read.

Atlanta Journal Constitution - Jennifer Brett

Entrepreneurs need more stories about grit and perseverance, taking risks, and facing failure. If you're even thinking about starting a business, you should read this book.

Ben Chestnut

Michael Coles made it big, and his story will inspire you to do the same.

James C. Kennedy

Time to Get Tough is a great underdog story that is a must read for anyone interested in facing a big challenge. You will walk away from this book with a renewed faith in the power of perseverance.

Dr. Kathy Schwaig

09/24/2018
Coles, cofounder of Great American Cookies and former executive at Caribou Coffee, shares life lessons learned the hard way in this winning chronicle. He begins by movingly recounting how, as a young boy, he had to give up his dog to a neighbor boy after his bankrupt parents lost their home. This began a series of challenges for young Michael, but even as an adolescent, his entrepreneurial spirit was clearly in evidence. In fourth grade, he started a leaf-raking and snow-removal business that became so successful he had to hire employees. Through setbacks, such as a severe motorcycle accident that left him severely disabled, and achievements, including beating his dire prognosis to finish a post-accident cross-country bike trip and franchising his cookie company, he illustrates a never-give-up spirit. The 10 life lessons he extracts from these experiences include taking risks early in one’s career, finding and becoming a mentor, and offering customers the personal touch. Though framed for the business world, his advice can easily be adapted for the personal realm. Uplifting and entertainingly written, Coles’s work offers something for everyone who has ever faced and overcome a significant challenge. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Coles’s story captures the powerful impact that flows from curiosity, continuous learning and renewal, and always being open to new ideas and the next challenge.

John Rice

Reading this book will help you find courage and strength that you did not even know you had. Michael Coles was not a predictable success, which makes his story even more powerful.

Steve Koonin

Michael Coles embodies the very essence of the can-do spirit. No matter your upbringing, education, or cultural background, what matters most is how persistent you are in striving for your goals, how honest you are with yourself and others, and that you live your life with integrity. His moving memoir is a powerful self-help book, and you, too, can benefit from this life well led.

Michael Shermer