One Smart Cookie: How a Housewife's Chocolate Chip Recipe Turned into a Multimillion-Dollar Business : The Story of Mrs. Fields Cookies [Hardcover]

Debbi Fields (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

How a woman who grew up in the wrong part of town and whose parochial school education was less than distinguished turned a little store in Palo Alto, Calif., into a major international corporation is related by the originator of "Mrs. Fields' Cookies" and freelance writer Furst. With her husband as partner, Fields parlayed her original chocolate-chip cookie recipe into a chain of 500 stores with some $150 million in sales. Rejecting conventional advice regarding promotion and marketing, the couple concentrated on making good cookies, then instructed sales personnel to provide personal service. Ten years later, this policy continues in an effort to make the company a model organization, one that will encourage creativity in others, according to Fields in this self-promoting but interesting memoir. With modesty she credits her family life for her success in capturing a slice of the American Dream. First serial to Glamour; Literary Guild featured alternate; Readers Digest Condensed Books selection; author tour.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Book Club (BCE/BOMC) edition (October 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671618385
• ISBN-13: 978-0671618384
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #725,500 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good, splendid for a mrs fields' fan, December 5, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: One Smart Cookie: How a Housewife's Chocolate Chip Recipe Turned into a Multimillion-Dollar Business : The Story of Mrs. Fields Cookies (Hardcover)

This book shows the life of mrs fields, it's exciting, with a humourus twist. See how a housewife become a rich lady with her first batch of cookies! Highly recommended.
This book shows that unexpectingly good luck that only a few could have. Good book for people who likes biography.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic!, October 3, 2006

By 

William J. Brophy "lifelong learner/modeler" (Piscataway, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: One Smart Cookie: How a Housewife's Chocolate Chip Recipe Turned into a Multimillion-Dollar Business : The Story of Mrs. Fields Cookies (Hardcover)

I read this book last year after borrowing it from my local library and it was an extremely quick and entertaining read! If you love to hear about success stories, principles, and dealing with adversity; or just love to eat those mall-bound cookies, then this book is for you! I just wish she'd write another biography/memoir as I hear she's very good on the motivational speaking circuit and know that she has since divorced her husband, her kids are all grown up, and Mrs. Fields now has pre-packaged cookies in supermarkets. Highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Such an appropriate title, January 22, 2011

By 

Shirley A. Carrick - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: One Smart Cookie: How a Housewife's Chocolate Chip Recipe Turned into a Multimillion-Dollar Business : The Story of Mrs. Fields Cookies (Hardcover)

I don't know how anyone could read this book without enjoying it and coming away admiring Mrs. Smith. The title says it all she is one smart cookie. Shows how loving something and aiming at excellence can make you a success even in an area no one thinks is marketable. Loved the book and ended up loving the woman.