Always Think Big (Hardcover)

~ Thomas Duening (Author), John Ivancevich (Author), (Author) "It would be great to tell a rags-to-riches tale, but that's not the story of my life..." (more)
Key Phrases: furniture customers, delighting customers, health club business, Gallery Furniture, Think Big, Oral Roberts (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Jim 'Mattress Mac' McIngvale is the powerhouse behind the Houston-based Gallery Furniture, the country's top revenue producing single-site retail operation, with sales of $150 million per year. Mac is a marketer extraordinary and a developed philanthropist. His story contains a basic philosophy of success that can be understood and used by people in all walks of life.

From the Inside Flap

Adapted from the Introduction…

Jim "Mattress Mac" McIngvale’s furniture store, Gallery Furniture, in Houston, Texas, sells more furniture per square foot of retail space than in store in the world! His single-site store sells more than $200 million worth of furniture annually. Gallery Furniture stands alone as the most productive furniture stores in the world. That’s BIG!

And Mac’s influence extends far beyond Gallery Furniture. He is one of Houston’s most well-known philanthropists and community leaders. You won’t read about Mac in the society pages attending gala events. He doesn’t go in for those things. Mac’s philanthropy, like all of his endeavors, is done in a straightforward, no-nonsense manner. Whether he’s feeding tens of thousands of people at the Convention Center for Thanksgiving, purchasing the Grand Champion Steer at the charity auction of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, or organizing a welcome-home party for Houston’s NBA Championship team, Mac ALWAYS THINKS BIG!

Think of a mix of P.T. Barnum, Walt Disney, Steven Spielberg, and George Steinbrenner all rolled up into a single, dynamic personality. This mixture would resemble Mac. He is a store owner with a flair for entertainment, a reputation for keeping promises, a commitment to doing the right thing and helping others, and insisting—with a steel fist—on selling high-quality furniture at a fair price.

The core of Always Think Big! is seven principles that Mac uses as his approach to marketing and management. He uses these principles every single day. They are the compass points that guide him in solving problems, making decisions, and delighting customers. Mac’s lessons are applicable to work settings, career management, community involvement, and life. They are specific, practical, and powerful.

These principles can be modified to fit any reader’s situation. They are easy to understand and easy to implement—in business and elsewhere. As you capture the essence of Mac’s seven principles you’ll have fun and laugh, while learning about how Mac became a successful business owner and community leader. He arrived in Houston in 1981 and immediately changed the way furniture is bought, sold, and delivered. Now at the beginning of the twenty-first century, his principles still have tremendous value—and plenty of punch—for anyone who wants to learn how thinking big can enhance their business and their life.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Kaplan Business; 1st edition (March 19, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0793153751
• ISBN-13: 978-0793153756
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #501,348 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must-read" for investors and successful entrepreneurs, May 28, 2002

By A Customer

"Always Think Big--How Mattress Mack's Uncompromising Attitude Built the Biggest Single Retail Store in America" provides a fascinating, well-written account of Mattress Mack's rise from penniless salesman to multi-millionaire businessman and philanthropist. Mack's combination of attitude, perseverance, and successful marketing techniques have made him a legend in Houston, but "His "Treat Everyone Like a Movie Star" techniques are valuable in any location or arena: small businesses, large corporations, schools, government, charitable organizations.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Story - Fun Read, July 14, 2007

By	Customer (Lakeville, MN) - See all my reviews

This is a great story! Mattress Mack is an impressive business person and such a positive contributor to his community and society. Gallery Furniture is like no other store in the country. It is truly a must see experience.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For those who would think big in their own businesses, July 8, 2002

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

A Texas entrepreneur who produced the most productive singlesite retail furniture store in America, Jim McIngvale is justifably known as 'Mattress Mack'. By promising - and delivering - extraordinary service and thinking big about the future, McIngvale built his empire. Always Think Big incorporates the basics of his approach for those who would think big in their own businesses.