From humble beginnings, FedEx has literally revolutionized the way business is conducted. Not too long ago, overnight shipping was barely an option for even the largest companies. Today, thanks to FedEx, it's available to every living room start-up. With annual revenues of $30 billion, more than 250,000 employees, 600 aircraft, and 70,000 surface vehicles, FedEx handles nearly six million shipments a day in two hundred countries. FedEx has become a household name, and has been named one of the top ten of America's Most Admired Companies by Fortune magazine.
But it wasn't always easy. From his inside vantage point as the company's first general manager and chief operating officer, Roger Frock reveals the remarkable details of how Fred Smith and his team endured their tumultuous early years—fraught with a seemingly unending series of legal, financial, and operational crises that continually threatened the company's ability to stay in business—and, in the end, created an entirely new industry.
Frock chronicles the dramatic last-minute saves and turnarounds the company engineered from its inception to the present. He entertains with stories of the trials and tribulations of the company's early struggles and victories—from Pilots using personal credit cards to fuel planes, to the courier who hocked his watch to put gas in his delivery van, and, one of the most memorable episodes, the time that founder Fred Smith literally gambled the company's last remaining funds to keep the planes flying.
Frock's story introduces all the players—FedEx's resourceful and resilient leaders and employees—and shows how these remarkable individuals gave Fred Smith's original concept wings and, through flexibility, creativity, and commitment, made a fledgling startup into one of the great success stories in modern business. Changing the Way the World Does Business is an inspirational tale for leaders and entrepreneurs everywhere.
Changing How the World Does Business: FedEx's Incredible Journey to Success - The Inside Story| Roger Frock (Author)| Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Table of Contents
Introduction: A Case History of Courage and Tenacity
Part I: From Skepticism to Affirmation: Before May 1972
Chapter 1. The Trail of Inspiration
Chapter 2. Checking with the Experts
;Chapter 3. Feeling More Comfortable
Chapter 4. This Dog Might Hunt!
Chapter 5. An Irrational Decision
Chapter 6. Kick the Tires, Light the Fires
Part II: Naïve Optimism: May 1972 to March 1973
Chapter 7. A Climate of Chaos
Chapter 8. Looking for a Few Good People
Chapter 9. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Chapter 10. The Humble House Gang
Chapter 11. Good-bye, Little Rock—Hello, Memphis
Chapter 12. The Company Lodestar
Chapter 13. More Obstacles
Part III: Within an Inch of Failure: March 1973 to May 1974
Chapter 14. Let’s Call it a System Test!
Chapter 15. The Marine Corps Boot Camp Mode
Chapter 16. An Inauspicious Beginning
Chapter 17. Rescue at the Edge of a Precipice
Chapter 18. Light at the End of the Tunnel
Chapter 19. A Little Help from Our Friends
Chapter 20. Summoned to a Special Meeting
Part IV: One for All and All for One: June 1974 to May 1978
Chapter 21. A General in the Guerrilla Camp
Chapter 22. Fund-Raising—Round Three
Chapter 23. America, You’ve Got a New Airline
Chapter 24. A Threatened Resignation
Chapter 25. Three Division Offices
Chapter 26. Just Step out of the Way
Part V: Transformation and Separation: May 1978 to January 1982
Chapter 27. From Caterpillar to Butterfly
Chapter 28. Mach 1 to Idle
Chapter 29. Concordes, Dirigibles, and Separation
Part VI: A New Model for Success
Chapter 30. People Are the Wind beneath Our Wings
Chapter 31. Changing How the World Does Business
Appendix: Time Line for the Startup, 1971 to 1982
Index
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