Sam Walton: Made In America

I feel that this book captured the real spirit of Sam Walton. Why I liked it so much is the simple fact that I got a glimpse of how Sam thought and conducted business. Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in starting their own business, or to those who are just interested in this giant thing called WallMart and its founder

Recommended reading for anyone who needs inspirations to grow his business or pursue his passion and/or wants to learn more about Mr. Walton. This book depicts how Mr. Walton grew from a small retailer to today's leading retailers. His passion, shrewd and on the ground management, compassion and his strong belief in delivering value to his stakeholders led to the success of Wal-Mart.

This should be required reading for any entrepreneur, especially for those in the retail or service business. As a small business owner whose business is about 50% retail, this book helped me probably more than any of the business books I've read. Sam's determination is inspiring. It is eye-opening to see how Wal-Mart was once a little underdog retailer in the no-mans-land America. I don't think Sam gets the credit he deserves in enterpreneurial circles; in my opinion, he is a far better entrepreneur than Steve Jobs.

Sam's views on pricing and how that affects volume is also helpful. A lot of small business owners refuse to "compete on price", but Sam built a 1/2 trillion dollar empire doing just that.

I think Wal-Mart has gotten an unfair share of negative PR. They are a great company that does much for American commerce.

The friendly voice and insightful anecdotes that are sprinkled throughout "Made In America" give it the feeling of a casual conversation with one of the foremost businessmen America has ever seen. Despite various controversy around the time of publishing and in subsequent years Walton and writer Huey do a good job of laying out the thoughts and strategy that brought Walmart so much success.

It is clear from the story that Sam was more focused on retailing than nearly anyone in history, but he is also honest and forthcoming that most of the ideas that made Wal-Mart were borrowed from other organizations. Even so the book is written by a man who loves Walmart and thus treats most controversial topics in a way that is favorable to Walmart. Interestingly it talks about the "Buy American" campaign and even hints at Mr. Walton's struggle to adhere to the policy when better quality and price (the two things he is intently focused on giving consumers) are being delivered from over seas vendors.

The title 'Made In America' is more applicable to the Walmart organization itself than it is to the goods sold in their stores. Constant talk of small town values and their help in the Walmart growth strategy cement this thought. Even to this day the ideas of merchandising that Sam pushes are visible in their stores and the mind-set of the Walmart buyers.

A great read for anyone in the retail industry or those interested in strategic corporate growth and culture.

Excellent Book to understand retailing business. It is simply amazing to understand Wal-Mart's distribution network , real estate selection, culture and capital allocation and so on. Without out computer,Sam Walton could not have done what he's done, it is similar to without internet Jeff Bezos could not have done what he's done.

Absolutely enjoyed reading about Sam Walton and what he had to share regarding his journey in building a retail empire. Learned a bunch from this man. He definitely surprised me. So much I hadn't known or understood about this business genius.

This book is an absolute timeless classic! The book is over 20 years old, but a lot of the things it talks about still ring true today. It gives a first hand account of leadership practices of one of the greatest entrepreneurs of our time. I believe that if Sam Walton was still around then Walmart wouldn't be going through its poor customer service that it is today. This was a very quick, easy read, and I would recommend it to anyone, regardless of industry.

It is hard to write an autobiography without displaying your bias. Sam Walton has done an outstanding job. Made in America is interesting and educational. Walton does an excellent job of peppering Walmart's story with some of his own childhood and background information which make the story more fun to read.

No matter what your views on Walmart and its effect on US economy, this is a very important book to read. Furthermore the way he tells his story can appeal to a wide range of audience. One of the best autobiographies I've read!

This guy if alive would have been the richest man in the world. That is itself the biggest thing about why everyone should read this book. Book is straight from Sam's heart and tells about how simple this man was and how he built wallmart into the biggest force in retail. The interesting thing that he was an underdog in retail .

Great book about one of the kings of retail. This books is for those who are interested in learning about the history of Walmart or someone who wants to start a retail business.What Better advice to learn from the king of retail. Sam Walton really touched the lives of the American People.

Truly a great read as a businessman, entrepreneur, or even just as an American. Sam is very honest throughout the book. It's obvious that he is very prideful about what he built with Wal-Mart. It gave me an entirely new appreciation of the brand and what it took to get there. It's also a quick read which is nice. Most importantly, I highlighted quite a few passages that will help me in building and growing my own business(es). So, thanks, Sam!

What strikes me most is that it is clear that Sam's passion for Wal-Mart was all about competition and the desire to build something great. It had absolutely nothing to do with money. And that's why all the money never screwed up his judgement.

Sam Walton takes you through his amazing life building stores to sell merchandise and they the stores being taken away, then building some more stores, this guy never gave up. That's how Wal Mart made it big!

You take for granted the incredible empire that is Wal-Mart. It is overwhelming to think how a single man with a dream built such an incredible business. It reaffirms the notion that man is truly capable of building and achieving great success through grit and determination.

An interesting look at the company we all love to hate and provides a humanizing element to this big corporation. Sam Walton is a fascinating and inspiring man and his tale is one every young american should read. A tale of man who first job was working for James Cash Penney. A story of growth, and a man that didn't open his first Wal Mart until after he was 40.

Enjoyed learning about the life of Sam Walton, a humble man who's desire to be the best is a something to read in itself. He includes the struggles and successes of Wal Mart and the choices he and his "associates" made to get where they are today. Even though Mr. Walton passed away in the early 1990s his story still has valuable lessons to learn and in no way are these outdated theories. Rest in peace Sam.

A true American success story - work hard, stay focused, know your industry better than anybody else, learn from your successes, your failures, your competition, and your co-workers. Treat people with respect - lead from the front, not the back. There are so many lessons to learn in this book - it's a road map for success. Pulling it all together is passion! You can't help but like this book and it's author. Well done!

It's one of the best epic, heroic business stories I've ever read. It's beautifull, easy to read, interesting and inspiring. It teaches you the value of every day hard work. Sam Walton was such a great guy, that is not necessary to say more about him. Read it. It teaches great business lessons and the best, it teaches you a lot of retail. I've bee working in the retail business but this book gave me more clarity and comprehension about the business because of its simple approach.

Very easy to read, folksy writing style. Idealistic and instructive in how to create a world class enterprise by practicing uncompromised customer focus while creating growth by directing profits toward expansion.

Anyone interested in making a success out of himself--in any endeavor--ought to read Sam Walton's autobiography (another good one is "Straight from the Gut" by Jack Welsh). This book is basically Mr. Walton's life story from A to Z. There are hundreds and hundreds of anecdotes provided not only by Mr. Walton himself, but by his family, close friends, and business associates. Just a few points that I was astonished by:

1)Sam Walton is the ultimate hands on guy--and he was intense: Warren Buffett has written: "Intensity is the price of excellence." Well, Sam Walton would fly his private airplane over "virgin" business territory in order to scout out new sites for stores (can you imagine any other CEO's doing this?). He would fly his airplane to visit the stores personally. He would stop in and study his competitors' stores non-stop. He would hang out with the Walmart truck drivers in the back of his stores and learn from them. Mr. Walton was not one to deligate too much (or relax)--he clearly loved being involved in every aspect of his business.

2)KMART was the king of retail when Mr. Walton was getting Walmart off the ground. This is a really important point. Just because one company possesses market dominance does not assure the persistence of the pecking order. Mr. Walton was relentless in developing a better retail concept, and he did, and it overtook KMART (and everyone else!).

3)The importance of humility. Mr. Walton never flaunted his wealth, although what he created is now worth more than Carlos Slim, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffett.

4)He answers "yes" to the question of whether or not there is another "young" walmart out there. It's too bad that Mr. Walton died before the store.com was born, but I see many similarities between Mr. Walton and Jeff Bezos. Like Walton, Bezos is obsessed with offering the widest selection, at the lowest prices, with satisfaction guaranteed. I think the store will ultimately surpass Walmart because it should be able to keep a lower cost structure than Walmart. For example, after reading this book it is clear that Walmart spends an inordinate amount of time and resources 1) opening up stores and 2) keeping those stores well staffed and well stocked. By managing a few warehouses rather than 1000's of stores, I think in time the store will be able to offer lower prices on goods.

5)Sam Walton took big risks to make Walmart happen. He borrowed so much money to start Walmart that banks refused to lend anymore to him.

Finally, I had tears in my eyes by the conclusion, when Sam was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and then soon passed away from multiple myeloma. He has left quite a legacy!

If you are interested in the history of Walmart and Sam's Club from the founder of the company well this would be the book to read. It was a very easy reading book. It is an autobiography with several short inputs from Walmart executives over the years. Mr. Walton goes way back to his early days of retail before he even started the Walmart stores. The book focuses mostly on his business and less on his personal life.

The book shows how Mr. Walton busted his butt to achieve success. Remarkable is his humble nature and lay back approach to his business. Also remarkable is how he did what most companies fail to do today, he placed his customers as priority followed by his employees. It was an interesting book to read!

Really learned and inspired a lot by this book. Would reccommend this book to my friends.
It hold the keys of retrailing principles and organization management. Sam's passion in his work really inspires the readers to do their best