Leading With Respect: Adventures of an Off-Price Fashion Pioneer

by Marcy Syms

Infused with inspiring lessons and advice from a groundbreaking entrepreneur, this is a compelling look at leadership from the perspective of Marcy Syms, who helped guide her family’s business through decades of success built on a foundation of respect.

For 35 years, Marcy Syms appeared in TV and radio commercials for her family’s company, voicing its famous slogan, “An educated consumer is our best customer.” Syms was the first truly off-price retailer, offering name brands at cut-rate prices. At its peak, the chain had dozens of stores in 13 states. It was more than just advertising that set it apart. For Syms, the key to success was respect —for the consumers, for the employees, and for the designer brands they sold.

Working closely with her father, Sy Syms, the business’s founder, Marcy helped transform Syms from a family concern to a retailing powerhouse. When Syms went public, Marcy became the youngest female president of an NYSE-listed company.

Leading with Respect recounts the fascinating journey of a woman who pioneered female entrepreneurship. It’s also an insider’s look at a business that foreshadowed much of today’s market. The Syms model spurred the growth of outlet malls and paved the way for online retail giants. Marcy explores Syms’s innovative practices—training salespeople as “educators” and including detailed, color-coded price tags—and the pitfalls of running a business, especially a family one.

Full of personal recollections and relatable insights, Leading with Respect shares a seasoned business leader’s proven lessons for work and for life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Business

240 pages, Hardcover

Published August 26, 2025

Reviews

[Kasia]

**Copy of this book provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review**

I've picked up Leading with Respect thinking it was a memoir and was quite disappointed when it turned out to be in a business genre. I've emigrated to the US couple years after Syms store chain went buncrupt so I have no emotional connection to the company and never even heard about it before stumbling upon this book so take my review with a grain of salt.

Leading with Respect opens up as any memoir would - with authors childhood. The descriptions are pretty broad and we quickly cover multple years of authors life without dwelling on the details. There are multiple interesting issues signaled here (like experiencing bullying or taking care of younger siblings when the mother was recovering from the postpartum depression) but they are quickly brushed aside and the focus shifts to the creation and life of the Syms brand. From chapter one couple things becomes very apparent - author is a very private person; she always try to focus on the good side of things; important messages are going to be repeated relentlessly and then everything will be overexplained just to make sure that the reader understood what exactly author ment. Because of that the interesting story of creation, growth and eventual demise of Syms brand comes out sounding bland and difficult to engage with - everything was going just peachy till the one small mistake - acquiring Filene's Basement - ended it all.

I wanted to hear an honest story of the ups and downs of being a CEO of a family-owned company and not this sanitized publication that intentionally avoids any difficult and interesting topics. I'm just glad it was short.

[Matt Kratz]

Good book about an enduring business and business person and family

[Marge]

She writes well and as you might expect she gives herself a lot of credit. She treats her Dad with such deference she goes along with his bad business decisions re going public, going private, buying Filenes Basement. The biggest flaw is including the last 5 chapters about buying clothes by brand, taking care of family members, servants on outside boards. There’s no mention of her personal life except to comment that she had a child at an advanced age (her words). The parts about Syms as a business were interesting

[Anne Marie]

3.75 stars

I really enjoyed learning about Syms and the business model. I wish there was a little more about what Marcy did afterwards. I feel like it focused a lot on her time at Syms and how she and her dad would butt heads a lot.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Mae B]

Definitely an interesting read. I didn’t quite see her perspective in every case but I respect the fact that she helped develop and run a highly successful company.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

[M.]

It was a good read.

[Arcanum]

Thank you to the organisers for the giveaway. Will update once

[Ellen]

Interesting insights on learning, meeting challenges, maintaining and creating enthusiasm in multiple business environments.

[Beth Bonness]

Growing up in the Midwest 'll admit that I (like many of Marcy's students) had never heard of Syms. Yet I was intrigued by the family backstory and how she reflected on what she learned from her corporate, non-profit, and personal lives back to her father, and respect was a common theme.

Marcy’s trying to prove herself to her father resonated with me. We might have been in different industries (hers fashion, mine high-tech) — but note to all you dads - your daughters think your opinion matters.

One of my favorite quotes, "Don’t compromise it [respect] away. It’s not something that can be compromised. It’s too valuable. Too critical. It’s the foundation of every relationship you have in your life."

For anyone interested in a woman's perspective in the corporate world and hard-won lessons learned, this book is for you.

[BookwormBraggings]

Interesting and engaging, had some interesting points