Longaberger: An American Success Story

by Dave Longaberger, Tami Longaberger (Foreword)

Dave Longaberger was one of the most remarkable entrepreneurs of his generation. His vision, his unorthodox business methods, and his belief in people resulted in the creation of one of the largest and most successful private companies in America. Longaberger: An American Success Story is Dave's fascinating firsthand account of how he created and grew his company into the largest basket manufacturer in the United States, employing thousands of people, revitalizing his community, and inspiring everyone involved with a commitment to quality, craftsmanship, and a unique management philosophy. As Dave himself admits in this moving and compelling memoir, he was an unlikely success story. In addition to having epilepsy and a stutter, Dave suffered from a learning disorder, finally graduating high school at the age of twenty-one. Yet, he ran two profitable businesses, a restaurant and a grocery store -- which, to the horror of bankers and friends, he then sold in order to finance his struggling basket company. Dave was a business maverick who only let adversities make him stronger and more versatile. He became renowned for his managerial skills -- and his sense of humor. More than once he started a food fight at a company event or launched a wild idea -- like the basket-shaped headquarters building -- that just happened to work perfectly. This engaging story shows how Dave Longaberger shared his life and unconventional business sense to create what is now the $1 billion-in-sales Longaberger Company. Join him on his journey as he takes his own unique route to success. Learn about the many original and highly unusual management practices that not only contributed to the strength of the Longaberger enterprise but can make any business run more profitably. Follow Dave's example and develop the entrepreneurial skills necessary for business success. Longaberger: An American Success Story is an affirmation of the American values of independence, hard work, and business ethics. Inspirational as well as informative, this is a moving portrait of an enterprise and an entrepreneur, both of whom are loved and revered by the thousands of people whose lives they have enriched. About The Longaberger Company From a bare-bones beginning with a handful of part-time employees in 1972, Longaberger today, under the leadership of president and CEO Tami Longaberger, employs some 8,700 people and inspires some 70,000 independent sales associates across the United States. The Longaberger Company has a sprawling campus of office facilities, production plants where basket makers create more than 40,000 high-quality baskets every day, and tourist attractions in and around central Ohio.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

234 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2001

Reviews

[Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book charmed me from the front page. I’m singularly unqualified to write this review because I’ve never bought a basket, and until I looked the company up online, I had no idea whether it still existed in 2025. It apparently does. I’m hopeful my unqualified status doesn’t discredit the review. After all, it’s about the book.

The book appealed to me early. This is the story of a guy who didn’t graduate high school until he was 21. He had a stuttering problem that plagued him throughout his life and serious learning disabilities that made school a torturous horror. But at the time of his death from cancer in 1997, his basket company benefitted from millions of dollars in sales. If you read this, you’ll get at least three stories in one book. It’s the story of Longaberger, but it’s also the story of his siblings, his children, of life in a small town, and even the potential for success as an American manufacturer.

Longaberger was the fifth of 11 children, and he grew up under spartan but happy conditions. Early chapters describe his life as a grocery store worker and a salesman for various products. His first brush with sales came when the school asked him to sell magazines as a fundraiser. If he sold more than anyone else, he won a portable radio, and wow did he want that radio! He won it by employing some fascinating psychology against his nearest competitor.

You’ll read about his years in the restaurant business and his eventual decision to restart the hand-made basket making company his dad started years earlier.
What impressed me about the book was the hometown no-pretense philosophy of the businessman. The writing style seems to match his no-frills approach to life. This is highly readable and goes fast.

You’ll read about his evolution into an in-home basket sales situation like Tupperware parties and such. His sales force and those who purchased from them would grow until summer gatherings filled the convention center in Columbus, Ohio.

He includes his 18 principles of good management. The final chapter is a tribute to the United States and a form of government that lets a stuttering kid with serious learning disabilities create a multi-million-dollar company.

Admittedly there are lots of cliches and jingoistic-feeling slogan-type passages here, but it's a quick, fun book that won't leave you feeling frustrated or bereft because you read it.

[Peggy Heitmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book. Reading about a man of integrity, principles, morals, and sense of humor reminded me there are, perhaps were, people in this world that deserve admiring. My only complaint was that the book became repetitive. I think the writing would have been tighter, and more engaging if the book had ended 50 pages before it did. I say, "Bravo" to a man who honors a handshake deal even after what he bought with that handshake burns to the ground.

[Dorise · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a new Ohio resident, I really enjoyed learning about the evolution of Longaberger baskets, which I’d known of since the early 90’s but had never purchased. Dave wrote this combination of personal history starting from childhood, business how-to book and basket company memoir late in his life, when the company was at its peak. Adding Dresden and Newark, OH to my local travel list.

[Susanne]

Inspirational!

[Brian Wasserman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this book, even if you are not familiar with Dave Longaberger because it will inspire you. Longaberger always ignored the advice of other people if he did not agree with it, and in doing so, lived his life to the fullest. There is much to learn from him about living your best life.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The inspirational story of Dave Longaberger and his successful basket making business head-quarted in Columbus, Ohio. From very simple beginnings, he rose to success with a common sense approach to guiding a business, treating employees fairly, and producing a quality product.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty interesting to learn how the Longaberger baskets began. I didn't like how parts of the book repeated information read in earlier parts of the book.