Changing How the World Does Business: FedEx's Incredible Journey to Success # The Inside Story

by Roger Frock

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.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Biography, Aviation

264 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Mario Sevcik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not many books have the ability to cast a spell on you, of not wanting to close it, but just keep reading. What a fascinating story. Taking the last company's $5.ooo and putting it on the table at a casino in Las Vegas, trying to break even the operational costs and hopefully making it into the next week, or managers board of directors covering Fred's ass so he does not end up like Steve Jobs - being fired from his own company. It is surely a motivational book with ups and mostly downs of a new start up. Probably whole life we may think we are not ready to start en enterpreneur adventure, but as this books explains, you can never predict all the circumstances that shape your business.

[dan gillette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible story on the history of this now well known brand.

Not very often I have a hard time putting down a book, but this was a fascinating read about the struggles to launch this new and innovative business.

[Gaurish · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is interesting to read provides the inner workings of Fred Smith and the initial management team their tenacity and determination on making the FedEx from its initial struggles to a corporate giant. A must-read for new entrepreneurs for some inspiration.

[Nathaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this a fascinating read. Starting an airline that focuses just on packages is pretty hard and reading about the challenges that the founders of FedEx faced made me appreciate the convince we have in one day delivers.

[Tadd k Leggate · Rating 5 out of 5]

The history of FedEx

This book makes me want to be an entrepreneur as it causes me to be terrified of the idea. What an amazing company with an unbelievable story.

[Jake Hurst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall solid retelling of FedEx’s history. Wasn’t the best story and didn’t have tons of insights but a quick read and interesting to hear the background.

[Christopher Paschal · Rating 3 out of 5]

FedEx got so lucky

[Mai Việt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

[Hugh HACKETT · Rating 4 out of 5]

FedEx exists due a night at the casino. Another book documenting how global brand began from small beginnings.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Working for FedEx for the last five years gave me a little different perspective book. But it was a well documented account of the time line of taking an idea from a failed assignment at Yale to a multi-billion dollar company that now employs over 280,000 people world wide. It is nice to be able to still work for a company that was begun on a dream and still runs today because of the heart of the employees.

[Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great customer service is inspiring, as it is a huge part of my day job. This book delivers (literally) on revelations of the concept and the framework to foster these ideals. However, the book is not expertly written. The story itself is remarkable, but if feels like too many details are left out, and we get almost no insight to the thinking processes of the corporation's Fearless Leader. Still, long live FedEx, a great example of how a company should be run, and ultimately succeed.

[Marcos Moret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and concise story of how Fred Smith overcame the odds and disrupted the package delivery industry to create FedEx. Don't expect much detailed insight into the systems they set up to make it 'work', but the book does have quite a strong corporate financing slant due to the role at FedEx of the author Frock.

[Carlos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by Roger Frock who originally was a consultant to FedEx and then brought on later as a senior executive. Mr. Frock describes the risky early days with the company from Little Rock to Memphis.

[Bharath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book to read about Fedex. The author gives a great overview of the early years of the fledgling company, and it's strive to succeed. Interesting story snippets throughout the book make it a great read.

[Adam Wiggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was completely enthralled by this story of FedEx's early years from someone who lived it. Amazing how much an aviation+shipping company in the 1970s resembles the path of fast-growth internet startups circa 2010s.

[Wendi Wasson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent insider story about the beginning's of this great company.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned stuff even I didn't know about. Great story!

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great overview talk about all the obstacles Fedex encounter in the early stage, however doesn't include too much details regarding how their system actually work.

[Clay · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is full of really interesting stories from FedEx's founding. Also, little tidbits of knowledge about running a business. However, the book was hard to read through at many points due to it's boring structure. I am glad I read it, though. Just don't think I could read through it again.