Built from Scratch: How a Couple of Regular Guys Grew The Home Depot from Nothing to $30 Billion
When Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank were both fired on the same day, a friend told them they'd just been struck by a golden horseshoe. It must have seemed like a strange joke at the time. Yet that friend, Ken Langone, turned out to be right. What looked like professional ruin became the unlikely starting point for one of America's most remarkable retail stories. This is the firsthand account of how two determined, sharp-minded men (and a loyal team around them) built The Home Depot from zero to 761 stores and thirty billion dollars in annual sales over just two decades. It's candid, often funny, and packed with the kind of behind-the-scenes detail you won't find in a dry business case study. The book covers a wide range of ground. There are vivid anecdotes, including the story of the executive whose ruthlessness earned him a villain's nickname, how Ross Perot nearly got involved, and the banker who risked his entire career to secure a crucial early loan. There's also a memorable account of staff racing around on forklifts before opening day, deliberately scuffing the floors to preserve that warehouse feel. Beyond the stories, Marcus and Blank lay out the thinking that drove their success. Their philosophy was straightforward: customers want low prices and a vast selection, not fancy fittings. Keep costs honest, treat staff with respect, and take the product directly to customers by cutting out middlemen. Conversations with Sam Walton shaped their approach to pricing, and it shows. What gives the book its real weight, though, is its emphasis on values. When Hurricane Andrew or the Oklahoma City bombing struck, Home Depot staff responded without waiting to be asked. The company's commitment to organisations like Habitat for Humanity went beyond writing cheques; it meant sending people to lead and build. Marcus draws on the Jewish concept of tzedaka, giving back to those with less, as a genuine guiding principle rather than a marketing line. This is an honest, warmly told account of building something meaningful, written by someone who clearly still cares about every part of it.
- Author: Bernie Marcus
- Publisher: Crown Currency
- Genre: Home Improvement
- ISBN: 978-0812933789
- Pages: 352 pages