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HOWARD BROWNEntrepreneur | Family Man | Champion of “Yes”
HOWARD L. BROWN graduated from Syracuse University in 1967, got mar-ried to Nancy Goldis, and joined one of the family plastics companies. In 1972, he purchased Summit Office Supply, a $300,000-office product company, which he expanded both through internal growth and acquisitions in the New York/ New Jersey/Long Island/Westchester metropolitan area.
In 1987, he sold Summit to Dutch company Buhrmann-Tetterode (BT) with company sales of $55 million. He remained with the company until 1996, increas-ing their footprint in the Northeast to over $500 million. In September of 1998, Brown and investors purchased ten office product companies in one day, includ-ing the main spoke, Allied Office Products in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ. Combined total sales of the companies were approximately $110 million. In 2006, the group of companies known as Allied Office Products was doing sales of $375 million, and Brown once again made an impressive sale—this time to Office Depot.
In 2007 and 2008, Brown, his son, employees, and most of the same investors purchased Rentacrate, followed by ShredX. His restricted covenant for the office product industry ended in May of 2010 and HiTouch Business Services Inc. became the parent company of Rentacrate and ShredX. In October of 2010, HiTouch Business Services, Inc. purchased My Office Products, Inc. (doing approximately $120 million in sales), and giving HiTouch a nationwide distribution. His team success-fully grew HiTouch as he had done with his previous companies, and in 2018, Brown again sold his company, this time to Staples. Along the way, his team introduced many firsts in the industry and developed the one-solution sale.
Today, Howard enjoys spending time with all of his five grandchildren, playing golf, and giving back to the community. His family is actively involved in different charities, including CCFA and many Jewish causes. His wife sits on the boards of and takes an active role in fundraising and leadership for these and other organizations.
H OWA R D BUI LT A N D S OL D TH R E E CO M MODI TI ES BUSI N ESSES
TH AT WE R E CO M PETI TOR S TO BI G-B OX OFFI CE SUPPLY STOR ES.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOWARD, PLEASE VISIT WWW.YESISMOREBOOK.COM.
HOWARD BROWNEntrepreneur | Family Man | Champion of “Yes”
Yes is More: Tangible and Timeless Ways to Differentiate Yourself from Your Competitors
Available Everywhere 7/7/2020
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT YES IS MORE, PLEASE VISIT WWW.YESISMOREBOOK.COM.
WHAT MAKES CUSTOMERS want to do business with you when your products may be virtually the same as anyone else’s in your industry? Learning how to say yes instead of no, and your ability to show the customer you are prepared to go the extra mile for them is businessman Howard Brown’s answer. He should know. He built and sold three very successful office supply businesses, going up against big-time competition and winning every time. In a friendly, matter-of-fact style, the author provides classic wisdom that never goes out of style in the pursuit of profit and success. Some of his points include:
Brown’s main focus is on creating a unique added value for cus-tomers to make your business stand out, and he shows how to give customers something special, regardless of what you are selling. Entrepreneurs of all stripes will take away value from Yes Is More.
I N GO OD TIM ES A N D BA D, LOYA LT Y TO E M PLOY E ES, LOYA LT Y TO M A NUFACT UR E R S, A N D LOYA LT Y
TO CUSTO M E R S—PLUS TH AT UN I QUE S O M ETH I NG SPECI A L —A LWAYS P OI NT TH E WAY TO SUCCESS.
• You can never have enough good people.
• When you find good people, take care of them so they will stay.
• Whatever you put into relationships will benefit you in the end.
• Lead by example.
• Know every aspect of your business, and make sure you can do everyone’s job.
• Don’t ask people to do anything you are not prepared to do yourself.
HOWARD BROWNEntrepreneur | Family Man | Champion of “Yes”
KEY MESSAGES HOWARD BRINGS:
• Saying yes and showing your willingness to go the extra mile makes customers want to do business with you again, and again, and again.
• When you find good people, take care of them so they will stay. Make sure your employees feel appreciated by getting families involved in the business with Christmas parties and com-pany picnics, for example.
• Loyalty to your employees, your manufacturers, and your customers—along with that unique something special—will always lead your company to a place at the top.
• The three most important things are relationships with employees, customers, and suppliers.• Howard took his own path to build companies separate from his family. This was not a family
business, as his father was in the plastics business.
QUESTIONS YOU CAN ASK HOWARD:
1. How does someone start from zero and do it 3 times?
2. What do you want young entrepreneurs to take away from your book?
3. How did your book idea come about?
4. What is the biggest lesson you learned from each business?
5. What is one thing you would have done differently from your business career?
6. How was your business affected by 9/11?
7. How do you build these kinds of sincere, successful relationships?
8. What is the most heart-warming story you were told from a client or employee?
9. What made you different from other generic commodities companies?