Everything is Possible

S. Daniel Abraham

• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
• Year: 2010
• ISBN:
  9781557049285
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business Biographies
• Index: Business

In Everything Is Possible, Dan Abraham, the legendary founder of Slim-Fast, recounts the story of his personal and business life, starting from his childhood and army years and his purchase of Thompson Medical for $5, 000 when he was in his early twenties, and culminating in the sale of Slim-Fast for $2.3 billion in 2000. At the heart of Everything Is Possible are 16 life lessons that Abraham has picked up in sixty years of a hard-working business career. Among them:

• There is no such thing as a mistake (see pages 198–202)
• Why I always insured that my suppliers made a profit (see pages 208–9)
• The philosophy of continuous improvement (see pages 202–5)
• If you have a theory and the facts dispute it, drop your theory (pages 205–8)
• The realization that we all have both good and bad luck in our lives, but many of us don't prepare for either (pages 216–9)
• I never saw a man pick a fight with a stronger man (pages 191–5)

But this memoir, a brilliant guide for anyone starting and growing a business, is about far more than business. Abraham tells the heartwarming story of growing up in a modest home in Long Beach, New York, and the lessons he learned from his mother, father, and one high school teacher that have guided him ever since. And there is more, much more: a discussion of his beliefs about the pleasure of giving; what he has learned from Judaism about ethics and the Golden Rule; and what he learned from his experiences with the FDA about the importance of compromise and about the necessity to fight hard when you believe you're right.

At a time, when newspapers are filled with reports of business fraud and deceptions, and when so many people believe that to have spectacular success in business you have to be ruthless and dishonest, this is an account of a business life that has been lived honorably, passionately, and successfully, and with fun. Everything Is Possible is a book to be savored and shared with young and old alike.

Index

A

Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, 152

Abraham, 31

Abraham, Estanne (first wife of DA), 142–44, 181

Abraham, Ewa (second wife of DA), 159

Abraham, Isadore (uncle of DA), 48, 49

Abraham, Jerry (brother of DA), 87–89, 159–60

Abraham, Laurie (Leah) (daughter of DA), 148

Abraham, Rebecca (daughter of DA), 148, 151

heart problem, 179–82, 183

Abraham, Roy (brother of DA), 26–28, 60, 75–76, 88

Abraham, S. Daniel

advertising ideas, 64–72, 75–77 (See also advertising)

bashfulness, 18, 28–29

business advice (See business advice)

card playing, 41–43

on charity and giving, 21, 162–63, 172, 175

childhood and youth, 13–31

cough and lung infection, 155–57

death of father, 59–61

drinking problem, overcoming, 178-80

FDA challenges, 74–76, 89–96, 115–16, 220

on fighting back, 95-96, 220

first book, 191

first business loan, 20–21, 175

first Manhattan apartment, 63

heart arrhythmia, 150

hepatitis in Italy, 40–41

Israel (See Israel)

Judaism and religious beliefs (See Judaism)

life lessons of (See sixteen life lessons)

Mayo Clinic and, 156–64

Mideast peace efforts, 152–53, 197-98, 206-8

neo-Nazis, confrontation with, 170, 191–94

newspaper in Long Beach, 14–15, 20, 21–25

parents of, 13–21

psychiatric help, value of, 84–89

road trips, 58–59, 62, 63–66

Slim-Fast (See Slim-Fast)

StomAseptine business, 48–52

Thompson Medical and, 52–76 (See also Thompson Medical Company)

World War II experience, 33–46, 151–52, 221

Abraham, Sam (nephew of DA), 159

Abraham, Samuel (father of DA), 18–21, 47–50, 52–55, 59–61, 86–88

death of, 59–61

family business, 48–52

generosity of, 18–21

Abraham, Samuel (son of DA), 20, 159

Abraham, Sarah (daughter of DA), 159, 183

Abraham, Simmy (daughter of DA), 148

Abraham, Stella (mother of DA), 13–19, 21, 47, 59–60, 61, 85, 88

Abraham, Tammy (daughter of DA), 121, 123, 126, 148, 159

advertising, 64–76, 102, 104, 118–19

Appetite Control Centers, 100

buy-one-get-one-free campaign, 105-6

celebrity endorsements, 119–27

consumer testimonials, 118-19

cortisone product, 104-6

fifth panel advertising, 101-2

Operation Desert Storm, TV ads during, 127–30

Oprah effect, 119, 121—22

alcohol problems, 178-80

Al-Shara, Faruq, 197

America First, 23–24

American Home Products, 209

American Renaissance Party, 192-94

anger, control of, 177-78

Anorexin, 103

Appedrine, 101, 103

Appetite Control Centers, 100

Aqua-Ban, 100, 103

Arafat, Yasser, 138, 142

Aspercreme, 103

Assad, Hafez, 138, 197, 207

B

Balance, 103

Ban-Smoke Gum, 97-100

Barak, Ehud, 152

Begin, Menachem, 195, 198

benzocaine, 81, 100

bigotry, 41

Birkat Hamazon, 188

Blackburn, Dr. George, 114–16, 125–26, 135, 138–39, 178

Black, Marvin, 98-99

Bran-Slim Tablets, 103

Burdett, George, 91

Bush, George H.W., 127

business advice. See also sixteen life lessons

advertising, 64–76, 118–29. See also advertising

budget, lack of, 107

consumer as boss, 202

continuous improvement/new products, 52, 76-77, 113–116, 133–35, 202-5

criticism of employees, 201

debt, problem of, 216-20

enjoyment factor, 112–13

imprudent prudence, 209–10

loans, 20–21

packaging, 73, 75, ...