Lillian Vernon - a short biography
It is called nothing less than the"Queen of catalogs". Lillian Vernon went from a wandering immigrant to a woman whose story is cited as an example of building a small Empire from scratch. How did she do it and at what price – let's try to figure it out.
Childhood and youth
Lilly Menashe was born March 18, 1927 in Leipzig, Germany, in Herman's family Menashe, a successful industrialist, and his wife Erna. She might have had a well-to-do, carefree childhood, but the rise to power of the Nazis and her Jewish background turned out differently. When Lilly was 5 years old, the family fled to the Netherlands, and in 1937 - to the United States. All this time , the model for the girl was her beloved father, the way he endured all the blows that fell to their lot.
Work Lilly started at the age of 14, selling tickets in a movie theater. Then, she worked as a saleswoman in a store. At these first jobs Lilly learned, in her own words, to work with people and identify their needs, and overcame shyness.
In 1946, the girl graduated from high school and began studying psychology at the University New York. However, after meeting Sam Hochberg I chose my family over my career and she left the big Apple ,moving with her husband to Prigorodny Mount Vernon.
First steps
Lillian started mail-order sales in 1951 , during pregnancy. Unaccustomed to sitting around , she decided to make some extra money and used the $ 2,000 she received as a wedding present. The girl bought the first batch of belts and purses, invested in advertising. In the first 12 weeks, Lilly received orders for the amount of 32 thousand. Personalized book bookmarks were added to the assortment, followed by door knockers and packages for transportation…
In 1954, the first sixteen -page catalog of "Souvenirs" was published. Vernon." Annual income jumped to 150 thousand by 1955. And a year later it was opened Lillian Vernon Corporation.
Success rules
Myself Lillian she attributed her success to product personification and compliance 5 rules:
- Constant attention to others.
- The lack of fear of getting dirty.
- Maintaining a balance between work and recreation.
- Following common sense.
- Following your intuition at the planning stage.
In 1987, the company became a joint-stock company. Lilly remained at the helm of her brainchild until 1989, and served as Executive Chairman until 2003.
Lillian became famous not only as a businesswoman, but also as a philanthropist. She sponsored the Foundation of the House Writers at the She has worked at new York University, supported various charitable foundations, and has been a champion of women's rights in the workplace.
Personal life
Success is always worth something. In the late 60s , the first marriage broke up Lilly. My husband, he helped me all these years she needs to work, but it was constant work that destroyed her their family. In this marriage, Lillian had the following children: two sons, David and Fred.
In 1970 , Lilly married for the second time, to Robert Katz. They lived together 20 years old. After her divorce from Robert, Lillian changed her last name to Vernon. She didn 't try to start a new family again.
Sons Lilly didn't stay in the family business as much as her mother would have liked – Fred left him for politics in 1993 , and David left later.
Lillian Vernon was gone December 14, 2015.