Book excerpt: "In 1951, using $2,000 of wedding gift money, Lillian Vernon founded a mail-order business - on her kitchen table! She placed an ad for personalized belts and handbags in Seventeen magazine, then filled the orders from her home. The ad was a huge success, and the Lillian Vernon catalog was born. This year, her company had sales of $238 million to its lifetime customer base of 18 million people." "This is her story: how her family fled Nazi Germany; how she grew up as an immigrant in America; her travels, marriages, and children. But mainly this is the story of one determined woman and the business she built - relying largely on her gut instinct and her "eye for winners" - into a mail-order industry leader that is a national institution." "Beyond the story of this one extraordinary woman's success, An Eye for Winners provides an intensive how-to manual for aspiring entrepreneurs. From building mailing lists to the art of picking "winners" for her catalogs, Lillian Vernon gives us an insider's look at how to break into the mail-order business." "Each chapter includes informative sidebars covering management strategies, negotiating tips, practical guidance on how to secure a bank loan, crucial advice about marketing and merchandising - everything the beginning entrepreneur needs to know about starting a business."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved