I Guarantee It

Book excerpt: America knew George Zimmer for one of the most famous slogans in television advertising history: “I guarantee it.” Zimmer rode his promise to lead the Men’s Wearhouse to unimagined success as a retail giant. Now, years removed from his stunning dismissal as leader of the company he founded, I Guarantee It recounts the journey of Zimmer’s rise, the fall of the Men’s Wearhouse, and his personal renewal. For forty-one years, George Zimmer forged a relationship with American men who wanted to like the way they looked without getting too fussy about it. He made them a promise that came straight from the shoulder: “I guarantee it,” he said, and it was ironclad. By the millions, customers walked into The Men’s Wearhouse stores in all fifty states and Canada, where they received “quality, service, and a good price,” where they bought suits, ties, sports coats, and slacks by the tens of billions of dollars. Then a backstabbing — the handpicked board of directors fired Zimmer from the company he had created and developed into the most successful men’s specialty store in world history. Eight years later, Zimmer is back to tell his story: a man raised by a prosperous and loving family, a fun-loving son of the sixties, a merchant, an entrepreneur, a pitchman for the ages. Zimmer’s ouster devastated but did not destroy him. His is a story of hard work and resilience, about a life in business that succeeded beyond belief and followed the Golden Rule. It’s a story that will teach and inspire. He guarantees it.