Lew Frankfort - Coach CEO's Untold Story | The Fear and Depression That Fueled My Success
Success Story with Scott D. Clary
Success Story Media
4.6 • 1.9K Ratings
🗓️ 15 October 2025
⏱️ 66 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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Lew Frankfort is an American business executive who grew Coach from $6 million in sales to a $5 billion global brand during his 35-year tenure. Joining Coach in 1979, he became CEO and Chairman, taking the company public in 2000 and pioneering the "accessible luxury" market segment. Named multiple times to Barron's "World's Most Respected CEOs" and Institutional Investor's "Best CEOs in America," he retired in 2014 and co-founded Benvolio Group, investing in early-stage consumer brands.
➡️ Show Links
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➡️ Talking Points
00:00 – Intro
01:22 – Why Lew Started Writing After Retiring
04:37 – Thriving Under Pressure
07:45 – Finding Your Career North Star
10:17 – The Danger of Being “Too Principled”
15:29 – Lew’s Path Into Leadership
20:28 – What Great Leadership Looks Like
21:37 – Sponsor Break
24:37 – Carrying the Coach Legacy Forward
34:00 – The Power of Magic & Logic
44:01 – Sponsor Break
46:53 – Balancing Intuition and Strategy
50:05 – What Drives Lew Today
54:44 – Opening Up About the Dark Side of Leadership
59:36 – The Role of Fear in Success
1:02:42 – Advice to His 20-Year-Old Self
1:04:23 – The Big Idea Behind His New Book
1:05:12 – The Lesson He Wants to Leave His Kids
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | My adult children pushed me to tell an authentic story. |
| 0:04.9 | My drive for excellence, fear of failure, and the depressive episodes they experienced when I was going through them. |
| 0:13.1 | In my case, over the decades, I sought out help and learned to really listen to my body. |
| 0:18.9 | He turned a small accessory shop into a global luxury icon. |
| 0:22.2 | Lou Frankfurt is the visionary behind the rise of coach, |
| 0:25.1 | transforming it from a niche leather goods company |
| 0:28.0 | to a worldwide lifestyle brand. |
| 0:29.9 | When you're running a growing business, |
| 0:33.2 | you can never be complacent, even with success. |
| 0:36.7 | You need to be relentless. |
| 0:38.6 | You need to make wrong career decisions to find the right destiny. |
| 0:43.2 | The logic comes from analytics, collaboration, and the magic comes from imagination and |
| 0:50.1 | belief. |
| 0:50.7 | His leadership is about more than growth. |
| 0:52.7 | It's about craftsmanship, authenticity, and sustainable legacy building. |
| 0:56.5 | Through bold risks and unwavering values, he redefined what a luxury brand could be. |
| 1:01.7 | Be open to possibilities. |
| 1:03.9 | Maintain a feeling that things are possible. |
| 1:07.5 | Life is a journey. |
| 1:09.0 | Challenge yourself to become a better version of yourself. |
| 1:12.6 | So Lou, first of all, thank you so much for coming on the podcast. |
| 1:26.6 | I'm really excited about this. |
... |
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