One of the most important women in my life, my wife Donna Coles, is a constant inspiration. Donna has an incredible passion for being a mother, philanthropist, and dedicated community member.  

Donna has worked with the Feminist Action Alliance, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) Georgia Board, and the League of Women Voters of Georgia. She served as the chairperson on the Legal Status of Women and the Georgia Constitutional Revision committees as well as the Cobb County Juvenile Justice Board and the Georgia Student Finance Commission. Today the Donna Novak Coles Georgia Women’s Movement Archives are part of Georgia State University’s Special Collections. Thank you for everything, Donna!  

My daughters, Jody and Taryn inspire me every day. Thank you, Taryn, for challenging me to a race up the driveway and joining Donna as one of only two crew members in my 1982 race. And Jody, your love, support, and caring nature have meant so much to me. 

And thank you, Dr. Catherine M. Lewis, for co-authoring Time To Get Tough and helping me to find my voice. It was an honor working with such an accomplished author and driven person. Catherine has been more than my coauthor; she has become the friend who helped me bring my story to life. So, thank you, Catherine, for turning “no” into “now.” 

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Building upon a three-decade-long relationship with Kennesaw State University, Michael and Donna Coles announced a significant gift to establish a scholarship endowment benefitting veterans of the armed forces.

A $1 million gift to KSU made the The Michael J. and Donna N. Coles Veterans Scholarship Endowment Fund possible. It will help lessen the financial burden of veterans who have exhausted their GI Bill benefits before the completion of their degrees. Military veterans have long been a soft spot for the Coles, as Michael was named for his uncle who died serving his country and Donna’s father served in WWII.

“Through their generosity, Michael and Donna Coles are elevating KSU’s efforts to support the men and women who bravely serve our country,” KSU President Pamela Whitten said. “We are incredibly fortunate to have donors like the Coles who are ensuring that veterans will achieve their educational dreams at KSU.”

Longstanding Relationship

The latest gift is just the next chapter in a longstanding relationship between the Coles family and Kennesaw State University, which began in 1990 when the Great American Cookie Company founder Michael Coles joined the institution’s board of trustees eager to help continue its upward trajectory.

“Donna and I are so honored to make this gift to KSU,” Michael Coles said. “Military veterans have always had a special place in our hearts. When I ran for the U.S. Senate in 1998, I made many friends in the military and was saddened to learn how little the government does for them. This is our way to honor their sacrifice by offering some help for a better life.”

Coles-Novak Family Foundation

In 1994, through their Coles-Novak Family Foundation, the Coles gave KSU its first seven-figure gift. In the following year, Kennesaw State renamed the business school the Michael J. Coles School of Business, now the College of Business. In 1998, the college awarded Coles with the Beta Gamma Sigma Medallion of Entrepreneurship. The next year he received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters and was a 2015 inductee into the Coles College Hall of Fame. Coles remains a member of the KSU Foundation Executive Committee.

Throughout the 2018-2019 academic year, the College celebrated “The Year of Michael J. Coles,” commemorating the 25th anniversary of becoming the Coles College. Since the initial gift from the Coles in 1994, KSU has seen exponential growth in its business-focused disciplines, including the successful launch of the Georgia WebMBA and the College’s first doctoral program in business administration. In that span, the College’s enrollment more than doubled from 3,075 to 6,869. As of the fall 2020 semester, the College has more than 7,700 students.

Philanthropy

Beyond his commitment to KSU, Coles has been heavily involved in the greater community. He is the former chair of the Georgia Film Commission and Kennesaw State University Foundation Board, and served on the University System of Georgia Board of Regents and the Walker School Board. He also is involved in a wide variety of nonprofit philanthropic organizations.

For more information or media request, please contact Liz@LizLapidusPR.com.

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Welcome to The Business Couch with Dr. Yishai. Where we delve into the minds and mistakes of entrepreneurs and business leaders so you can learn from them 3 days a week!

This episode follows entrepreneur Michael Coles, his story and his Struggle and the Road to Success.

What You’ll Learn

With host Dr. Yishai Barkhordari, awe-inspiring psychologist and adaptability coach to entrepreneurs, business executives, and leaders. It is my mission to unlock the minds, thought processes, strategies, and hard-earned lessons from industry leaders, founders, and entrepreneurs. Through a conversation, we extract and share core ideas, principles, skills, and strategies so that you can learn and apply them in your life and business.

In casual yet thoughtful conversations, The Business Couch with Dr. Yishai contains insightful interviews with industry and thought leaders, business founders, and CEOs. Plus, you’ll hear scientific research, my personal reflections, and thought-provoking questions. You’ll hear origin stories that inspire and educate.

Uncover and Unlock

You’ll uncover success secrets to overcoming obstacles, setbacks, and mistakes. Unlock lessons learned by giants who came before you as well as relatable, humble journeys of evolution and adaptation… with all the disruption, stumbling, and struggling that meets us on the road to greatness.

We deep dive into relevant topics from habits, mindset, productivity, and high performance to navigating online business, marketing, and scaling to team management, work-life, culture, and leadership.

You’ll get access to new ideas, perspectives, strategies, and tactics to grow your business and yourself as leader-in-chief at the helm. Whether you are beginning your journey, have some experience under your belt, or a seasoned entrepreneur or business leader there is so much you can gain by subscribing and learning from the experience and wisdom of others to grow yourself and your company at any stage.

More podcasts here.

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During my time in business, I took to reading a number of business and history books, looking for new approaches and ideas. When I built Great American Cookies, David Halberstam’s The Reckoning was influential. The book argues that the shortsightedness of the Detroit automakers paved the way for Japanese domination of the market.  

What does a book about manufacturing cars have to do with selling cookies? The answer is: everything.  

Halberstam’s focus on Nissan and their Z car was particularly illuminating. In the 1960s, Nissan built a clay prototype of what would become a revolutionary new sports car. Then, in 2001, Nissan president Carlos Ghosn summed up the power of the Z. “The fall of 1969, Nissan introduced a two-seat sports car that revolutionized the automotive world at the time. It had European styling, American muscle, Japanese quality and global desirability.” But Nissan did not just add the Z to their existing line of cars. They used it to change the whole company. While they continued to sell the Datsun 2000 for another year, they used the Z car to elevate customers’ expectations. This helped Nissan replicate the Z’s quality and advanced technology in future models.  

Reading about how Nissan used the Z to change their entire operations informed our process with Great American Cookies. We were not going to compete with ourselves by selling old and new cookies. Our team made sure that everything we sold was great. 

Breaking the Monarchy  

Halberstam’s book also drew attention to a problem that I never thought about. Most American businesses at the time structured themselves as rigid hierarchies. The top leadership are mainly isolated from the hourly workforce. They function like a king or queen with everybody below them. A few top managers have access to the royal family, but nobody else.  

After I read that, I realized that our business was based on this antiquated model. We had hundreds of people in the field—franchisees, store managers, district managers, regional managers, and store employees— and I wanted each of them to know that they could call me with an idea or a complaint. I had to break down the employer-employee barrier. 

My Bible 

While working on transforming Caribou, I read many business books to hone my thinking about what the company needed. Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan was the most helpful. The book first published in 2002, and it soon became my bible. I distributed copies to my leadership team, and we constantly referred back to its core message. We held a one-day retreat to discuss the book, because I wanted to make sure everyone understood its core message. I was telling them much of what the book said, but I knew they needed to hear it from another source.  

Bossidy and Charan start with a simple question: Why were forty CEOs at top companies such as Aetna, Hewlett-Packard, Compaq, and Xerox recently fired? Why did these smart, capable people fail to produce results? In trying to provide answers, the authors realized that execution bridges the gap between what leaders try to achieve and their company’s ability to deliver it.  

Bossidy and Charan explain that most companies make a mistake when they assume that execution is a single event, not an ongoing process. It is not something to be delegated to vice presidents and directors while the CEO is working on “bigger” issues. Execution is the “big issue.” It has to become part of a company’s DNA. It has to touch every aspect of the company or organization, from mission, strategy, and values to hiring, product development, production, sales, and service. Execution has to live inside the company, permeating its cultural fabric, and thus motivating employees constantly to seek ways to improve. 

My Writing Journey  

Because books have informed the way I conduct business, writing my own memoir, Time To Get Tough, was a logical next step to share the knowledge I gleaned over the years. But when I started thinking about writing my own book more than twenty-five years ago, I always hit a wall. One day in February 2016, I finally sat down at my computer and wrote a simple question: “What is keeping me from doing this?” My answer was: “I keep waiting to have other experiences to share that might be valuable to a reader.” That seemed ridiculous, because if I waited much longer, I would be either dead or unable to remember anything. And I’m so glad that I started this writing journey.  

Thank you for reading! 

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Combating Antisemitism 

From 2012-2019, during my tenure as president of Hillels of Georgia, the world experienced a rise of antisemitism and discrimination that continues today.    

I am continuously inspired by the work of Hillels. I saw first-hand the lasting impact Hillel had in creating safe spaces for Jewish students and combating antisemitism on college campuses through generous support from our community.  

Empowering Students 

I’m proud to be an advocate for Hillel’s mission to empower Jewish students across campuses in Georgia. Hillel gives students the space to embrace their Jewish identity.  

Three W’s 

In my time in philanthropy, I’ve always followed the concept of the “Three W’s“—Work, Wisdom, and Wealth.  

I see the concept in place with young students who are just starting out. They donate their time, energy and work to building the Jewish community. Then, when they graduate, they become more stable and successful, and their contributions grow to encompass wisdom and wealth. 

Nonprofits and charitable organizations need community members to donate all three. Are you ready to give? 

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The first day, we faced a torrential downpour and had to stop at a convenience store to buy black trash bags. We each used one to cover our gear and another to make an improvised poncho.  

Religious Experience  

Sixty-five miles into the trip, we stopped at the Pine Mountain General Store in Callaway Gardens to dry off and use the restroom. I was leaning under the hand dryer to dry my hair when the door opened, and a man came in. When I looked up, I saw that it was the Reverend Billy Graham. I smiled and said, “They told me that this ride could be a religious experience, but this is ridiculous.” He laughed, and we talked for a few minutes about the ride, and then Dave and I got back on the bikes and headed to Florida.  

When we finished, Dave rented a car to drive the bikes back to Atlanta. I flew to Orlando to meet Donna, daughter Taryn, and son Lorin at Disney World.  

A year later, in 1981, I repeated the Dunwoody-to-Helen route and covered the same ground in 4 hours 41 minutes, about eight hours faster than my time in 1979.  

I will always remember this spring ride as the start of my biking journey, which eventually led me to break world records. Happy first day of spring! I hope you are able to welcome the new season by getting outside and challenging yourself with something new.

Time to Get Tough – UGA Press

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I never thought about philanthropy in a conventional sense as a child. My parents were working class, and we had little extra money. Like our friends and neighbors, we lived on a tight budget, and there was no real mechanism in place to make community giving more visible.

When Donna and I married, we did not have money to give. We were
struggling to make a living in our new home in Atlanta and raising children. I do not remember anybody ever asking us for money.

The Beginnings

Once we established ourselves north of downtown in Cobb County, we began volunteering for causes about which we cared. Donna worked with the Feminist Action Alliance, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) Georgia Board, and the League of Women Voters of Georgia. She served as the chairperson on the Legal Status of Women and the Georgia Constitutional Revision committees as well as the Cobb County Juvenile Justice Board and the Georgia Student Finance Commission. Today, the Donna Novak Coles Georgia Women’s Movement Archives are part of Georgia State University’s Special Collections.

We helped the March of Dimes, Kennestone Hospital, and the American Heart Association, but soon I discovered that my real passion was education. This may be partly inspired by the fact that I never went to college. I wanted to make sure that our community was doing its best to provide for our children so they had an opportunity to thrive. I wanted to do something to make a difference.

Three W’s—Work, Wisdom, and Wealth

It was not until the Great American Cookie Company began expanding in the 1980s and became more successful that I began to think about philanthropy. I cannot recall where I first heard the concept of the “Three W’s“—Work, Wisdom, and Wealth. Maybe it was at a business luncheon or in a magazine article. Whatever the source, it really resonated.

When you are young and just starting out, often the only thing you can afford to donate is your work. As you age and become more stable and successful, your contributions grow to encompass wisdom and wealth. Nonprofits and charitable organizations need community members to donate all three.

Giving Back

The most important contributions that I have made as a philanthropist have been donations of work and wisdom; the easiest thing I have ever done is write a check.

I do not want to minimize the importance of financial gifts—organizations need money—but they need business and community leaders who understand corporate citizenship even more. I have been on many boards whose members had expertise that the organization never could afford to buy. That is good for the organization, but it is also good for the board member.

Embrace the mission

It is often easier to take a minute to write a check than to really commit to an organization about which you care. If you do not give of yourself, you will never truly understand and embrace their mission or appreciate their impact on people you may never meet.

In my work with the Walker School, Kennesaw State University, Hillels of Georgia, and the Film and Video and Music Commission for the State of Georgia, I discovered that hard work on behalf a cause you believe in is what matters most.

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A Man Named John Marino

I remained dedicated to my self-rehabilitation program, and by happenstance one night, Donna and I saw a man named John Marino being interviewed on television about riding his bicycle across the continental United States. I didn’t even know there was such a thing, but what was most intriguing: John completed this amazing feat despite not being a cyclist.

John was an athlete. He played baseball and football at Hollywood High School in California and then at San Diego State University. While a student there, the Dodgers drafted him twice. Both times, he turned them down so he could finish his teaching degree. But the part of the story that most resonated with me was that he suffered a severe injury to his back while lifting weights, ending his baseball prospects.  

More Than a Race

In the fall of 1976, John was thumbing through the Guinness Book of World Records looking to pick up another sport. He ultimately chose cycling and the U.S. coast-to-coast record because it seemed like a huge adventure.

He explained, “After setting the record, I realized that the endeavor was more than a race. It was an expedition. It was more than merely pedaling a bicycle fast and long. It was incredibly interesting. There was so much about the challenge that could pique one’s interest. It also has an ‘off the wall’ quality. It’s just so ‘out there.’ This is really living life to the max. It’s not for everyone, but definitely a huge attraction to some.”

John trained for the ride for two years, and in 1978 when he broke the world record, he called that moment “the greatest thrill of my life.”

After watching the interview, I began to wonder if I could do the same thing. After all, we were a lot alike. When he started planning for his ride, John was not a competitive cyclist but an average guy. He had been a successful athlete in other sports; so had I. He overcame a serious injury; that was what I was trying to do. Maybe I could do this. Maybe this would be a way to prove that I could take control of my life again.  

Up for the Challenge

In September 1979, I rode from Dunwoody to Helen, Georgia, a total of ninety-one miles. It took about twelve and a half hours and was the hardest thing I had done up to then. I had to finish the last five miles with one leg, because my right leg had cramped so severely that I could not use it.

As I rode across the Chattahoochee River into Helen, I thought to myself, “I am so lucky.” I thought about all the people who faced a similar challenge, and I felt I needed to get a message out there about determination, about the importance of not quitting, never giving up. It was at that moment that I decided that I wanted to ride my bicycle across America.

Looking back, this was one of the craziest decisions of my life.  

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It was the eighth day of the 1983 race, and I was in Arizona, only 488 miles from San Diego. All of the elements for victory were in place. I trained hard, assembled the right crew and did everything necessary to break my previous record. At thirty-nine years old, I was in the best shape of my life. Going faster than I ever thought possible. I would cross the entire United States in nine days if I stayed on this pace. You could hardly drive much faster.  

Broken

But instead of breaking the record that year, I broke my collarbone. A dust devil blew me off my bike. It was one of those menacing whirlwinds called “ghost spirits” by the Navajo. Formed when hot air near the surface rises quickly through a small pocket of cooler low-pressure air, they create a funnel-like chimney. Most are weak and dissipate within a minute of forming, but others can grow to be large and intense, with concentrated winds that become quite dangerous. When the dust devil struck me and I started falling, I knew it was bad. I hit the asphalt and heard a loud, unmistakable crack—and there I was again, splayed out on the highway.  

In that moment, everything changed.

I had been there before, broken and bleeding. In 1977, a motorcycle accident nearly killed me, riding home on a damp August evening six weeks after opening Great American Cookies. My partner, Arthur Karp, and I started the cookie company with only $8,000, and it became more successful than we ever could have imagined. Then, in a moment, everything changed.  

Once again, I was facing something unexpected, daunting, and larger than life. I found myself in the shadow of Goliath, the latest giant haunting me for so many years. But this dust devil would not defeat me when I was so close to reaching my goal. While waiting for my collarbone to be x-rayed, before I told my wife Donna, I started sketching out what I needed to do to prepare for the next race. The doctor told me I could start training immediately, as long as I kept pressure off my shoulder.  

Time to Get Tough

When I got home, I set my bike up and started a regimen that felt familiar. It was only a few years since I first climbed on a stationary bike while trying to recover the full range of motion in my legs after my nearly fatal motorcycle accident. Now I was broken again, but I was back on the bike. It was a painful process. I needed a stool to get onto the seat. Even the lightest pressure on my right arm brought excruciating pain. So, it took everything I had to just stay upright.  

I finally resorted to saying out loud, “You’ve got to do this. You can’t waste any time. It’s time to get tough.” When I finished that first session, I grabbed a piece of paper and scrawled with my left hand “TTGT” and taped it on the bathroom mirror. Later that day I told Donna that I needed to make signs with that slogan to put around the house. This was before personal computers were common, so I hired a graphic designer who hand-painted fifty of them on four- and two- inch-square card stock. I posted them everywhere, even inside the refrigerator. I gave them to my crew and placed them on all of my bikes and all over my office.  

Every time I felt like giving up, the abbreviation for “Time to Get Tough” slapped me in the face. And it made all the difference. 

Time to Get Tough – UGA Press

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Virtual business presentation from keynote speaker Michael Coles

Last month, Michael Coles presented at Small Business Expo NYC’s virtual event. Small Business Expo is New York City’s BIGGEST business networking and educational event. This year, the event went virtual, reaching small businesses owners and entrepreneurs from around the world.

So, through a virtual format, Michael brought his thought leadership to passionate business owners in New York City and beyond. During the event, Michael shared his story, talked tips and discussed how to increase revenue & grow your business.

After watching the video, if you are interested in booking Michael Coles to deliver a keynote at your next event, please reach out here.

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