Michael J. Coles to release autobiography

Michael J. Coles announced that he will release an autobiography on Monday, Oct. 15, depicting the entrepreneur’s non-traditional path into the world of business.

The autobiography, titled “Time to Get Tough: How Cookies, Coffee, and A Crash Led to Success in Business and Life,” illustrates key moments in Coles’ life including the start of his $100 million company, his campaign for U.S. Congress, a near-fatal motorcycle incident and his three transcontinental cycling world records, according to Amazon.

The book is co-authored by Catherine Lewis, director of the KSU Museum of History and Holocaust Education. According to Lewis, Coles wanted his story to be more than a business book about his career, lessons and strategies. She said he wanted his story to inspire others.

“He always says [his] story is pretty boring,” said Lewis. “I would disagree. I think his story is really quite extraordinary.”

According to Lewis, Coles spent 25 years noting and filing ideas for a story he realized he could never materialize by himself. Lewis added that the idea to have a co-author for Coles’ book occurred when Coles was at a cocktail party with Kat Schwaig, the dean of the Coles College of Business. Schwaig suggested that Coles contact Lewis.

When the two got in touch, Lewis had a demand for Coles. She asked him to prove to her in five minutes that he had enough material to write a book, and she said that she later determined that he did and that she wanted to work with him.

Over the next two years, Lewis and Coles met during early mornings to discuss ideas for the book. Lewis would take Coles’ stories and turn them into chapters that she would return to him for feedback. Thus, a book was born.

“Michael is very self-deprecating and really honest about his journey,” said Lewis.

According to Lewis, the book is written for an audience of business students and graduates and adds that Coles’ stories include much of the success and failure that students can expect in the business world. The epilogue includes 10 lessons for business students based on Coles’ entrepreneurial experiences.

The Coles College of Business will be celebrating the new author with “Michael Coles Day” on Oct. 17, which will include an open exhibit with his collection of awards and acknowledgments. The ribbon cutting will begin at 2:30 p.m. and every visitor will receive a free copy of his autobiography.

According to the Coles College of Business’ website, Coles spent 19 years in the clothing business before he co-founded the Great American Cookie Company in Atlanta in 1977. He and his partner, Arthur Karp, invested $8,000 and the company later became the largest cookie store franchize in the U.S.

Just weeks after opening his first store, Coles was involved in a near-fatal motorcycle accident, and doctors told him he may never walk again, according to the Coles College’s website. Nine months later, Coles started his own rehabilitation program and began cycling. From there, he went on to set world records in three transcontinental bicycle races during the 1980s.

Coles later ran for the House of Representatives against Newt Gingrich in 1996 and for the U.S. Senate against Paul Coverdell in 1998, around the time that Coles sold Great American Cookies.

Coles explores his experiences in life and in business in his autobiography, which he said took one year to write and another year to edit.

“He will tell you that writing this book is the hardest thing he’s ever done,” Lewis said.

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