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- The Rise of Miriam Leslie, Gilded Age Tycoon (part one)
Hey team,
LaToya here! Welcome back to The Strategy Files.
In this series, we’re discussing one of the most successful women in media, who you’ve probably never heard of: Gilded Age Tycoon Miriam Leslie.
Here’s what we’re covering today:
Why Study Miriam Leslie?
Poll
References + Further Reading
image: public domain
Why Study Miriam Leslie?
When Frank Leslie died in 1880, The Frank Leslie Publishing House was on the verge of financial ruin. It used to bring in $500,000 a year. But Frank died in debt, so his estate was worth negative $300,000.
That’s like owing 9.2 million dollars today!
Lucky for his legacy, he left his publishing house to his wife. Miriam took over the business, paid off all its debts, and made the company profitable again. Five years after his death, it became so profitable that she paid herself a salary of 100,000.
That’s like giving yourself a annual salary of 3.2 million dollars in 2024.
In this series, we’re going to explore
What was her early life like?
What skills did she build early in her career that allowed her to save a failing company?
And why did she once say
“A woman with brains and energy knows what she means to attain and is unscrupulous as the great Napoleon in attaining it” [1]
References + Further Reading
Purple Passage: The Life of Mrs. Frank Leslie. I got a FIRST EDITION and accidently wrote in it. Don’t be like me 🙃
Diamonds and Deadlines: A Tale of Greed, Deceit, and a Female Tycoon in New York City’s Gilded Age.
Ephraim George Squier | Smithsonian Institution Archives
1 p.29, Diamonds and Deadlines: A Tale of Greed, Deceit, and a Female Tycoon in New York City’s Gilded Age.