David Wagman
David Wagman
|
|
| Wagman, David | |
| Occupation | Partner, Co-Chairman Softsel |
Career
David Wagman, working with Robert Leff helped transform a small, home-based operation into Merisel, the world's largest software distributor of its time. Wagman provided the capital and contributed business discipline that allowed the company to scale at a historic pace.
The $10,000 Partnership
In 1980, David Wagman was working alongside Robert Leff at Transaction Technology, a subsidiary of Citicorp. While Leff had already begun the business by purchasing a distribution arm from Ken Williams for $1,300, it was Wagman's investment that allowed them to move beyond Leff's home (cited as his "grandmother's garage" in the early days) and into a professional warehouse.
- The Investment: Wagman famously put up $10,000 to join Leff as an equal partner.
- The Rebrand: With Wagman on board, the company changed its name from Robwin Computing to Softsel Computer Products in January 1981.
Professionalizing the Software Distributor
Wagman and Leff helped move the industry away from its hobbyist roots toward a professional retail model. He and Leff personally vetted hundreds of programs each month to ensure that Softsel only carried high-quality, "easy-to-use" software.
- Market Visionary: Wagman was a key industry voice during the early "platform wars." He famously predicted that the market was "voting with dollars" for IBM to become the industry standard over competitors like the Apple Macintosh.
- The "Hot List": As Softsel's weekly Hot List became the industry's most influential sales chart, Wagman managed its integrity, ensuring it remained a trusted record of actual sales data rather than just a marketing tool.
Scaling to Merisel
Under Wagman's leadership as Co-Chairman, Softsel grew with staggering speed:
- 1982: Reached $25 million in annual sales, doubling every quarter.
- 1983: Reached $90 million in annual sales with a catalog of over 4,000 products.
- 1990: Orchestrated the merger with hardware distributor Microamerica to form Merisel, creating a global entity capable of moving both hardware and software.
