| The late 19th century was a time of massive cultural, | | | | analyzed the product, sales potential and the virtual |
| commercial and lifestyle change in the United States | | | | absence of competition, Gillette made an inspired |
| and Western Europe. Industrialization was in full swing. | | | | decision: he would sell the razors at a loss to |
| Railroads were fully formed and providing speedier | | | | encourage sales, use of the portable implement and |
| movement of people, goods and foodstuffs to | | | | accelerate word of mouth about his amazing razor. |
| consumers and businesses. Men such as Thomas | | | | Sales expanded exponentially almost immediately and |
| Edison, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie and J.P. | | | | the Gillette Safety Razor became one of history's |
| Morgan were transforming commerce and innovation. | | | | most revered brand names. The term "loss leader" or |
| This was a golden age of consumer product | | | | losing money on the first sale to cement subsequent |
| invention.The opportunity to innovate in the areas of | | | | profits was born.Gillette quickly realized that his real |
| personal hygiene, comfort and safety were being | | | | business was not selling the razors, but selling the |
| aggressively addressed for the first time in history. The | | | | blades. Almost immediately he began to give the |
| evolvement of a mass consumer marketplace was | | | | razors away. To this day, purchasing a new Gillette |
| nascent. The confluence of this new mass market and | | | | shaving system includes a free or deeply discounted |
| a slew of new products to address perceived needs | | | | razor, thus insuring years of consistent, highly profitable |
| created a unique confluence of opportunities.The daily | | | | repeat purchases of the blades. Product loyalty was |
| chore of a man shaving facial hair was just such an | | | | insured.The term "planned obsolescence" classically fits |
| opportunity. Today, when viewing the pictures and | | | | products like Gillette blades. In the 1890's people threw |
| images of this age; we are amused by the highly | | | | virtually nothing away. Everything was used until the |
| stylized, gloriously cultivated facial hair seen on many | | | | useful life of a product was thoroughly exhausted. The |
| male faces. The clean-shaven face is rarely seen. It | | | | concept of a product being used and discarded in |
| would seem as if 1890's men were striving to grow | | | | favor of a replacement unit was novel. It also was key |
| works of individualized art on their faces.The reason | | | | to the evolution of a dynamic consumer product |
| so many men cultivated beards, moustaches and | | | | market place. We owe much to King Gillette and the |
| goatees was the difficulty inherent, at the time, in the | | | | business model he created. It serves us well to this |
| process of shaving. Water was not always readily | | | | day.King Gillette was an unlikely capitalist. Even after |
| available to soften facial hair and lather soap. Warm | | | | he had earned millions from his inventions he |
| water was even rarer. Most men, of even limited | | | | hypocritically preached a strange anti-capitalist |
| means, used the barber to trim facial hair. When | | | | philosophy. However, he possessed all of the essential |
| shaving ones own beard a sharp, steel straight razor | | | | characteristics so necessary to be a successful |
| was essential. Straight razors needed to be regularly | | | | entrepreneur. He had vision, drive and courage. Failure |
| sharpened using a strop, and they had to be very | | | | did not deter him. He sought and found a need. He |
| sharp. Many men cut and infected themselves | | | | addressed that need, driving down costs and prices to |
| performing this simple act of personal hygiene. Shaving | | | | make his razors and blades affordable to the masses. |
| while travelling on a moving train was down right | | | | He provided a simple solution to a basic human |
| dangerous. The need to address this task was ready | | | | problem: shaving.King Gillette's lesson for all striving |
| to be successfully commercialized.Into this gaping void | | | | entrepreneurs is obvious. Innovation that addresses |
| stumbled a socialist utopian dreamer named King | | | | everyday problems through simple product benefits will |
| Gillette. Gillette was considered an under achiever by | | | | always be in demand. Look around your home, hobby |
| his family. His father was a successful innovator and | | | | or workplace. This is where you will find potentially |
| his mother wrote a famous cookbook, "The White | | | | lucrative and important commercial opportunities.For |
| House Cook Book", which remained in print for almost | | | | assistance or consultation on commercializing your |
| 100 years. King Gillette had received several patents | | | | opportunity or invention contact the author, Geoff |
| but failed in his efforts to commercialize any of them. | | | | Ficke, Duquesa Marketing, Inc. at or email Geoff Ficke |
| He earned his sustenance from work as a travelling | | | | has been a serial entrepreneur for almost 50 years. |
| salesman. His failures embittered him and he became | | | | As a small boy, earning his spending money doing odd |
| immersed in socialism and preached a type of | | | | jobs in the neighborhood, he learned the value of selling |
| anti-industrialism.This most unlikely of capitalists, | | | | himself, offering service and value for money.After |
| however, while working as a salesman for the Crown | | | | putting himself through the University of Kentucky (B.A. |
| Cork and Seal Company was encouraged by his boss | | | | Broadcast Journalism, 1969) and serving in the United |
| to continue to attempt to invent new products. | | | | States Marine Corp, Mr. Ficke commenced a career in |
| Specifically, Gillette was encouraged to invent products | | | | the cosmetic industry. After rising to National Sales |
| that required subsequent, regular replacement | | | | Manager for Vidal Sassoon Hair Care at age 28, he |
| purchases. His passion became the development of a | | | | then launched a number of ventures, including Rubigo |
| shaving system that was safe, portable, efficient, cost | | | | Cosmetics, Parfums Pierre Wulff Paris, Le Bain |
| effective and required the buyer to replace the | | | | Couture and Fashion Fragrance.Geoff Ficke and his |
| implement on a regular basis.King Gillette took his | | | | consulting firm, Duquesa Marketing, Inc. ( has assisted |
| concept for a shaving device, which required an | | | | businesses large and small, domestic and international, |
| amalgam of metals and metallurgical technology, to the | | | | entrepreneurs, inventors and students in new product |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Working with | | | | development, capital formation, licensing, marketing, |
| engineers at this honored school enabled Gillette to | | | | sales and business plans and successful |
| perfect the elements of the safety razor. His patents | | | | implementation of his customized strategies. He is a |
| indicate an appliance of elegant simplicity.Gillette | | | | Senior Fellow at the Page Center for Entrepreneurial |
| formed the American Safety Razor Company to | | | | Studies, Business School, Miami University, Oxford, |
| market his invention. Initially, owing to limited capital and | | | | Ohio. |
| a high cost of production, sales were slow. As he | | | | |