Gilette's Business Model
WHO IS KING C. GILLETTE?
King Camp Gillette was born to a middle-class family who was devestated by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. To support his family, he started to work as a traveling salesman-door to door sales- for the Crown Cork and Seal Company. Gillette had tendency to invent sth and he tried so many times but he failed to make them usable. It was in the 1890s when a business idea popped to his mind. He realized that there was a need in the market for cheap, disposable razor blades.
It would not be wrong, if we defined shaving history as before gillette-after gillette. Before gillette, shaving was big trouble, as the razors were extremely sharp, thick and awkward hence, dangreous for men in case of cutting his face. What about after gillette?
What made it preferable?
*Hard, thin, and inexpensive enough for commercial development of the disposable razor blade.
People felt safety, and shaving was much easier than before. To have clean look was more reachable and pain free. It reduced the time from 25 minutes to 10.
Where did the idea come from?
As we mentioned earlier, King had worked as travelling salesman for the Cork Company. This work led him to meet William Painter, the inventor of the disposable Crown Cork bottle cap. Disposable cap was source of inspiration for his succes. Since He had seen that it was someting being purchased over and over again by satisfied customer. He knew that he would be successful.
Razor blade required/ was expected non-stop sharpening in order to be useful, that’s why it was worn out/blind quickly. And since men needed to shave all time, they were 'forced' to keep buying new razors. Gillette thought that he could earn a lot by offering the market a safety razor at a discounted price and then offering them cheap disposable razor blades ... He was right.
Although Gillette's business idea occurred in the 1890's, when he began to actually sell his products in 1903. This is because inexpensive thin steel was almost
King Camp Gillette was born to a middle-class family who was devestated by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. To support his family, he started to work as a traveling salesman-door to door sales- for the Crown Cork and Seal Company. Gillette had tendency to invent sth and he tried so many times but he failed to make them usable. It was in the 1890s when a business idea popped to his mind. He realized that there was a need in the market for cheap, disposable razor blades.
It would not be wrong, if we defined shaving history as before gillette-after gillette. Before gillette, shaving was big trouble, as the razors were extremely sharp, thick and awkward hence, dangreous for men in case of cutting his face. What about after gillette?
What made it preferable?
*Hard, thin, and inexpensive enough for commercial development of the disposable razor blade.
People felt safety, and shaving was much easier than before. To have clean look was more reachable and pain free. It reduced the time from 25 minutes to 10.
Where did the idea come from?
As we mentioned earlier, King had worked as travelling salesman for the Cork Company. This work led him to meet William Painter, the inventor of the disposable Crown Cork bottle cap. Disposable cap was source of inspiration for his succes. Since He had seen that it was someting being purchased over and over again by satisfied customer. He knew that he would be successful.
Razor blade required/ was expected non-stop sharpening in order to be useful, that’s why it was worn out/blind quickly. And since men needed to shave all time, they were 'forced' to keep buying new razors. Gillette thought that he could earn a lot by offering the market a safety razor at a discounted price and then offering them cheap disposable razor blades ... He was right.
Although Gillette's business idea occurred in the 1890's, when he began to actually sell his products in 1903. This is because inexpensive thin steel was almost