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Staff post about: William Wrigley Jr. Become an Author

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The Father of Chewing Gum: The Early Years of William Wrigley Jr.

William Wrigley Jr. was just 29 years old when he used his life savings of $32 to start up his own soap manufacturing business. After experimenting with selling both soap and baking powder, Wrigley Jr. finally found his niche in chewing gum. He did not invent it, but he did go on to build the top chewing gum manufacturer in the world, bringing it for the first time to the masses, first in America and then around the world.

Chewing Off a Piece of Success: Wrigley’s Gum Starts to Taste Even Sweeter

He had tried selling soap, and he had tried selling baking powder, but it was not until Wrigley Jr. started offering two free packages of chewing gum with each baking soda purchase that he realized he had stumbled upon the winning product. With the gum even more popular than his first two products combined, Wrigley Jr. launched Wrigley Chewing Gum in 1892 with a mission to bring chewing gum to the masses.

Lesson #1: “Everybody likes something extra, for nothing.”

When Wrigley Jr. first arrived in Chicago in 1891, he knew that the $32 in change that was jingling in his pockets was not going to take him very far. But Wrigley Jr. had something else going for him that could rival even the deepest pockets: he had enthusiasm, energy, and talent as a salesman. It was those qualities that were going to help him come up with the idea that would get his company off the ground to a running start.

Lesson #2: Practice “restraint in regard to immediate profits”

Friends and foes alike thought Wrigley Jr. had gone mad at times, giving away free products relentlessly as he was prone to do. But what other saw as irresponsible, Wrigley Jr. saw as a concerted effort to take a long-term view with regard to his business and its success. After all, he had already put in years of hard work learning everything he could under his father, and he was not about to throw in the towel any time soon.

Lesson #3: “Tell ‘em quick and tell ‘em often”

Wrigley Jr. was one of the first corporate heads in America to realize and understand the power of advertising. A natural promoter, Wrigley Jr. devoted more time and energy to selling his products through ads and gimmicks than his competitors ever thought necessary or wise. When it came to advertising, Wrigley Jr.’s motto was, “Tell ‘em quick and tell ‘em often.”

Lesson #4: “Even in a little thing like a stick of gum, quality is important.”

From a little stick of gum, to a baseball club, to an entire island, Wrigley Jr. proved he was a man devoted to doing his best, to being the best, and to maintaining the highest standards of quality.

Lesson #5: “It's who you are as an organization that makes everything possible.”

If it is who you are as an organization that makes everything possible, then it is who you are as a leader that makes the organization what it is. Wrigley Jr.’s organization was a strong one because he was an even stronger leader. It was several of his key personal characteristics that made the organization reach the heights it did under his leadership.

Sticking to his Dreams: Wrigley Jr. Makes a Go of His Gum

When Wrigley Jr. was expelled from school at the age of 13, his parents were worried about what would become of him. But, once the rebellious young boy started devoting himself to his father’s soap manufacturing business, they saw a new potential. Little did they know that he would go on to become one of the richest men in the world, with an accompanying world famous name to boot. How did he do it?

William Wrigley Jr. Quotes

William Wrigley Jr. Quotes

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