5. David McConnell Sold Used Books Before Avon
The multi-billion dollar cosmetic company was founded in New York in 1892 by David McConnell the son of Irish immigrants.
At the time, McConnell was selling used books from door to door. After struggling to get his “foot in the door” (no pun intended), he noticed that his main customers were housewives, and in an effort to grab their attention, he started offering free samples of perfume and cosmetics before he pitched his products.
Realizing that there was more interest in the perfume than the books, he gave up on his books and set up Avon.
As with many successful entrepreneurs, McConnell was not tied to being a book salesman even though they are always a good thing to sell – Jeff Bezos will testify to that.
He saw that there was an opportunity in another marketplace completely where he had no previous experience or expertise but still decided to go into it. His genius move was to hire women to become sales representatives for the company, as he soon realized they were the best marketers for his products.
The company is now a leading player in the cosmetic industry and has millions of salesmen and women across the world.