Successful Password - Yilin

Author: Xiaoping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Today, in every corner of the world, whether it's morning or evening, millions of men across the globe are lathering soap bubbles, facing mirrors, and using a razor called "Gillette" to shave. The world may be familiar with the American "razor giant" Gillette Company, but few know that this invention that makes men's daily lives easier and more comfortable originated from the dream of the company's founder, King Gillette.
As a child, Gillette was poor and received little education. By his teens, he began learning the ropes of business and later became a salesman, living a comfortable life. However, Gillette was not content with such a life and always dreamed of achieving something great. The people around him mocked him, saying he was crazy for wanting a luxurious life. In 1891, Gillette met the inventor of the saw-tooth bottle cap, Penton. Penton advised him that focusing on developing products that customers would need to buy repeatedly and discard after use was a shortcut to success. This idea sparked Gillette's strong interest and curiosity. From then on, every evening, Gillette would brew a pot of coffee, sit on the sofa alone, savoring the taste while constantly pondering: developing products that customers would need to buy repeatedly and discard after use.
One morning in the summer of 1895, Gillette was shaving in a hotel room when he discovered that the blade of his razor was dull. Taking his business trips, he couldn’t carry a bulky whetstone. With no choice, he had to endure the pain and shave carefully. After finally finishing, he was left with several scars on his face. Could there be a better razor in the world? As he thought about it, Gillette suddenly had an epiphany: Ah! This is exactly what a disposable product is!
Upon returning home, Gillette immediately quit his job as a salesman and devoted himself to researching and designing a safe, sharp razor. Without an income, Gillette’s already modest life became even more strained. Sometimes, when he met acquaintances or friends on the street, they would quickly avoid him, fearing this poor man would bring trouble. Fortunately, Gillette’s wife understood him and supported their struggling family with the money she earned from odd jobs.
One day, while conducting experiments, Gillette suddenly fainted and fell to the ground. His wife quickly helped him to a bench outside the house to rest. When Gillette woke up from his dizziness, he was deeply struck by the sight before him: not far away, a farmer was using a rake to level the ground, making it smooth and even. What was the secret? Was it related to the closely spaced tines of the rake? In an instant, Gillette’s mind was illuminated: Why couldn’t I design a safety razor like a rake? For a moment, Gillette forgot his frail body and eagerly ran back to the laboratory, working on developing thin steel blades and holding them in a "T"-shaped frame like a rake.
However, when he proudly showed his new product to his friends, he was met with laughter. But he did not give up. In 1901, Gillette’s friend told the mechanical engineer, Nixon, a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, about Gillette’s razor idea. Nixon agreed to research it. A few weeks later, Nixon became Gillette’s partner. Nixon improved upon Gillette’s original design, and thus, the safe and convenient Gillette razor was finally born.
The year after the Gillette razor was introduced, it achieved astonishing sales of $12.4 million. Next, Gillette invested in building many Gillette razor factories around the world, driving production and sales to new heights. Through this, Gillette successfully fulfilled his dream and launched his entrepreneurial career with great fanfare. P4-5