What kind of visionary sells a product at rock-bottom prices on purpose? King Camp Gillette, that's who—and it turned out to be a stroke of marketing brilliance. His groundbreaking concept was simple yet revolutionary: offer razors at a low cost to drive massive demand for the accompanying blades. The entrepreneur figured out that keeping razor prices down was far more lucrative than charging a premium for the disposable blades themselves. Of course, this success didn't happen overnight. It took nearly 10 years of relentless effort, including roughly 6 years of experimentation and setbacks, before he finally achieved his breakthrough—mass-producing sharp blades from inexpensive steel.
But for this Boston-based entrepreneur, it was never just about the bottom line. Safety and practicality mattered to him just as much. Gillette engineered a blade designed to fit into a holder, allowing users to simply swap it out once it grew dull—guaranteeing a fresh, sharp edge every time they shaved. Turning this concept into reality required a crucial collaboration with William Emery Nickerson, an engineer capable of manufacturing thin, sharp steel blades. The American Safety Razor Company was formed, and it was soon rebranded to Gillette Safety Razor Company. Three years after the company's founding, on November 15, 1904, King C. Gillette was granted a patent for his safety razor featuring a disposable blade.
King C. Gillette took things a step further by trademarking both his portrait and his signature on the paper packaging surrounding the blades. This move played a major role in boosting his fame during the 20s, when he became one of the most widely recognized faces around the world. Despite numerous attempts by competitors to copy Gillette's patent, the brand proved remarkably durable—it survives to this day as a subsidiary of Procter & Gamble.