Smells Great

David did …

David loved books … his favourite author was William Shakespeare … so it was natural that he’d sell books to make a living, which he did by going door to door. Now David who could smell a great idea a mile away had not just one … but two of them.

First, he figured out a great way to open doors was by offering the lady of the house free perfume samples which he would make up himself … pretty soon he realised that he could make a lot more selling fragrances than books … and promptly started the California Perfume Company.

Second, in going door-to-door, he saw many women struggling to make ends meet … and realised many of them were natural salespeople who could easily relate to others … why not let them sell his perfume? So he built his company to do just that.

Within 13 years, the California Perfume Company had 5,000 agents nationwide and just kept growing. As they added more beauty products it became clear the company name would have to change.

Today, the company has 6 million agents in 100 countries worldwide and annual sales of $11 billion … and is named after the English birthplace of David’s favourite author … Stratford upon AVON.

Avon is a Great Idea because figuring out how to open new doors can work out beautifully.