Couldn't resist the title of this one, so had to read it! Published in 2004 by Adam MacQueen, it's the story of Sunlight Soap (and 22 others) creator and mega successful businessman, William Lever, of the Lever brothers and family. The author, Macqueen, writes with enthusiasm and humor and what seems to me to be a very English voice. Thoroughly researched, Macqueen champions Lever for his many accomplishments and for his service to his employees, king and country, yet leaves readers with much food for thought. Did Lever try to shape his employees' lives too much with his rewards for productivity and moral conduct? Were his business enterprises in Africa and elsewhere misguided? Was he a mad genius or a control freak? Lever, like Coco Chanel, surrounded himself, his family and his employees with beauty and his businesses and his town, Port Sunlight, exist today. Like her, he had a gift for making connections and for marketing and branding his creations. His contribution, like hers, was great and the business genius and personal energy equal and uniquely special.
How does a child build a dream? Lever was a bright, enterprising child who was always organizing and trying from a very early age, to make money. Not a stellar student, he was none the less, persistent and active. He was an avid swimmer and would be interested in healthy living all his life. He studied French and formed special interest clubs and started in the grocery business at age 16. He succeeded by knowing his staff and customers and listening to their ideas about his businesses. He worked in every aspect of each business, including the bookkeeping and looked at the work place and living conditions of his employees, too. He made every product as well as his environment more beautiful. He created intricate and exotic gardens and parks, patented his creations and advertised widely and effectively. He was one of the first to advertise on trains and at stations. He realized people not only wanted pictures but also testimonials or proof of the superiority of his products and so he produced promotional booklets as well as print and poster ads. A very wealthy businessman, writer, designer, and politician, he was also a celebrity and took The Daily Mail paper to court for libel He won 50,000 pounds in damages and more in costs and had the foresight to collect 41,000 pounds from other newspapers who had copied the unflattering stories. He saw soap as an ever increasing commodity; people washed themselves and their clothes more often and were persuaded that they needed different soaps to do different tasks. He labelled and made his own soap and marketed it as 'pure' and timesaving. Women could prepare the daily meal while the soap washed the clothes!
By 1905, Lever Brothers had expanded all across North America and Europe and had at least 22 brands of soap and other products. He was an MP in a government that brought in pensions and a national insurance plan. He even supported pay for MP's so that people who weren't wealthy could run for the position and still support their families and businesses while working in government. Port Sunlight is a huge, national museum that contains huge collections of Wedgewood, Greek and Roman antiquities and much more. His idea was that everyone should have access to treasures, just as he did. Enjoyed the story, the hilarity and the marvelous successes and excesses of this Englishman. Imagine - a kingdom from a bar of soap.
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