The American Jew Isaac Singer is known for creating a sewing machine, but he succeeded thanks to the right marketing strategy. As Singer himself said, he was only interested in money, not inventions.
Isaac Singer: from an apprentice to the head of a large company
In 1811 in New York, a Jewish family had a son, Isaac Merritt Singer. Immigrants from Germany, they lived in poverty, and at 13 years of age the boy went to apprentice mechanics to earn money. But later the boy decided to become an actor and set off with a roaming theatre company across the country. Not successful in this field, Singer got a job as a builder. Most processes were carried out manually, which required a lot of effort, and the future inventor decided to mechanize a number of actions. He created a new kind of drill, and patented the idea in 1839. The invention brought Singer 2,000 dollars, but he was unable to manage it rationally. In an effort to become an actor, Isaac created his own theater troupe, which existed for 5 years.
After that, a young man got a job in a printing shop. But the inquisitive mind did not give rest, and he decided to improve the device of the dialing machine. Singer rented a workshop to work on the idea, and after a while the first sample was ready. But the explosion destroyed the new car, and the inventor had to look for another room. And he found it with an entrepreneur who was selling sewing machines. They broke down a lot, and Isaac decided to think about it. In just 10 days, he managed to improve the sewing machine and significantly reduce the risk of its failure. Singer figured it out:
- place the shuttle horizontally to avoid tangling the thread;
- accommodate the fabric he came up with a small table in the form of a board;
- in order to keep the suture continuous, the inventor equipped the mechanism with a foot-shaped holder.;
- the foot pedal released two hands.
These changes have become the basis for a new type of sewing machine. Singer sold the first machine for $100, which paid off all costs and brought a good income.
Besides his inventive talent, Isaac Singer was a good marketer. In order to provide large numbers of people with his machines, he started selling them in installments. Soon the sales volume under the Singer brand increased to 20,000 units per year. The machines were manufactured in several factories. In 1867, production was opened outside the country – in Scotland.
Singer is also known for his fecundity and love of women. He had two sons from his first lawful wife, the second wife, to whom the businessman refused to marry for a long time, gave birth to 10 children. After they legalized the relationship, Singer met another and she gave birth to five more children. The fourth wife was a young Frenchwoman.
