Anyone who has ever heard of or used Dr. Scholl’s foot products will be captivated by the story behind the man known to his family as “Uncle Doc.” This is a story of Dr. William M. Scholl’s rise from a first-generation American farm boy to world-famous foot care expert and businessman. He combined knowing what people needed with ingenuity, drive, marketing genius, and insistence on high-quality products, to climb to the top.
At the age of 22 in 1904, the recent medical school graduate invented his first foot product. Dr. Scholl is responsible to a great degree for the introduction of the large variety of shoe sizes found in today’s stores. By the time of his death in 1968, Scholl foot products were sold in over 450 Scholl Foot Comfort shops in 57 countries.
When Doc reached his mid-forties, he was one of the world’s most eligible bachelors. He was a multi-millionaire, and he flaunted it. But Doc usually hid at his one room apartment at the Illinois Athletic Club to avoid fortune hunters—women were not allowed in the club.
Like other American success stories, this one has its dark side. Ego, intra-family power grasping and maneuvering, and hardball business tactics also helped Scholl rise to the top. Doc’s “secret,” though, was to bring a first-rate product to a market that required it. Witness the working of the American Dream.
advertisement