Cracker Jack

 Cracker Jack

“It is a difficult matter to argue with the belly, since it has no ears.”

—Marcus Porcius Cato

In 1871 F. W. Rueckheim came to Chicago to help with the clean-up after the great fire had destroyed much of the city. Rueckheim was a German immigrant who had saved $200 working as a farmhand and wanted to carve out his own piece of the American Dream. Once in Chicago, he decided to use his money to go into the popcorn business, and he and a partner set up a small stand at 113 Federal Street. Rueckheim eventually bought out his partner, and his brother Louis joined him in 1873. Together the brothers purchased some candy-making equipment to expand their product line. They added marshmallows and other confections to their growing business and in 1893 began selling their wares at the Chicago World’s Fair. One of the Rueckheims’ products was a tasty blend of popcorn, peanuts, and molasses.

Demand for the new treat continued to increase, and the brothers outgrew their production capacity more than once. When Louis gave a sample of the product to a salesman, the man exclaimed, “That’s a Cracker Jack!” “So it is,” replied Rueckheim, who the proceeded to trademark the name. Another customer provided the slogan “The more you eat, the more you want.” In 1910 the Cracker Jack box began carrying coupons that were redeemable for prizes, and the company’s hallmark “prize in every package” made its first appearance in 1912.

CONSIDER THIS: Give the customers what they want, then give them a little extra. Without satisfied customers, there is no business.

The above is an excerpt from the book A DAILY DOSE OF THE AMERICAN DREAM

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