The Story Of William

William Colgate It was on January 25, 1783 that Robert and Mary Colgate had a son. They named him William. The young William first saw America when he was 15 years old, his family moved from their home in England and settled in Hartford County, Maryland USA. When the family arrived in America, they settled on a farm. Then William’s father formed a partnership with Ralph Maher to manufacture soap and candles, and William helped the two men. The partnership dissolved after two years – William’s father wanted to get back to farming. At 19, William decided that he would go into business on his own. However, his business failed within a year. Then, only about a year later, young William left home because his father was too poor to continue supporting him. He took all his possessions with him in a bundle and headed for New York. When the country boy arrived in New York City, he found it hard to get work. He then gained an apprenticeship with a soap maker. Along his journey, he remembered the encouraging words of his mother and also the words of a boat captain he had met. They both told him to earn his way by working hard and by being honest in his business dealings. He lived by those words and made certain to always pay what he owed. The youth dedicated his life to God, determining to return his Maker an honest tithe of every dollar he earned. William determined to try again in business – this time in New York City. When his first dollar came in, the young man sacredly dedicated ten cents to the Lord. This he continued to do. And the dollars roll in. Soon he became partner in soap business and candle making. When his partner died a few years later, he became sole owner of the concern. Although it took him 5 years to get a really good business going, Colgate and Company became the first great soap making company in the United States. The prosperous businessman now instructed his bookkeeper to open an account with the Lord and to credit to it one tenth of all his income. The business began growing almost faster than he could keep up with it. William’s innovative practices are credited with bringing America’s soap-making business out of the dark ages. Traditionally, soap on this side of the ocean didn’t smell good. He introduced perfumed soaps to the United States. He made individual bars of soap available. He offered home delivery service. What some considered his folly in 1820 proved to be one more wise business decision. The starch additive reduced his costs, which lowered prices for the buying public. William started making a lot of money, and he gave a lot of the money he made to churches and to other organizations that helped people.

A Pact with God Why did God continue blessing William Colgate? Because William’s Christian faith advised all his parts of his life. He committed his family to God (William and his wife Mary raised their sons in the faith); he served as a wise steward of God’s money (not only tithing, but giving generously to missions and other Christian causes); he led his business with a servant’s heart, constantly improving his products for the public. Well Remember William didn’t create the toothpaste his name. That came later. He did reinvent the world soap for America. Although he died on March 25, 1857, his influence lives on through his company’s products, through the distribution of God’s word by the American Bible Society and through the university to which he donated so much.

Exercise 1: Vocabulary Directions: Get the meaning of the following words. 1. Manufacture - _______________________________________________________________ 2. Dissolve - __________________________________________________________________ 3. Apprenticeship - _____________________________________________________________ 4. Sacred - ____________________________________________________________________ 5. Bookkeeper - ________________________________________________________________ 6. Innovative - _________________________________________________________________ 7. Starch - ____________________________________________________________________ 8. Additive - ___________________________________________________________________ 9. Tithe - _____________________________________________________________________ 10. Possession - ________________________________________________________________ 11. Steward - ___________________________________________________________________

Exercise 2: Writing Directions: Construct or make your own sentences using the 11 words on Exercise 1. 1. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 2. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 3. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 4. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 5. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 6. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 7. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 8. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 9. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

10. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 11. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

Exercise 3: Question and Answer Directions: Answer each question in long sentence/s. 1. How has William’s story informed, encouraged, or otherwise helped you? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

2. What lessons can an aspiring business minded person learn from Colgate in emerging markets? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

3. How did William fulfill his dream? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________