Today is supposed to be my regular Fri-dea post, but I have a ha-ha that I MUST share with you. Women are some amazing people when it comes to being creative, spontaneous and worker-bees. I am all-supportive of women who start their own business, climb that corporate ladder, find/make/pave their own way and just generally do whatever it (ethically) takes to get where they want to be. Remember: ethical.

This article that I found over at Mental Floss highlights some things schemes people have tried in search of the “get-rich-quick” life. Read #2. Now read it again. Want to go in together and order some? You know, to offset our shipping costs?

Lydia Pickham had to have been one of those business women that men dreaded to see coming. Calculating and fierce, the old girl was bringing in over $400,000/yearly with this compound. Here is the excerpt:

Touted as one of the world’s first successful businesswomen, Lydia Pickham exploited her reputation as a local medicine woman to propel her herbal remedy into a commercial success, eventually grossing almost $400,000 yearly. The remedy claimed to cure all womanly ailments and weaknesses and sold for $1 a bottle. What was in the herbal remedy? Turns out, it contained less than 1% solid substance from vegetable extracts and almost 20% alcohol. If a woman took the suggested 1 tablespoon, every 2-4 hours, she will have consumed 5 ounces of 13.5% or higher alcohol by the end of the day- more than enough for a healthy buzz that made life seem a bit more cheery to boozy housewives. When the Federal Trade Commission tightened its laws on claims made by medicines, Lydia Pickham’s Vegetable Compound had to swallow the restrictions with a spoonful of sugar.

I know it’s not (ethically) right, but who can’t see the shrewdness in those business deals? I mean, guys do it all of the time and get away with it. Anyway, I must say that I am a **little** impressed with Lydia’s way of doing business. Just a little. Why? Because it touches on a little of what we tout here at Biz Chicks Rule:

Find your market
Research your market and
Deliver to your market

Keep the customer’s happy! (and how)

Well done, Lydia. Well done!

Post from: EveryJoe

Amazing Business Women – The Things Those Gals Will Do!