Martha Matilda Harper & Franchising History

Martha Matilda Harper & Harper Method Shops

• Martha Matilda Harper (1857-1950) is credited with the first modern franchise model.
• Harper started her career as a domestic servant and later moved to Rochester, NY.
• In 1888, Harper opened her first beauty salon in Rochester, offering services beyond what was available at the time.
• Harper Shops were one of the first franchises in the world, with most franchisees being women.
• Harper franchisees were trained in Rochester, NY using a comprehensive training program.
• By the 1930s the Harper Method Shops franchise expanded to 500 shops throughout the US, Canada, England, France, and Germany.
• Harper invented the reclining shampoo chair and shampoo basin, which are commonplace in salons today.
• Harper was a pioneer in the beauty industry and established a model for businesses to expand through franchising.

Social and Technological Influences on Franchising

• The expansion of Harper Method Shops would have been impossible without the communication advancements of the 19th century.
• Harper’s success can be attributed to the changing social landscape for women in the early 20th century, particularly with regard to women’s self-presentation.
• The rise of new business models like franchises, and the success of Harper's shops, reflected the shift in women’s roles and aspirations.
• The use of mail-order catalogs and other forms of direct marketing played a significant role in the franchising model's growth.

Martha Matilda Harper

• Martha Matilda Harper (1857-1950) was a Canadian-American entrepreneur who founded the Harper Shops, a chain of hair salons.
• Harper Shops were influential in the early 20th century for changing how women cared for their hair and navigated beauty standards.
• Harper's business model was innovative and is considered to be one of the first examples of modern franchising.
• She started her career in Rochester, New York where she used Moscano Tonique to style the hair of her wealthy employer.

Harper's Early Career

• Harper opened her first salon in 1888 with savings of $360.
• Her salon was a novelty, as most women at the time either styled their own hair or had hairdressers visit them at home.
• Harper's clientele was primarily upscale, and she employed women in her salons, many from the same backgrounds as her.
• She became the first female member of Rochester's Chamber of Commerce, offering incentives like childcare and evening hours for working women.

Harper's Method and The Harper Shops

• Harper developed her own methods and trained operators for her salons.
• The training included lessons in anatomy, scalp and hair treatments, and treatments for the face and neck.
• Harper began franchising her Harper Method Shops in 1891.
• Most franchisees were women from modest backgrounds, trained at the Harper Method School in Rochester, New York.
• By the 1930s, there were over 500 Harper Shops in the US, Canada, England, France, and Germany.

Harper's Innovations

• Harper is credited with inventing the reclining shampoo chair and basin, which are now standard in most salons.
• Harper did not patent these inventions, unlike Moscano Tonique.

The Legacy of Harper Shops

• In the 1930s, Harper handed over management of her business to her husband, Robert McBain.
• McBain eventually sold the business, and the Harper Shops gradually faded out in the 2000s.

Martha Matilda Harper & The Harper Method Shops

• Martha Matilda Harper's Harper Method Shops are widely regarded as the first modern franchise system.
• Harper, born in 1857, started her career as a domestic servant and later worked for a wealthy family in Rochester, New York.
• Her salon, founded in 1888, was a novelty at the time as most women either cared for their own hair or employed hairdressers to visit them at home.
• Harper’s salon catered to an upscale clientele and recruited employees from among Rochester's domestic workers.
• She was the first female member of the city's chamber of commerce and offered unique incentives to customers, including childcare during appointments and evening hours to cater to working women.
• After falling ill and finding healing through Christian Science, Harper incorporated facial, neck, and shoulder massages into her salon services.
• In 1891, Harper introduced the franchising of Harper Method Shops, also known as Harperite shops.
• Most Harperite franchisees were women, many from modest backgrounds, trained in Rochester and later, in two other locations, using Harper's comprehensive training methods.
• Training courses lasted several weeks for experienced operators and six months for novices.
• By the 1930s, approximately 500 Harper Shops were operating in the United States, Canada, England, France, and Germany.
• Harper is credited with inventing the reclining shampoo chair and shampoo basin, commonly found in salons today, but she did not patent them.
• She increasingly turned over management to her husband, Robert McBain, in the 1930s.
• The business was eventually sold, and the Harper Shops faded away in the 2000s.

Significance of Technological Advancements and Communication

• Harper's success was significantly influenced by communication advancements of the 19th century, which enabled wider reach and coordination within her franchising model.
• It is suggested that the franchising model might not have been possible without these communication advancements.

Other Business Models & Technological & Social Influences

• The text encourages exploring other new business models to determine which could have existed earlier and which, like franchises, required technological or social shifts.
• The text highlights the importance of considering the role of technological or social changes in the emergence and success of new business models.