David H. McConnell: The Book Salesman Who Founded Avon
David H. McConnell never set out to build a beauty company. He was a traveling book salesman in the 1880s who handed out perfume samples as a thank-you, noticed that customers cared more about the perfume than the books, and ended up founding the business that later became Avon. This profile walks through what the company’s own history and independent references say about him, and what modern home-business builders can take from the story.
Key facts
- Born: July 18, 1858, near Oswego, New York (Wikipedia).
- Started: 1886, as the California Perfume Company, from a small New York City office (Avon).
- Early model: women recruited as sales representatives; Avon names Mrs. P.F.E. Albee as the first.
- Renamed: Avon Products, Inc. in 1939, after McConnell’s death in 1937.
- Lesson: start with a product people already respond to, then build a repeatable way to share it.
From farm boy to book salesman
McConnell was born in 1858 near Oswego, New York, the son of Irish immigrants who had arrived in 1845, according to Wikipedia’s biography. Historical material collected on the California Perfume Company history site says he began working for the Union Publishing Company as a teenager, selling books and magazines door to door. That early sales work matters, because it taught him something that would shape everything after: selling is about conversation, trust and showing up in person.
In 1886 he took over the publishing firm’s small New York City office. Collectors’ history pages describe the first headquarters as a single room about 20 by 25 feet at 126 Chambers Street. By 1894 the company reportedly used all six floors of that building, and a laboratory was built in Suffern, New York in 1897, per Encyclopedia.com’s company timeline.
The perfume that outsold the books
Avon’s own history says McConnell offered fragrance samples as a perk to women who bought his books. He mixed the first scents himself. The story is that customers showed more interest in the free perfume than in the books, so he followed the demand. The company name came from a friend who wrote to him about the abundance of flowers in California, as McConnell recounted in his 1903 company history.
Notice what he did and did not do. He did not write a grand plan first. He noticed a signal from real customers and acted on it. That is a useful reminder for anyone starting a side business: your first product idea may not be your best one, and early customer reactions are free market research.
Recruiting women as representatives
Avon states that McConnell recruited a team of women as sales representatives, and that this was an unusual model in 1886. Avon’s blog credits Mrs. P.F.E. Albee as the first representative. These claims come from the company’s own materials, so treat the framing (a “champion of women”) as the brand’s telling of its story. What can be said neutrally is that a person-to-person selling model gave many women a way to sell products in their communities at a time when few business roles were open to them.
Researchers also note that early agents often lived in small communities. One historical summary cited on a perfume-history site says that around the turn of the century a large share of the company’s depot agents lived in towns of fewer than 1,000 people. That is a good illustration of how direct selling can reach places that retail stores do not.
Building a brand: catalogs, labs and a new name
Three moves stand out in the early timeline:
- Quality control. The Suffern laboratory (1897) moved production beyond a small office.
- A catalog. The company’s first illustrated catalog arrived in 1897, giving representatives something to show.
- A brand name. McConnell chose “Avon” for the product line, reportedly inspired by Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare, according to Avon’s timeline. The corporate name changed to Avon Products, Inc. in 1939.
McConnell died on January 20, 1937, and his son David H. McConnell Jr. became president. The company offered stock publicly in 1946, per Encyclopedia.com. For a side-by-side look at how Avon later compares with another famous founder-led company, see Mary Kay vs Avon: Products, Pay Plans and Key Differences.
A fair note on income reality
Founder stories are inspiring, but they are not a forecast. Direct selling today is a mix of casual sellers and a small number of committed ones. Industry data from the Direct Selling Association shows an average of roughly $6,000 to $6,600 in annual retail sales per seller, and that is sales, not profit. Most participants in direct selling and network marketing earn little or nothing, and results vary widely with effort, product, market and team. Always read a company’s income disclosure statement before joining anything.
Lessons from McConnell’s story for modern builders
1. Follow the response, not the plan
Pay attention to what people ask for. If your free sample, free guide or free consultation is the thing everyone wants, consider whether that is the product.
2. Make it easy to repeat
A catalog, a script and a simple order process let new representatives start quickly. Today that might be a one-page website, a short demo video and a clear price list.
3. Start small and stay close to customers
A 20 by 25 foot office is a reminder that scale comes after proof. Prove you can serve ten customers well before you chase a hundred.
4. Build a name people remember
Brand names, stories and consistent presentation matter, whether you sell perfume or consulting.
Step by step: apply the McConnell playbook this week
- Pick one small offer you can deliver today, such as a sample, a trial or a short service.
- Offer it to ten people and write down what they respond to and what they ignore.
- Keep the version they liked and drop the rest.
- Create a simple leave-behind: a one-page flyer, card or web page with prices and how to reorder.
- Ask for referrals from happy customers, and thank them.
- Follow the rules. If you promote anything, disclose any relationship with the brand and avoid income or results claims you cannot support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who founded Avon?
David H. McConnell founded the California Perfume Company in 1886. It became Avon Products, Inc. in 1939.
Did McConnell start out selling perfume?
No. According to Avon, he was a traveling book salesman who offered fragrance samples to customers and then shifted focus when he saw the interest.
Who was the first Avon representative?
Avon’s blog names Mrs. P.F.E. Albee as the first representative.
Is Avon a pyramid scheme?
This post is a founder profile, not a legal assessment. Direct selling companies sell real products; regulators such as the FTC focus on how companies and sellers make income claims and whether pay depends on retail sales rather than recruiting.
Can I expect to earn money like a founder?
No one can promise that. Most direct sellers earn little or nothing, and outcomes vary.
Conclusion
McConnell’s story is a lesson in listening to customers and building a simple, repeatable way to reach them. Take the useful parts, test them on a small scale, and stay honest about results. If you want a practical starting point for a phone-based business, read The Mobile Startup Playbook, or try the first month of QastMe Pro Blogger (free for 30 days, then $99/month, cancel anytime).
