The Two-Cent Gambles That Changed Everything
Before email, before LinkedIn, before social media made networking a science, there was the cold letter—a piece of paper, an envelope, and the audacious belief that a complete stranger might actually care about your idea. In an era when reaching someone important required genuine effort, these eight Americans proved that sometimes the most powerful business tool was also the simplest: raw nerve and a two-cent stamp.
1. Ray Kroc to the McDonald Brothers (1954)
The Letter: After watching the McDonald brothers' revolutionary assembly-line burger operation in San Bernardino, traveling milkshake machine salesman Ray Kroc wrote them a detailed proposal to franchise their system nationwide.
Photo: Ray Kroc, via i.ytimg.com
The Ask: Partnership in expanding their "Speedee System" across America, with Kroc handling all franchising operations.
The Response: The brothers agreed to let Kroc test his franchising concept, giving him rights to their system and brand.
The Empire: McDonald's became the world's largest restaurant chain, generating over $23 billion annually. Kroc's persistence in that first letter laid the groundwork for an empire that now serves 69 million customers daily across 100 countries.
2. Estée Lauder to Saks Fifth Avenue (1946)
The Letter: After being rejected by every major department store in New York, Estée Lauder wrote personally to the cosmetics buyer at Saks, offering to demonstrate her four homemade beauty products in person.
Photo: Estée Lauder, via mapsof.net
The Ask: Just fifteen minutes to show her "miracle" face cream and lipstick to Saks customers, with no upfront payment required.
The Response: The buyer agreed to let her set up a small demonstration counter for one week, skeptical but curious about her confidence.
The Empire: That one week turned into a permanent counter, then a nationwide presence. Estée Lauder Companies now generates over $16 billion annually and owns brands like MAC, Clinique, and Tom Ford. All because she convinced one buyer to give her a chance.
3. Sam Walton to Ben Franklin Stores (1945)
The Letter: Young Navy veteran Sam Walton wrote to the president of Ben Franklin variety stores, proposing a new approach to discount retail in small rural towns that competitors ignored.
Photo: Sam Walton, via www.monde-economique.ch
The Ask: Franchise rights to open Ben Franklin stores in Arkansas and Missouri, with Walton's promise to revolutionize small-town retail.
The Response: Ben Franklin granted him a franchise, though they remained skeptical about his rural strategy and unconventional ideas about employee profit-sharing.
The Empire: Walton's innovations at Ben Franklin became the blueprint for Walmart. His emphasis on rural markets, employee ownership, and supply chain efficiency created the world's largest retailer, with annual revenues exceeding $570 billion.
4. Howard Schultz to Starbucks Founders (1982)
The Letter: After visiting a small Seattle coffee roaster called Starbucks, New York housewares salesman Howard Schultz wrote the founders a passionate letter about coffee culture and his vision for bringing Italian-style espresso bars to America.
The Ask: A job with the company, despite having no coffee industry experience, based purely on his enthusiasm for their product and his ideas about coffee as a social experience.
The Response: The founders hired him as marketing director, impressed by his genuine passion and fresh perspective on their business.
The Empire: Schultz eventually bought the company and transformed it from a local coffee roaster into a global phenomenon with over 35,000 locations worldwide, proving that sometimes passion trumps experience.
5. Mary Kay Ash to Stanley Home Products (1938)
The Letter: Struggling single mother Mary Kay Ash wrote to the president of Stanley Home Products after attending one of their home demonstration parties, requesting a chance to become a sales representative despite having no sales experience.
The Ask: An opportunity to sell household products door-to-door, promising she would outwork anyone else on the team.
The Response: Stanley gave her a chance, and she quickly became one of their top salespeople, learning the direct sales model that would later make her fortune.
The Empire: Ash used her Stanley experience to create Mary Kay Cosmetics in 1963, building a direct sales empire that now operates in over 35 countries with annual wholesale revenues exceeding $3 billion.
6. Fred Smith to Federal Reserve Chairman (1971)
The Letter: Yale student Fred Smith wrote to Federal Reserve Chairman Arthur Burns, outlining his economics paper idea about overnight package delivery and asking for insights on the economic feasibility of such a service.
The Ask: Professional feedback on whether America's economy could support a centralized overnight delivery system.
The Response: Burns responded with encouragement and economic data that helped Smith refine his business model, validating the concept that became his senior thesis.
The Empire: That thesis became the foundation for Federal Express (now FedEx), which revolutionized global logistics and now generates over $90 billion annually.
7. Ruth Handler to Mattel Co-founders (1945)
The Letter: After watching her daughter play with paper dolls, Ruth Handler wrote to her husband's business partners at Mattel, proposing they create a three-dimensional adult-figured doll for children.
The Ask: Development resources for a revolutionary doll concept that departed from the baby dolls that dominated the market.
The Response: Initially skeptical, Mattel eventually agreed to develop her concept after Handler's persistent advocacy.
The Empire: That doll became Barbie, launched in 1959. Barbie has since generated over $1 billion annually for Mattel and remains the best-selling fashion doll in most markets worldwide.
8. Asa Candler to Dr. John Pemberton (1887)
The Letter: Atlanta businessman Asa Candler wrote to pharmacist Dr. John Pemberton, expressing interest in purchasing the formula and rights to his medicinal syrup "Coca-Cola."
The Ask: Complete ownership of the Coca-Cola formula and brand for $2,300, believing he could market it more effectively than its inventor.
The Response: Pemberton, in poor health and needing money, agreed to sell his creation to Candler.
The Empire: Candler transformed Coca-Cola from a local pharmacy drink into America's first national beverage brand. The Coca-Cola Company now operates in over 200 countries with annual revenues exceeding $40 billion.
The Power of Reaching Out
These eight letters share common elements: specific asks, personal passion, and the courage to contact someone who had every reason to ignore them. In each case, the writer offered something valuable—whether it was a new perspective, untapped market insight, or simply infectious enthusiasm.
What's remarkable is how these cold contacts led to partnerships that reshaped entire industries. Before venture capital, before business incubators, before formal networking events, ambitious Americans built empires by putting pen to paper and trusting that somewhere out there, a stranger might be willing to take a chance on their vision.
In today's digital age, we've gained efficiency but perhaps lost some of the personal touch that made these letters so effective. There's something powerful about the physical act of writing, addressing, and mailing a letter—it demonstrates commitment in a way that a quick email never could.
These entrepreneurs understood that building an empire sometimes starts with something as simple as "Dear Sir or Madam" and the audacity to believe your idea deserves a stranger's attention.
