Merle Norman Celebrates Women’s History Month

Merle Norman Celebrating Women’s History Month

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, let’s take a moment to consider the game-changing efforts of Merle Norman herself. A century ago, Merle began creating a cosmetics line in her California kitchen. As she did so, she built far more than a beauty line. She created a business model: “try before you buy”, that spoke to budget-conscious consumers in the Great Depression. Norman also built a business that wouldn’t employ women, but rather capitalize on their entrepreneurial instincts and allow them to grow a thriving beauty business of their own.

“Merle Norman wanted to empower entrepreneurs, particularly women, to find a way to earn money and gain independence in what was very much a man’s world,” says Travis Richards, Vice President of Franchising. “She created a unique franchise opportunity when there was nothing like that out there for women. She was creating a beauty products line, a chain of Studios, and hundreds of independent business owners — in 1932.”

Merle Norman Celebrating Women in Business

Flash forward to today, and her vision has become a business empire, with franchise locations across the United States and around the world. As part of Women’s History Month, the Personal Care Products Council released a video honoring female pioneers in the beauty industry, including Merle Norman.

For upwards of a century, Merle Norman beauty franchise owners have built thriving businesses that allow them to obtain financial freedom, as well as create an asset they can pass along to their children or sell to a new franchise owner when they are ready to retire or explore another opportunity.

“Our business model is still very much based on what she had in mind, which was to create the best beauty products on the market, price them affordably, and have dynamic women small business owners representing their local markets,” Richards. “Customers love Merle Norman because we have a huge variety of quality beauty products, and they know they can sample anything they like with no pressure to buy. We know that franchise owners and their clients alike benefit from that relaxed experience, which also allows the owner and their staff to become trusted friends vs. salespeople.”

Learn more about Franchising with Merle Norman

For almost a century, Merle Norman has been creating beauty with high-quality, affordable skin care products and services. At the same time, it has allowed thousands of franchise owners to build businesses. Why not make now the time to open a Merle Norman franchise, or add our exciting line of products to your existing retail business?

To learn more about this amazing franchise opportunity, visit our research pages here. If you’re ready to start a conversation about investing in a Merle Norman franchise, fill out our form here. One of our team members will be in touch with a complimentary copy of our Franchise Information Report containing more information about the Merle Norman franchise opportunity. We look forward to hearing more about you and your dreams of business ownership!