Wrigley's was a soap company — the gum was a free gift that took over

In 1891, William Wrigley Jr. moved to Chicago and founded a company selling Wrigley's Scouring Soap with just $32 in capital. To stand out from competitors, he offered customers a free premium — a can of baking powder — with every purchase of soap. The baking powder was so popular that customers began asking for it instead of the soap.

Wrigley pivoted. He switched to selling baking powder, and this time offered two packages of chewing gum as the free premium for each can purchased. The gum was even more popular than the baking powder. Customers were buying baking powder just to get the gum. Wrigley realized he had been selling the wrong product all along.

In 1893, he launched his own gum brands: Juicy Fruit and Wrigley's Spearmint. Both sold briskly without needing a premium product to carry them. Wrigley's Spearmint became the best-selling gum in America by 1908. The company grew to dominate the global gum market, selling in 184 countries.

Wrigley became the majority owner of the Chicago Cubs in 1921, renaming the stadium Wrigley Field. In 2008, Mars Incorporated acquired Wrigley for $23 billion. A company that started as a soap business survived two failed product pivots and ended up building a global brand from what was originally a giveaway.