He Sold Hair in a Can. And Built a Billion-Dollar Empire.

As you may know, I recently ran a series of webinars for SCORE on how to create and sell digital products. A number of you have asked if I offer a Do-It-For-You service?

Short answer? Yes. I do.

Just recently, I completed a Menopause Journal for a client named Heather. We’ll be launching and vigorously selling it over the holiday season. If I do say so myself, it turned out beautifully.

But don’t just take my word for it — here’s what Heather had to say:

If you’ve been sitting on an idea for a journal, workbook, guide, toolkit, course, or other digital product - now is the time. I’ll help you bring it to life and help you start selling it. But spots are limited. Interested? Shoot me an email at [email protected] and let’s talk.

OK, on to a really fun story tonight!

Ron Popeil never looked like a mogul. In fact, at one point he pitched spray-paint hair.

No, Ron wasn’t polished. He wasn’t funded. He didn’t have a marketing team or a business plan or a Y Combinator mentor.

All he had was a table, a camera, an inventive mind, creativity, and just maybe, the most persuasive charm in America.

And he used it to sell everything from countertop rotisseries (“set it and forget it!”) to the pocket fisherman, to yes, spray-on hair.

But here’s the deal: Ron wasn’t just pitching products. He was inventing the infomercial, long before anyone knew what that was.

Raised in the Aisles

Ron grew up quite poor in Chicago. His parents divorced when he was a baby, and he was raised by grandparents until, at age 16, he went to work for his family’s kitchen gadget company.

He stood at demo booths in department stores - slicing, dicing, yelling over crowds with knives flying and cabbage flying faster. He made a bit of money showing off the “Chop-O-Matic.”

But there was a problem.

Retail stores didn’t really want Ron’s gadgets. They didn’t fit on shelves. They needed a showman to be understood. So Popeil did something no one had done before.

He bought TV airtime. It was really unheard of at this time (the 1950s and 60s). But he couldn’t afford prime time. Not even daytime. Not late night even.

All Ron Popeil could afford to buy were the graveyard slots, the slots nobody else wanted.

But somehow, some way, it all clicked.

“Set it and forget it!”

Popeil didn’t just show the product. He demonstrated it. Explained it. Persuaded. Charmed. Teased. Laughed. Sweetened the deal.

He coined lines we still hear today:

• “But wait, there’s more!”

• “Set it and forget it!”

• “I'm Ron Popeil, and you're going to love my product.”

And America did.

His ads weren’t fancy, far from it. But they worked. People called the number. They mailed checks. They bought rotisseries at 2am.

It wasn’t just a new way to sell, it was a new way to launch. Ron Poeil essentially invented The Launch. No one will carry your product? You launch it yourself. No one will give you a platform? Build your own.

And it turns out, the margins were WAY better that way.

The Weirdest Empire Ever Built

Ron Popeil turned Ronco into a juggernaut.

He sold the Chop-O-Matic, the Dial-O-Matic, the Inside-the-Shell Egg Scrambler, and the Pocket Fisherman.

And he sold the one, the only Showtime Rotisserie Oven, which raked in over $1 billion in sales.

When he finally sold the company in 2005, Popeil walked away with $55 million.

He had had no VCs. No board to kowtow to. He hired no brand strategist.

Ron Popeil was just a guy like you or me who knew how to pitch, how to solve small problems, and how to turn a new medium into a cash register.

Ready to Sell Your Own Product?

Don’t let Ron Popeil have all the fun!

If you have an idea for a digital product - a Journal, an ebook, a course, a template, a Notion doc, a planner - wherever - something that can help others, I can help you create that product and the offer, and get it live fast.

Here again is what my recent client Heather had to say, “Steve helped me express the message my heart needed to share. His writing and content were of the highest quality. Steve’s guidance was a gift, and I am forever grateful.”

Email me at [email protected]. We’ll hop on a quick call and map it out.
But note - spots are limited, so don’t wait.

The Takeaway

Ron Popeil didn’t just sell gadgets. He invented the pitch-driven sales model that every TikTok seller, webinar host, and DTC founder still uses today. And he did so because he had no other choice.

Lesson? Pitch a product people need with a pitch they can’t forget.

Steal This Strategy!

📖 Book – “But Wait, There’s More!” by Tim Samuelson – A full book on Ron’s life and how he built the infomercial into an empire.

🎥 Tool – ShipBob – If your product’s physical, this handles fulfillment so you don’t have to.

🌐 Stan Store – A one-page shop you can update instantly (great for selling direct from TikTok or IG).

🛠️ Tool – Veed.io – Simple video editor perfect for adding subtitles, pop-ups, and demo flair.

About Steve

Let SCORE’s digital product guru help you get your product out there. No more procrastinating or hoping. It’s selling season! Let’s have some fun and make some money in the process! Contact Steve at [email protected]