Harper’s franchising system empowered and enriched poor women, as well as herself!
•Servant Girl Creates 500 Franchises Around the World
Bound out into servitude from the time she was seven years old, Martha Matilda Harper knew she had to change her life.
Susan B. Anthony while campaigning for suffrage cited Harper and encouraged every woman to have “her own pocketbook.” Harper’s franchise system represented the economic emancipation of women.
•Why Royalty & US Presidents Were Loyal to Harper
Each shop was a classy retreat for the body and soul. Find out where these shops were located.
• Changing Lives Through Creative Business Know-How
Learn why she created the first reclining shampoo chair.
• Buried Business History –the Harper Story
History books forgot her. Harper’s obituary was the clue that there was more. Read her story.
• Franchising-Changing the Lives of Poor Women
The word “franchise” comes from the French and means, “to free from servitude.” Learn more about franchising here.
• Social Entrepreneurship –Turning Dollars Into Change
Join the discussion about how use business to do good, just like the Harper Method.
• Download Martha Matilda Harper’s Ten Commandments of Business Success, where you can learn Martha Matilda Harper’s tips and tricks to building a successful empire!
A heartwarming documentary on Martha Matilda Harper has just been released. The Marvelous Martha captures the saga of uncovering the story of how and why modern retail franchising was created and why the story was buried for decades. Could it be because this new business model was accomplished by a woman, a poor immigrant woman no less? You decide.
Delight in seeing how Martha Matilda Harper changes her life and the lives of hundreds of other poor women with historic photos of Harper, her dedicated Harperites, her family and supporters. Get ready to cheer. Perfect for individual viewing, along with associations, business, church, community, immigrant, school, and women’s groups. Ready for large screen theatres, smaller screen or individual viewing.
For rental details, email marthamatildaharper1888@gmail.com
NEW BOOKS
Help get Harper on a commemorative Postage stamp. We need overwhelming signatures to show a broad interest in finally getting Harper the recognition she deserves for being the creator of modern franchising and the path blazer who showed us how to use business for social change.
Martha Matilda Harper 
August 3, 2011
Entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship