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From Rags to Riches

The Story of Edwin C. Barnes
By :DUUHQ Drucker

Over a hundred years ago, a young man

from the Midwest had a dream to become a
partner of the greatest inventor on Earth,
Thomas A. Edison. So strong was his desire
to form this partnership, Barnes made up his
mind that he would relentlessly pursue his
goal of becoming a business associate of the
famed inventor until he met success. There
would be no retreat, and nothing was going
to stop him from reaching his goal, the
young man pledged to himself.
Barnes could not afford to purchase a train
ticket for passenger fare, and he had no
special technical skills. Furthermore, he had
only meager clothes to wear. But, these
obstacles could not stop this determined man
from visiting Edison's famous laboratory in
West Orange, New Jersey and pursuing his
dream.

Edwin C. Barnes (left) and Thomas Edison look over an

Ediphone outside Edison's West Orange laboratory complex
in New Jersey.

On a fateful day in 1905, and driven by a desire which transcended poverty and a lack of
know-how, Barnes rolled into West Orange on a freight train. He then, poorly dressed
and looking more like an outcast than a man of achievement, walked into the famous
Edison Laboratory and told the great inventor that he had come to form a partnership
with him. Nearby members of Edison's staff were amused by the boldness of the poorlooking man, and they laughed at him hysterically. But, Edison did not laugh. For, what

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he saw was a determined young man who was prepared to do whatever it would take to
help bring new growth to his company.
Impressed with Barnes' ambition and
internal drive, Edison decided to give the
poor man a chance of realizing his dream
not as a partner, but rather as a floor
sweeper. Barnes wisely accepted Edison's
offer, not dejected in the slightest by the job
his mentor had in mind for him. The new
arrival understood that he was given a
chance of a lifetime to show Edison what he
could do for him. And, he knew that
accepting the inventors humbling offer
would open the door for him to observe how
the brilliant man thought. Barnes also
understood that Thomas Edison was
extending to him a tremendous opportunity
to meet his friends and associates, some of
the most influential and most powerful
people in the world.

Thomas Edison sharing a funny story with Edwin C.

Barnes (center) and Nelson Durand (right).
Photograph is circa 1912.

Starting with a broom in his hands, Edwin

C. Barnes did the best work he possibly could for Edison, and he never once backed
down from his goal of establishing a partnership with the world's leader of practical
technology. Months went by, and, to the unobserved, nothing special seemed to happen.
But, Barnes was learning what made Edison tick, and he was setting the stage to attract
opportunities his way.
After working for Edison for nearly two years, Barnes "saw" a golden opportunity, and
he seized it with full force. Following many years of preparation, the inventor was ready
to commercialize the Edison Dictating Machine, a recorder specifically designed to
capture the human voice. Edison's machine, later renamed the Ediphone, recorded voice
letters on a wax cylinder, and its inventor thought very highly of it. However, when
members of Edison's sales force looked over his new machine, most of them doubted that

Copyright 2013, Warren Drucker

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the invention would prove successful commercially, and they expressed little interest in
trying to sell it.
Barnes, in contrast, recognized that Edison's new machine could help thousands of
executives across the country by allowing them to dictate at any time, day or night, for
later playback. No longer would the executive need to have at his side a stenographer to
record his thoughts, Edison's enthusiastic employee envisioned. Barnes also realized
that the dictation machine could help business executives save time, accomplish more,
and increase profits as a result.
After working out a marketing plan, Barnes
approached Edison and urged him to let him sell
his dictation machine. Edison, impressed with
his employee's desire to sell the new machine
and thoroughness of preparation for doing so,
readily agreed to his proposition. And, within
months Barnes had sold thousands of Edison
dictating machines. He also gained a lucrative
contract to market and distribute the recording
device across America.
So successful was Barnes at selling Edison's
dictating machine, he became a multimillionaire
at a relatively young age. But, more
Edwin C. Barnes listens intently as Thomas Edison
importantly, Barnes became a man who helped explains the transophone, a new device from the
master inventor that features a dictating
thousands of people across the country benefit
machine that can be controlled electrically from a
typewriter keyboard.
from Edison's device. And, it is probable that
the true potential of Edison's machine would not
have been realized had it not been for the uncanny insight that Barnes fostered during his
working years at the famous laboratory complex in West Orange.
There were many factors, both tangible and intangible, that transcended Edwin C. Barnes
from a young man with little money and a rather lame portfolio to one of the most
capable and accomplished salespersons Thomas Edison ever knew. However, the
remarkable success that Barnes enjoyed can be attributed largely to 12 key habits that
he consistently exhibited with full force. They were:
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1. He knew what he wanted to accomplish;

2. He used the power of imagination to circumvent poverty and other difficulties;
3. He was willing to start at the bottom in order to gain know how and exposure;
4. He created and seized opportunity;
5. He maintained a dogged determination to bring
his goal to reality;
6. He worked long hours with concentrated focus
for many years to get what he wanted;
7. He talked relatively little and produced big;
8. He was not deterred by ridicule, criticism,
setback, or obstacles;
9. He created ideas and made them happen;
10. In alignment with his goals, he found a way to
help other people become more successful;

Edwin C. Barnes dressed not only to

look successful, but to feel successful.

11. He made himself invaluable in his work;

12. He was committed to providing his customers with excellent service.
Barnes also saved much of his initial earnings as an employee of Edison's West Orange
laboratory complex to buy new and quality clothes. And, eventually he built a rather
impressive wardrobe. Referring to a time just before Barnes made it big within the
Edison organization, Napoleon Hill wrote in the Law of Success:
In those days he had the largest and most expensive collection of clothes I had ever seen
or heard of one man owning. His wardrobe consisted of thirty-one suits; one for each day
of the month. He never wore the same suit two days in succession.

When Napoleon Hill asked the upcoming salesman why it was that he paid special
attention to his attire, Barnes replied, I do not wear thirty-one suits of clothes entirely for
the impression they make on other people; I do it mostly for the impression they have on
me.
Barnes did not judge his success by how much money he made or by how many sales he
generated. He considered personal gain and sales numbers just a by-product of his true
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aim to achieve 100% customer satisfaction! As such, Edison's partner did not resort
to sales gimmicks or trickery. In fact, he would not urge a sale of a dictating machine
without first verifying that the potential customer could benefit from it. And, once
Barnes did sell a dictation machine to a
qualifying customer, this was just the
beginning. He followed up with service,
making sure that the buyer was satisfied
with the performance of the product and
fixing any noted problems without hassle
and without excessive delay.
So important was his commitment to his
customers, Barnes considered his devotion
to providing excellent service to be the
single biggest influence on his success as a
salesperson. The salesman understood that
without customer satisfaction true success
cannot be realized, no matter how much
fame or fortune is obtained.
The Rotary Club, an international
organization committed to bringing business
and community leaders together to provide
humanitarian services, got its start in 1905
when Paul P. Harris, an attorney, organized
a meeting with three Chicago businesses as
participants. Soon afterwards, Barnes
became an active member of the Chicago
Rotary Club, and he did much to make the
organization popular with the public.

Edwin C. Barnes envisioned how thousands of

business people could benefit from Edison's new
dictating machine, a machine that few others thought
could sell.

Rotarian Barnes managed the third annual business show put on by the Chicago Rotary
Club. It was held on the second floor of the Sherman Hotel on December 9 and 10, 1915,
and the exhibit drew an estimated 12,000 visitors. For his stupendous efforts, Barnes was
given a medal of honor by the organization For doing, not talking.

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The motto of the Rotary Club was, He profits most who serves best. The Rotarians
also judged profit by how much happiness their work brought them and the
public, not by earnings generated. Subscribing deeply to this Philosophy,
Barnes often organized and promoted events to raise money for people in
need. One such event he orchestrated was an industrial exhibit that was
opened to the public with no admission charge at the Continental and
Commercial National Bank building in Chicago on January 30, 1914.
Referring to this event, Barnes told a reporter from the Chicago Daily
News, Each exhibitor pays $5 of which $1 goes to pay the expenses and
This cross of
the rest will be turned over to charity.

honor badge was

given to Edwin C.
Barnes for
"Doing, Not
Talking."

Perhaps nobody understood the power of persistent more so than Edwin C.

Barnes. Not only was the salesman persistent in his own pursuits, he
inspired others to keep paving ahead as well. One such person was
Napoleon Hill. In the Law of Success, the author gave Barnes credit for keeping him on
track when temptations to give up on his chosen pursuit were abound. Hill related,
Mr. Barnes became interested in my chosen work at its beginnings, and had it not been
for his unwavering faith in the soundness of the philosophy behind the Law of Success, I
would have yielded to the persuasion of others and sought the way of least resistance.

Barnes was arguably the most

successful salesperson ever
employed by Thomas Edison, and
they remained close associates until
the death of the inventor in 1931.
During his association with Edison,
Barnes became fabulously wealthy,
but his greatest sense of
accomplishment came from his
knowledge that he helped thousands
of people live happier and more
productive lives.
In 1951, nearly 46 years after he
rolled into Essex County in a
freight train and informed Edison of

Edwin C. Barnes was Edison's leading salesperson in large part

because he loved his work and because he put his customers'
needs and interests first.

Copyright 2013, Warren Drucker

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www.BridgeToStrength.com

his intent to be his business partner, Edwin C. Barnes retired from business life.
Unfortunately, shortly afterwards the great salesman fell ill, and he passed away in
Bradenton, Florida on September 23, 1952. Gone is a great and most generous man, but
his story provides us with a most powerful formula for attaining success and happiness.
Comments
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About The Author
Warren Drucker is the founder and editor of Bridge to Strength
(www.BridgeToStrength.com), a website devoted to the art of self
cultivation and personal achievement. As a student of computer
science, Mr. Drucker is an active programmer and website
developer. He holds a degree in chemical enginnering from
from Youngstown State University, and he has worked
in industry as a plant manager and engineer for over 20 years.

Copyright 2013, Warren Drucker

All rights reserved.