His company initially faced many difficulties

Along the process, William Emery Nickerson and Gillette had disagreements. Regarding the company's name, they couldn't agree. In September 1901, the American Safety Razor Company was established, with Gillette serving as president. Gillette was merely the president of the Gillette Safety Razor Corporation in the name; if he were a king, he lacked an actual kingdom. The business was still without a product to market.

By 1903, Gillette had acquired the requisite financial support, while Nickerson had devised the required design and manufacturing equipment to produce the razor blades. The product's name presented the next conundrum. According to the website Engines of Our Ingenuity's "King Camp Gillette" section, Gillette thought "if they called a razor blade a Nickerson, that was too suggestive of cut skin." In the end, the product was given the Gillette name. The razor would turn out to be an immediate hit.

They eventually created a flawless double-edged safety blade that, along with its handle and adjustable head, fits into a specially constructed holder. They also received a patent in 1901. They both started selling their razors in 1903, though.