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From Menial Worker to Millionaire: How Walker Achieved Success
Article Overview: In 1917, Walker commissioned a 34-room mansion to be built for her on the Hudson River. It was her dream house, something she had worked for years to be able to afford. But when area residents found out who their new neighbour was going to be, they were less than happy. “One of the race,” wrote one newspaper, “is invading the domains of New York’s aristocracy.” The New York Times even wrote, “No woman of her race could own such a place. Does she really intend to live there?”
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Free Download - Madam C.J. Walker Quotes By Madam C.J. Walker |
From Menial Worker to Millionaire: How Walker Achieved Success
In 1917, Walker commissioned a 34-room mansion to be built for her on the Hudson River. It was her dream house, something she had worked for years to be able to afford. But when area residents found out who their new neighbour was going to be, they were less than happy. “One of the race,” wrote one newspaper, “is invading the domains of New York’s aristocracy.” The New York Times even wrote, “No woman of her race could own such a place. Does she really intend to live there?”
Walker did intend to live there, and she did so until her death. Despite her success, she never fully overcame the discrimination that had plagued her since she was a little girl. So, how did this poor girl from the cotton fields become the country’s first self-made woman millionaire?
Ambition: Walker was 39 years old when she started her business. It was her first business, and thanks to its success, her last. But when she first started up, even her husband was against her plans for expansion. She acknowledged her lack of experience, but overcame that with her unstoppable ambition.
Hard Work: “I am not ashamed of my past,” said Walker. “I am not ashamed of my humble beginning.” Despite not being ashamed of her beginnings, Walker knew she had to work hard to overcome her disadvantages in life. She learned wherever and whenever she could to make up for her lack of schooling, and made sure her daughter had the quality formal education she never did.
Determination: When Walker started losing her hair, she was no stranger to crisis. From losing her parents and her first husband, to being abused by her brother in law, Walker learned what devastation was. Quickly, however, she also learned how to change her response to crisis and turn it into an opportunity.
Market: Walker Agents was the name given to Walker’s 20,000 strong sales force. They were distinct in their white uniforms and black beauty supplies case. But they also had something else in common: they were Walker’s best customers. Walker understood both who her target market was and how she could use them to help promote her products to their own individual networks.
Perseverance: Walker was discouraged from proceeding with her business activities by the very people she thought would be her closest supporters – her husband and leaders in the black community. Walker, however, ignored their criticism and continued on her quest.
When Walker died on May 25, 1919, W.E.B. Du Bois wrote an obituary for the pioneering entrepreneur. It read: “It is given to few persons to transform a people in a generation. Yet this was done by the late Madam C. J. Walker.”
The Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company remained operational and in the family until 1985, when the name was sold to an American businessman. Its legacy, however, remains as strong as it was in the company’s – and Madam Walker’s – groundbreaking days.
Lesson #4: Make Your Market Your Manpower
Lesson #2: Success is Built not Born
The Hair Care Pioneer: Madam C.J. Walker is Born
Connecting with a purpose Part V
Lesson #5: Make Perseverance Your Motto
Related Forum Posts
Books for Women Entrepreneurs
- There's a thread for good books in the Resources folder, but it doesn't target books for businesswomen particularly, so I figured I'd start such a thread here.
It doesn't matter how successful you are in your business - it's always possible to learn something new.
In subsequent posts I give Table of Contents and brief descriptions for various titles - most of them devoted to the businesswoman - and sometimes a review. If anyone else has read a review, or has read the book and found it useful, please comment!
1. The Old Girl's Network
2. Mother's Work
3. The 7 Greatest Truths About Successful Women
4. Pitch Like A Girl
5. Workplace Warrior
6. Treasure Hunt: Inside the Mind of the Modern Consumer
7. Contingency Planning & Disaster Recovery
8. She Wins, You Win
9. Napoleon On Project Management
10. Why Good Girls Dont' Get Ahead, But Gutsy Girls Do
11. Comeback Moms: How to Leave Work, Raise Children, and Restart your Career even If you Haven't Had a Job in Years
12. The One Minute Millionaire
13. Talking From 9 to 5
14. Soloing: Realizing Your Life's Ambitions
15. 101 Best Home Based Businesses for Women: Everything You Need to Know About Getting Started on the Road To Success
16. Work With Passion: How to Do What You Love for a Living. Revised and Expanded
17. Fail-Proof Your Business: Beat the Odds and be Successful
18. Confidence: How Winning Streaks and Losing Streaks Begin and End
19. Women Don't Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide
20. Millionaire Women Next Door: The Many Journeys of Successful American Businesswomen
21. Start Small, Finish Big: Fifteen Key Lessons to Start - and Run - Your Own Successful Business
22. Rewired, Rehired or Retired: A Global Guide for the Experienced Worker
23. The Martha Rules: 10 essentials for achieving success as you start, build or manage a business
24. The Essentials of Entrepreneurship: What it takes to create Successful Enterprises
25. Net Ready: Strategies for Success in the E-conomy
26. The Promotable Woman
27. Leave The Office Earlier: The Productivity Pro shows you how to do more in less time and feel great about it
28. The Work At Home Balancing Act: The professional resource guide for managing yourself, your work, and your family at home
29. Secrets of Six-Figure Women
Re: Dropped Out Of School To Startup!
- Micheal Dell also dropped out of university. I have ordered for a book titled Millionaire Dropouts by Woodward.
Read the Synopsis
Millionaire Dropouts started as a list who's who of dropouts. Over the years and seven books later it as developed into an extensive list of great men and women who have overcame their obstacles and beat the odds of success. Some of the greatest companies and most profound inventions were founded and invented by people with very little education. How can someone without a degree and sometimes with very little money go onto build empires? It is the age old question, what drives one person to success while another stops at failure? This book list bullet bios of some of the greatest dropouts in history. Millionaire Dropouts will inspire and entertain. Not only are there over 50 biographies there is a master list of over 900 people who have dropped out and gone on to great success. Enjoy this inspiring work and share it with others.
Suggestion
- How about profiling Debbie Fields of Mrs. Fields Cookies or Madame Walker? Both seem like they would have valuable lessons to offer other women entrepreneurs.
New Women Entrepreneurs to Profile
- Thanks Mikki!
We've got Madam C.J. Walker on the list as well as Anita Roddick (The Body Shop), Mary Kay Ash, and Ruth Handler (Mattel).
I'm not too familiar with the Debbie Fields story - what do you know about it?
Sheldon,
Are you connected with these two companies? What can you tell me about them?
February contest
- What we've been discussing for next month is to have two contests - one would be for the top link spot on the Forums and my homepage. If you've won before you can win again.
The second would be for the physical prizes (Microsoft, Trump U, Happy Worker, Tie, T-shirt) but you can't win again if you've won before.
Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.
Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.
by: 
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