“To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom” is a quote attributed to Greek philosopher Socrates. Madam C.J. Walker flipped it … and proved that to “know thyself” is to build thy wealth.
[STYLING] She was one of the first American women to become a self-made millionaire. A born entrepreneur, she literally scratched her own itch. After suffering from a scalp disorder, Madam C.J. Walker developed hair care products targeted to black women. Prior to launching her own brand, she got schooled on Ms. Annie Malone’s dime. (Annie Malone was the first African American woman to earn a million dollars in the United States. Like Whoa!)
Madam C.J. Walker believed that you had to “Learn to Earn.”
Her company trained almost 20,000 sales associates. She mastered marketing, advertising, manufacturing and distribution. All this without an MBA or any real formal education. She epitomizes the 7th attribute of the B-Boy Guide’s Code of Business: “Perseverance is King and Queen.” The road was long … but driving her own car was the bomb. Madam C.J. Walker was a patron of the arts, a philanthropist, and a very successful businesswoman. If she were on 125th Street today, Madam C.J. Walker would be bopping to Nice & Smooth’s “Do Whatcha Gotta.” She’d have it no other way.