Madam C. J. Walker’s accomplishments as an inventor, entrepreneur and philanthropist are nothing short of amazing, considering the time in which she lived and the short stack she was dealt. Born two years after the abolishment of slavery, Walker was orphaned, married, pregnant and widowed by 20. But her strong resolve kept her going—the entrepreneurial lesson of her success. With her hair-care products, Madam C. J. Walker blazed a new trail for black women. She not only offered products designed especially for black women at a time when most beauty products ignored their hair type, she also opened the door for other women to earn money selling her Walker Hair Care System.
With her million-dollar fortune—a rarity for a self-made woman, let alone a black woman—she contributed generously to schools and programs such as the YMCA and the NAACP. She’s been posthumously inducted in the National Business Hall of Fame and the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
Quote: "If you recognize an unserved customer base, do something about it."
