Madam C. J. Walker’s
inspiring story of rags to riches came through hard work, persistence,
determination, and perseverance. She is recognized in the Guiness Book of World
Records as the first self-made female millionaire. Born Sarah Breedlove on the
23rd of December in 1867 she was the first child of Owen and Minerva
Breedlove not born into slavery.
Sarah’s early years were spent
struggling with poverty and tragedy. She married at the age of 14 only for her
husband to die 6 years later. Left with a young daughter, she moved to live
with two of her older brothers in the city of St. Louis. There she became part
of a church choir which gave her opportunities to travel the city performing
with the choir. During these trips she met women with social standing, and it
gave her a glimpse of a life she could strive towards.
Misfortune followed her however and
her brothers died in 1894. During a tumultuous time in her life, she began to
lose her hair. In an attempt to salvage it she developed a formula to treat her
scalp which helped her hair grow back. It was through the development and selling
of this product that she gradually lifted herself out of poverty. She understood
the marketing strategy of her time using her then married name, Madam C. J Walker
to promote her product. She advertised her business in local newspapers and also
carried out product demonstrations on other women who were experiencing hair
loss to show the effectiveness of her formula.
People started taking notice of
her business as well as her generous philanthropy. Madam Walker attributed her
success to a lot of hard work. She was mostly uneducated; however, she overcame
the tragedy and stigma of her background to become a millionaire businesswoman.
References
https://www.newsweek.com/story-americas-first-female-millionaire-1571099
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-self-made-millionairess