Madam Walker: Entrepreneur and Millionnaire - Essay Example

Madam C. J. Walker Most cosmetologists are aware that the foundation of cosmetology in America had been in the hands of a black woman. She was called Sarah Breedlove in her childhood, but the world knows her as Madam C. J. Walker. Not many are aware that important chronicles from the life of this leading Afro-American entrepreneur of the early nineteenth century would have been lost to time, had not the good will of her great-great-granddaughter prevailed. Yes, whatever we know of Madam Walker, we owe it to A’Lelia Bundles, whose obsession with writing translated itself into revealing to the world, the unknown private world of women in the Walker family, led by the inevitable Madam C.J. Walker. To the woman of today, the story of Madam’s (as she was called in her hey days) offers thrilling examples of how hard a black woman would have to struggle in a society prone to racial discrimination. What started out as her journey to build a career in entrepreneurship, Madam’s hair care and hair culture products business led her to become an icon in the world of slavery and discrimination that the blacks suffered in those days. Madam was always known to stay put at what she wanted. And it is from this basic nature that she found all the prosperity and success that marked her career and life. In the present article we analyze a few important lessons that every reader can take back from her life. As is well known, her life has been marked with incidents of historical importance for the American black community, and we try to study as many of them as we can. Stubborn….Right From The Start! Born into a slave family, Sarah Breedlove held in her personality all the toughness that is characteristic to the African community, and this trait stayed with her till the end of her life. Not much is known to her family as to what happened in her early days. She is known to have been married at the age of fourteen and widowed at the age of twenty, with a child to earn her living for. She fended for her family by working as a washerwoman and around this point in time, she realized she was losing hair a little too much. She discovered a formula to stop the hair fall and grow back the lost tresses. In what she has herself called a magical dream, Madam discovered the formula all by herself, prepared the potion, applied it to the hair, and obtained excellent results. Without the toughness of her personality, no woman would have had the courage to develop a hair care product when she was toiling in the midst of poverty. Conviction they say can help the dying survive death. Madam’s story of toughness beats those of her contemporaries. She loved her family and she loved her work. (Bundles, 43-47). Even as she was getting married for a second time, she refused to let go of her maiden name. While her husband could only convince her to take the surname of Walker by saying that it would build a good image for her in marketing her products, Madam left no stone unturned in ensuring that her husband, Mr. Walker was not left alone in advertising and selling the products. Most women take less interest in external affairs once they are married, but she was a businesswoman and never let go of that personality in her for even a second. Perseverance is a trait found in most women and Madam made sure that she was not left behind in selling her products, and went from door to door in order to tell people of what she had invented. This dedication in her business life took her way ahead of other entrepreneurs of those times. As sales picked up force, Madam rose in society and gained respect and admiration of the once cold white society. She became an icon whose example of her journey from rags to riches could be cited amongst the urban American society as an example of talent, grit, and strategic entrepreneurship amongst the Afro-American population. The Success and How She Embraced It Excellent management of resources was what helped Madam stay upright as a leading businesswoman of her times. While her sales reached good speed, she would take appropriate measures to educate and train black women who were looking out for a source of earning. She created schools for training sales women and creating workers who would later grow into businesswomen themselves. She provided inspiration to all those women who wanted to make a decent living out of the training she provided in her enterprise. The systematic approach to managing the growing market demand for her products, and the method in which it was applied to the benefit of other members of her community puts Madam Walker in a position that is strikingly ahead of her times. As her great-great-grand daughter mentioned in her book, she was a marketing strategist who trained thousands of Afro-American ladies (Aller, 38). In those days, women would only confine themselves to taking care of children and the household and seldom turn to earning, a field considered as the sole playground for men. Madam not only broke that code but also taught women around her to embrace their beauty and not consider them as what men in society perceived them to be. Women had all the right to adorn better looks and make their hair look beautiful. She provided them with the products that would be endorsed and advertised using women of different age groups. This brought in a whole new definition to woman power, something that went unheard of in those days, with rare exceptions amongst the white. Madam’s example was an exception in itself, and she held all the responsibility solely in her hands. Conviction stood first, perseverance stood second, grit and stamina stood third in the story of this powerful businesswoman (Lowry, 85-100). Her Role In Society: Post Success Afro-Americans were a target of racial discrimination all throughout her growing years and adulthood. With her growing eminence, the community realized that with her as a role model, many social and political issues that were to be addressed could be sorted out. The society recognized her power as a forward thinking business woman, and her taking interest and acting in this respect only made matters easy for the heads of her community. She went on to lead several movements of social importance in this context. We take a quick tour of the main incidents that marked her life after she was considered a reigning queen in the field of hair cosmetology. Her Protest Against Lynching: Already known to speak in conventions and forums on behalf of the rights that the world at large owed to the black community, Madam pioneered the voice of Afro-Americans against lynching. Her fight for justice did not end at giving inspirational and argumentative speeches, but ended with a historic confrontation Booker T. Washington as he presided over the National Negro Business League in 1912. Her presentation of facts, coupled with the demands for the rights of the black population, helped raise hopes of all members of the community and those who hated the discrimination. Her presence in the political scenario was only limited to her activities as a powerful protester whose ideas and views were of immense importance to people, both black and white. She stood her ground even when in 1918 she was considered to be a “Negro subversive” and kept under surveillance using a spy from the War Department, who himself was a black and could gain access to her movements and intentions on the basis of his ethnicity. Such was the stamina of Madam C.J. Walker. Her Adherence To Truth : A journalist had once commented that Madam was only teaching black people that they could grow their hair straight and look fairer than they originally were born to be. Madam Walker went straight out in clearing out such allegations, in spite of her busy schedule and rising commitments. As A’Lelia bundles puts it in the original words of the legendary woman : "Right here let me correct the erroneous impression held by some that I claim to straighten hair," she told a reporter in 1918 after she had been called the "de-kink queen" by a white newspaper. "I deplore such an impression because I have always held myself out as a hair culturist. I grow hair." (Bundles). On further analysis (which however, happened at a much later date through her great-great-grand daughter) it was to be seen that hair straightening combs were around from before her launch of any kind of comb and bleaches were never sold by her brand. Modern day marketing experts take a bow at her candor since she never endorsed hair straightening combs or bleaching creams and lotions all through her tenure as the reigning hair culturist of all times. She could have easily fallen for these two products and bought patents and sold them under her brand, as these were new in the market in those days and a rage amongst women of all classes. She adhered to the truth of the mission with which she had started her business, to share hair care products and to alleviate the financial condition of black women like her (Stille, 48-50). With this we come to the last most important lesson of her character, namely, philanthropy. She was late in moving to her palatial estate in Irvington-on-Hudson and although she lived like a queen thereafter, she never let go of any opportunity of philanthropy. She did not feel it low to walk with the impoverished masses or attend to their complaints whenever she could. She would even try to sort out differences with her daughter and set things right within the family administration, till the last day of her life. As they say, great souls never tire. Her example inspired her great-great-grand daughter to unveil the sufferings of her population almost years back in time. Her example continues to intrigue every businessman or woman who wishes to re-chart her rags to riches journey and gain respect and recognition in the society. References: Aller, Susan B. Madam C.J. Walker. Lerner Publications: London, 2007. Bundles, A’leila. Prologue To On Her Own Grounds : The Life And Times of Madam C.J. Walker.2001, Retrieved on April 10th, 2014 from : http://www.aleliabundles.com/books/ Bundles, A’leila. On Her Own Ground: The Life And Times Of Madam C.J. Walker. Washington Square Press : New York, 2001. Lowry, Beverly. Her dreams of Dreams : The Rise And Triumph Of Madam C.J. Walker. Random House LLC: New York, 2003. Stille, Darlene R.. Madam C.J. Walker : Entrepreneur and Millionnaire. Capstone : Chicago, 2006. Read More