Madam CJ Walker Documentary: NEVER Underestimate The Power Of Perseverance!

Hi, I'm Evan Carmichael.

Welcome to another edition of Modeling the Masters. I believe that the fastest and most effective way to grow your business is to model the strategies of people who've already done what you're trying to do. So today we're going to look at how a young woman who was born into a slave family went from that to becoming the first self-made millionaire in America. This is the story of Madam C.J.

Walker and the top 3 lessons you can learn from her success. Madam C.J. Walker was born Sarah Breedlove in Delta, Louisiana. Born into a slave family, Walker rose from her humble beginnings to establish herself as the first self-made woman millionaire in America. After experiencing a personal setback, Walker turned her fate around and used that setback to create a fortune. At a time when most African Americans were struggling to find work, Walker pioneered her way to the top of the hair care and cosmetics industries. Walker would face a host of tragedies throughout her life, such as losing her parents when she was very young, losing her first husband, marrying two more times, but none of these tragedies is what made her look to start her own business. In 1904, crisis would again strike Walker's life. She had been working so hard and eating so poorly that she began losing her hair. She tried product after product to help and try to save her hair, but nothing worked. Later that year, Walker attended a seminar that would change the course of her life and make her do something about her problem. Walker credits God with having given her the special hair remedy that would launch her business. God, however, could not do anything about the fact that there was already another entrepreneur selling similar products in St. Louis. Not wanting to face the competition head-on, Walker decided to take her show on the road. In 1913, Walker bought a house in Harlem and decided to make it her new company's headquarters. Slowly the company continued to grow, and by 1917, annual conventions were being held by Walker's agents to train new and old recruits. By the time Walker died in 1919, she was 51 years old and one of the richest women in the country.

By believing in herself and by moving forward from her personal setbacks, Madam C.J. Walker was able to go from being in a slave family to becoming the first self-made millionaire in America. To help you overcome your setbacks, here are the top 3 action items you can learn from Madam C.J.

Walker. Action item number 1: Don't let your situation be an excuse for not starting. It's easy to think of reasons why you can't be successful. You don't have a lot of money. Your parents weren't entrepreneurs. Nobody believes in your ideas. Everyone tells you you're crazy. And the list goes on. Most of the world's most famous successful entrepreneurs came from absolutely nothing. They didn't have any resources, but they were resourceful and they believed in themselves. Trust that what you're doing is right and go after what you want. Have confidence and believe that you can do it. Walker was an ambitious entrepreneur, and once she got started, that was it. Once business started to boom, Walker found it impossible to give in to her husband's demands that she settle. He wanted her to be happy with her business and was opposed to any plans for growth. It was making $10 a day, and he didn't see much more potential for growth. He believed that taking such big risks and expanding nationally would be an unwise move. However, she was so driven that it ruined her marriage, and even this could not stop her. It was not until Walker was 39 years old that she decided to go into business for herself. She had no formal education, no business experience, and a daughter to support, but Walker decided that this would be her second start in life. Walker decided that it is never too late to chase your dreams and pursue success. According to Walker, "When we began to make $10 a day, my ex-husband thought that was enough." thought I ought to be satisfied, but I was convinced that my hair preparation would fill a long-felt want, and when we found it impossible to agree due to the narrowness of his vision, I embarked on business for myself. Action Item #2: Act on Crisis, Don't Accept It. When faced with crisis, people either shrink down or they rise up. Which one are you going to do? A lot of the world's greatest ideas came because entrepreneurs were in a crisis and had to find a solution. If you can solve a crisis for yourself, chances are there are many other people out there who will gladly pay you to help them solve it as well, and you're on your way to business success. Walker was 37 years old when she found herself slowly losing her hair. She would wake up each morning with new clumps of hair on her pillow that had fallen out the night before. She didn't know what was causing it, but suspected a combination of poor diet and stress. It is now known to have been a common problem among black women during that time. But while others might have just disguised their problem with a wig or hidden themselves away from the rest of the world, Walker decided to turn this crisis into an opportunity. Walker was always on the lookout for an opportunity, and by and large, she took those opportunities when she was in the midst of a difficult time in her life. It was by acting on crises instead of accepting them that Walker was able to turn a scarce living into a success. According to Walker, "I was a woman who came from the cotton fields of the South. From there I was promoted to the washtub. From there I was promoted to the cook kitchen. And from there I promoted myself into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations. I have built my own factory on my own ground. I got my start by giving myself a start." Action Item #3: Make perseverance your motto. One trait successful entrepreneurs all have in common is they don't quit. They face challenges and they persevere. You might have moments of weakness where you think you're never going to make it and you should go get a job. Push through those moments and keep going. You're closer than you think and need to keep taking consistent action every day to move closer to your goal. Walker could not have gotten from where she started to where she wound up without a healthy dose of perseverance. Being born as an African American in the 19th century, the odds were already stacked against her. It was a time when few African Americans, let alone women, were running their own businesses and making a success of it. The majority had little education and were either unemployed or underemployed. Walker, however, was determined not to share that same fate for the rest of her life. By 1913, Her company had a sales force of over 20,000 people throughout not only the US, but also Central America and the Caribbean. Her sales agents, mostly black women, went from making $2 a week as domestic workers to $25 a week selling Walker's products. To them, she was a savior who opened up a world of new opportunities. Had Walker chosen not to persevere, she would not have been the only one missing out. According to Walker, there is no royal flower-strewn path to success, and if there is, I haven't found it. For everything I've accomplished in my life has been because I've been willing to work hard. Perseverance is my motto.

So remember, don't let your situation be an excuse. Act on crisis, don't accept it, and let perseverance be your motto. To finish up this video, I wanted to share my favorite true stories about Madam C.J. Walker and some of her best quotes.

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 neighbor 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?" This was only some of the discrimination Walker faced throughout her life. One little-known story is about the time she went to see a movie and was charged twice what white people were being charged to see the show. She immediately hired an attorney and sued the movie theater, winning the case. She then went on to build her own movie theater to support the Black residents of New York. Which became a successful theater and did not discriminate against white residents. Anyone could come to the shows and everyone paid the same ticket price.

Thank you for joining me for another edition of Modeling the Masters. If you like the video and you want to see more, please give it a thumbs up below. I'd also love to hear what you have to think if you want to leave a comment underneath the video. And see you at the next episode.