As the age-old saying goes, you can’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been. And to close out Women’s History Month, BlackEnteprise.com decided to highlight a few women that have paved the way and those who took the baton and ran with it for modern-day success. Take a look at these awesome women who found triumph in their industries and the world at large.
THEN: Madame C.J. Walker – Beauty Industry Entrepreneur; First African-American Millionairess
- Sarah Breedlove, later known as Madame CJ Walker, experimented with home remedies and products already on the market to cure her own issues with balding until she finally developed her own shampoo and an ointment that contained sulfur to make her scalp healthier for hair growth. She began selling her products–made especially for African Americans–while touring with her husband throughout the southern and eastern states.
- In 1908, she opened Lelia College to train “hair culturists,” and later expanded to Indianapolis, Indiana, where she established her headquarters and built a factory where her products would be shipped to locations throughout the U.S., Central America, and the Caribbean. She also began to teach and train other Black women via The Walker College of Hair Culture, in order to help them build their own businesses.
- NOW: Wendi Levy and Kim Etheridge – Founders of Mixed Chicks, a Multiracial Haircare Line
- Tired of mixing and matching products, friends Levy and Etheridge launched Mixed Chicks, a company that provides haircare products for multicultural women and men, in 2004. Getting their start with door-to-door sales, they eventually got celebrity and Web endorsements from fans of their products. Now, their products are sold in nearly 1,000 beauty supply stores and salons in the U.S. and abroad, and the company grossed $3.5 million in revenues in 2009. With an all-natural children’s line coming out at the end of the summer, MIXED CHICKS stands poised to double that amount by year’s end.
THEN: Althea Gibson – Tennis Pioneer; First Black Woman to Win a Grand Slam Title
- Gibson was a World No. 1 sportswoman who became the first African-American female to be a competitor on the world tennis tour and the first to win a Grand Slam title in 1956. She broke many racial barriers in tennis, and was the first African American to be invited to play in the all-England tournament at Wimbledon. She also won the French Open in 1956. In 1957, she went on to win the women’s singles and doubles at Wimbledon. In 1958 she again won both Wimbledon titles. The next year, she turned pro, winning the women’s professional singles title in 1960.
NOW: Serena and Venus Williams – Tennis Superstars; Business Powerhouses
- Sisters Venus and Serena Williams have been blazing an exemplary trail in tennis since they were little girls, competing in junior leagues and making a name for themselves as teenagers. Venus is ranked World No. 8 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles. She became the World No. 1 for the first time on February 2002, making her the first African American woman to achieve the feat during the open era. She is the reigning champion in women’s doubles at the French Open; has 21 Grand Slam titles; and has also won three Olympic gold medals, more than any other female tennis player. She also serves as CEO of interior design firm V Starr Interiors, fashion line, EleVen, and part-owner of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.
- Serena is a former World No. 1 and ranked World No. 11 in singles and No. 20 in doubles with her sister. She regained this ranking for the fifth time in November 2009. She is the reigning champion in singles at Wimbledon, and in women’s doubles at the French Open. Her 27 Grand Slam titles places her ninth on the all-time list: She has won more Grand Slam titles in singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles than any other active female player. She has won two Olympic gold medals in women’s doubles. Serena founded apparel, handbag and jewelry lines, as well as a handbag, Aneres and Signature Statement, respectively; is part-owner of the Dolphins and plans to launch her own nail polish collection.