Black Entrepreneur Legend and Haircare Pioneer非裔企業家傳奇，黑人護發業先驅

魯斯·阿巴吉 姚海濤

We can all benefit via the brilliant business and life lessons from this franchising1 genius. 她是特許經營奇才，她的商業故事和人生經驗都堪稱絕妙，讀來大有裨益。

Another Black History Month has come and gone， but per the findings of a new study commissioned by Groupon and the National Black Chamber of Commerce： Educating ourselves on the adversity African Americans have always faced in the workplace must be a yearlong thing.

Depressingly， 80% of black business owners polled stated they faced more challenges getting their business off the ground due to their race while 85% claimed they had to overcome more obstacles than their non-black peers. Fifty-nine percent reported being victims of bias or racism when starting their company.

All the more reason （even in March） to be aware of the franchising savant2， philanthropist3 and one of the country’s first African-American female millionaires that was Madam C.J. Walker. She still has much to teach us 101 years after her death.

Born Sarah Breedlove in 1867 within the Louisiana Delta， Walker was orphaned at a young age and spent more than a decade working as a washerwoman to support her young daughter. One day she looked down at her hands in the tub and thought： What am I going to do to support my family when I am no longer able to scrub this laundry？

This question， coupled with the fact that Walker felt her follicles4 were thinning， prompted her to begin working as a salesperson for the hair care product brand， the Poro Company. Walker also worked as a cook where she learned even more about the chemistry behind beauty elixirs5 and she eventually created her own line of beauty aids.

Walker was a phenomenal6 brand builder. Her business and signature “Walker Method” for hair care provided career opportunities and economic independence for thousands of African American women. Her company trained some 40，000 “Walker Agents” in her specific product strategy.

The story of Walker’s success is packed with life and leadership lessons.

An underprivileged background does not define you

Walker was born on a plantation where her parents were enslaved， and although she was free， her life was filled with struggle， turmoil and heartbreak. But if you believe， as Walker did， that your circumstances do not define your shine， you can go after your goals and dreams with determination and you can create a new path.

Believe in yourself and your product

The truth about business is that you will face uphill battles. Hearing things like “you won’t succeed” and feeling overwhelmed by the obstacles may feel too much at times. Your own black brothers and sisters may tell you that you won’t succeed because African Americans just don’t make it this far. But you cannot let the words and actions of others diminish your belief in yourself and your product.

Walker faced many critiques for her products， including the claim that encouraging straight hair for black women would internalize white standards of beauty. But Walker knew that her vision of using ingredients from African origins to empower black women to love their hair was a powerful goal. She didn’t lose faith in her company， her vision or herself.

Every endeavor makes you wiser

Walker worked as a laundrywoman， cook， lived with her brothers who worked as barbers， and learned sales from the Poro Company before selling her famous products.

She used these experiences to create her company， applying her skills in chemistry and sales experience. We can look at painful aspects of our past as hindrances or we can see them as assets. At every stage in our lives， there is always something to learn.

Don’t just build a business， build a brand

Walker didn’t just sell hair products; she sold a lifestyle. She created an entire brand around the idea that African American women should look good， feel good and encourage themselves to create a better life. Walker embodied her brand. She put herself on the labels and used her own photos in print ads. She positioned herself as a “hair culturalist” and empowered thousands of sales agents to look their best， feel their best and make a living empowering other women to do the same.

Leverage the love

One of the ways Walker stood out was the way she pioneered the franchising model. She was a brilliant salesperson by turning customers into brand ambassadors. Walker not only sold women her products but she also leveraged the lifestyle and dream of being a part of her brand. She trained women on the “Walker Method” and gave cash incentives to agents who did well in sales and embodied the brand.

Make room at the table

As an advocate of black women’s economic independence， Walker opened training programs in the “Walker System” for her national network of licensed sales agents. She paid healthy commissions and employed hundreds of black women in her company.

Our fortunes will not change if we don’t empower our tribe to also be successful.

Give back

Walker was a well-known philanthropist and we can all be inspired by her generosity. Having philanthropy as part of your mission statement means you are creating motivation and unity within your team.

Walker is a true inspiration and it is invaluable to look at incredible black women in history and find teachings from their lives and accomplishments.

一年一度的黑人歷史月（2月1日—3月1日）已然過去，而團購網站“高朋”和美國國家黑人商會委托開展的一項新研究發現：了解美國非裔在職場面臨的種種困境足足需要一年之久。

可悲的是，在受訪的黑人企業家中，有80%的人表示，由于種族原因，他們的公司在起步階段面臨更多挑戰;有85%的人聲稱，自己要比非黑人同行克服更多障礙;有59%的人反映，在創辦公司時遭遇過偏見或種族歧視。

所以我們更有理由（雖說已是3月）關注這位特許經營天才、慈善家兼美國首批非裔女性百萬富翁之一——沃克夫人。在她離世101年后的今天，我們仍舊可以從她身上獲益良多。

沃克原名薩拉·布里德洛夫，1867年出生于路易斯安那州的三角洲地區。沃克很小就成了孤兒。她做了十多年的洗衣工，以此養活年幼的女兒。一天，她低頭看著洗衣桶里的雙手，心想：如果我無法再用手搓洗衣服了，那靠什么養家糊口呢？

有了這一層思慮，再加上沃克發現自己的毛囊日漸稀疏，于是她開始銷售珀若公司的護發產品。沃克還做過廚師，由此學到了更多關于駐顏的化學良方，并最終開創了自己的美容產品業務。

沃克是位了不起的品牌締造者。她的企業和“沃克式”獨家頭發護理為成千上萬的美國非裔女性提供了就業機會，幫她們實現了經濟獨立。她的公司就針對性的產品策略培訓了約4萬名“沃克代理”。

沃克的成功故事蘊含著豐富的人生啟示和領導經驗。

出身卑微，亦有未來

沃克出生在一個種植園。她的父母是種植園的奴隸，盡管她是自由身，但她的生活處處是艱難、動蕩和辛酸。然而，如果你像沃克一樣相信周圍的環境并不能泯滅你的光芒，你可以堅定地追求自己的目標和夢想，開辟一條新的道路。

相信自己，相信產品

商業的真相是，你會面臨艱苦的戰斗。有時讓人難以承受的是聽到“你無法成功”等諸如此類的話，以及感到被困難壓倒。你的黑人兄弟姐妹可能會告訴你：你不會成功的，因為美國非裔根本走不了這么遠。但你切莫讓他人的言行削弱對自己和產品的信心。

沃克的產品遭到了許多批評，其中有人聲稱，鼓勵黑人女性留直發會內化白人審美標準。但沃克深知，自己的宏大愿景是用非洲的原料讓黑人女性愛上自己的頭發。對于公司、愿景和自身，她從未失去信心。

你越努力，就越聰慧

沃克做過洗衣婦，做過廚師，曾與理發師兄弟住在同一屋檐下。在銷售自己的知名產品之前，沃克還在珀若公司學過做銷售。

她利用這些經驗并結合自己在化學和銷售方面的技能，創建了自己的公司。誠然，我們可以把過去痛苦的遭遇視為障礙，但也可以將其視為財富。在生命的每個階段，總有東西需要學習。

開創事業，打造品牌

沃克不只是銷售護發產品，她經營的是一種生活方式。她創立了一個完整的品牌，所遵循的理念就是：美國非裔女性應該關注外表，心情愉悅，激勵自己為更好的生活而奮斗。沃克代表了自己的品牌。她將個人形象放到產品標簽上，在平面廣告中使用自己的照片。她將自己定位為“美發文化學家”，并幫助數千名銷售代理，打造最佳形象，保持最佳心情，讓其他女性具備同樣的能力，并以此謀生。

利用口碑，打造品牌

沃克的獨到之處在于她開創了特許經營模式。她是個出色的銷售人員，能將顧客轉變為品牌大使。沃克不僅向女性銷售她的產品，她還充分利用了人們“融入沃克品牌”的生活方式和夢想。她對女性進行“沃克式”培訓，并對銷售表現出色、展現該品牌精神的代理商給予現金獎勵。

招賢納士，共贏未來

作為黑人女性經濟獨立的倡導者，沃克為其全國特許銷售代理網絡開設了“沃克體系”的培訓課程。她支付豐厚的傭金，并在公司雇用了數百名黑人女性。

如果不幫助自己的族人一起成就事業，我們的命運就無法改寫。

熱心慈善，回饋社會

沃克是一位著名的慈善家，她為人慷慨，是我們的榜樣。將慈善事業作為使命宣言的一部分，能為團隊提供動力并促進團結。

沃克是真正的榜樣。回顧歷史上偉大的黑人女性，從她們的人生和成就中汲取經驗，這樣做極其重要。

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者）

1 franchising特許經營。

2 savant學者，專家。? 3 philanthropist慈善家。? 4 follicle毛囊。? 5 elixir靈丹妙藥，長生不老藥。? 6 phenomenal非凡的，杰出的。

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