4. She Became Her Mentor’s Biggest Competitor
Madam C. J. Walker began her career in the haircare industry working for fellow Black female entrepreneur Anna Turnbo Malone. Malone sold numerous hair care products including hair growers, non-damaging straighteners, and more door-to-door. Walker began working for Malone as a salesperson in Denver, Colorado in 1905. After a disagreement over unknown issues, Walker left Malone’s company and started selling competing products in a similar door-to-door fashion.
Walker’s first product was the Wonderful Hair Grower, which shared a name with Malone’s Wonderful Hair Grower. This similarity led Malone to copyright the name of her future products. She trademarked her products under the name Poro, a combination of her and her sister’s married names at the time. Walker and Malone were directly competing for the same demographic: Black women. Before these businesses started, many women turned to unsafe home remedies like flammable animal fats to condition and straighten their hair.
While Malone continued to be successful, opening a beauty college and engaging in extensive charity work, her business was weakened by a 1920 divorce that saw a considerable portion of her wealth given to her ex-husband. Malone was a multi-millionaire for a period of time, but Walker was ultimately far more successful regarding the profit, scope, and longevity of her business.