16. Madam C. J. Walker became a business tycoon in the late 19th century
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the first American woman to become a self-made millionaire was Sarah Breedlove, who called herself Madam C. J. Walker. Sarah married a salesman named Charles Joseph Walker (her third marriage). Madam C. J. Walker derived from his name. Her fortune began with the door-to-door sales of hair and beauty products of her own creation, marketed toward Blacks. By the time of her marriage in 1906, the business had expanded into mail order, with Walker’s daughter from a previous marriage in charge of the operations in Denver. Madam and her husband relocated the business to Pittsburgh, and later to Indianapolis.
Walker employed sales staff in communities around the country, and provided training in sales at her Indianapolis headquarters. They marketed the products both directly to consumers and to hair salons. She also created training schools for hairstylists. Eventually, the company claimed in its marketing materials to have trained over 20,000 women. Walker also actively trained women in how to start and expand their own businesses, usually hair and beauty salons, further expanding the market for her products. The Walker Company continued to exist until 1981. Under her guidance, it was one of the first consumer businesses to practice multi-tiered marketing, and it created a personal fortune for her of over $1.5 million.