Culled from the Facebook Page of Immanuela Nwaigwe
Last night I watched a powerful movie called “Self Made”, the story of Madam CJ Walker, the first African American female millionaire.
I learned the art of marketing, storytelling, believing in your dreams, preserving your brand secrets, etc.
I learned that People won’t give you a platform. You have to create your own platform.
Madame CJ Walker wanted to create her own hair product brand, but the person who was there before her didn’t think she was good enough to market a beauty product.
She had to take the bull by the horns.
She didn’t start by selling the product, she started by telling her story and testimony.
People buy stories and testimonies.
They buy experiences not products.
So before you sell something, make sure it has worked for you.
She created a brand from her painful experience, losing her hair because of stress of working as a plantation worker and washerwoman, and rejected by her first husband.
Then she used a hair Wonder that made her hair grow back, she regained her confidence and beauty, so she wanted other women to experience what she experienced.
This was her brand story.
You can’t teach what you’ve not experienced. It makes marketing hard.
I also discovered that the issue of men not wanting their women to earn more money didn’t start today.
At a time, she needed an investment endorsement from the famous Booker T Washington, but she was denied.
Booker T told her plainly, that they didn’t need women making more money than the men.
Another lesson is this.
Who you marry matters. She later married CJ, a nice supportive man.
But Madam CJ Walker was too bossy for my liking, ordering the man around like a houseboy.
She was too busy with growing her brand that she never gave time to be with her man.
Many times the man wanted them to just relax and have fun but her business was all she thought of.
Another lady, one of the workers was already noticing that the man was lonely and neglected, she began to seduce him, and because there was a huge gap already, succeeded in sleeping with him.
Madame CJ also made it very clear that it was My company, my brand, my business, even though the husband worked with her day and night.
At least, giving the man a sense of ownership wouldn’t have hurt.
This made the man feel resentful.
Another thing that struck me is “watching your back”
Madam CJ’s son in law that worked with them later became an enemy within, and sold out their business secrets to the competitor.
My take: When working with family and friends or any one you feel you trust, be careful.
As a brand owner, always watch your back.
Don’t be too relaxed, it’s the house rat that tells the street rat that there’s meat in the house.
Finally, If you don’t carry your brand on your head, no one will.
Take care of your man, don’t neglect him as you build your business, if he messes up still, that’s on him.
People will betray you, it’s up to you to have tough skin.
Have legal backup. Protect your brand name and identity.
Protect your ideas and brand secrets from whosever.
No dream is too big to dream for your brand.
Knock on doors till you get what you want.
Don’t stop asking.
Social capital is an asset. Madam CJ Walker got most of her biggest helps from people that matter.
She built her factory after her kitchen factory got burnt with the money raised by a society of rich women.
You need people.
You need Confidence
And you need God.
©️Immanuela Nwaigwe
Women Development Coach
I help women build 7 figure online brands from scratch.
