Background Madam C.J. Walker was an entrepreneur given the title of “the nation’s first woman self-made millionaire”, due to her successful line of hair care products. She was born Sarah Breedlove on December 23, 1867 (Bundles 2016).
Walker’s early life endured countless obstacles before her business achievements. Her parents were sharecroppers on a cotton plantation in Delta, Louisiana, and like many children at the time, she began working in the cotton fields at a young age.
By the time Walker reached her late 30s, her hair began to fall out in large amounts, due to a combination of stress and years of using unruly hair-care products. However, she was not the only one facing hair issues, as many black women displayed the same concerns.
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They were trained to use the “Walker System”, a method of grooming that was implemented to aid in promoting hair growth and to condition the scalp through the use of her products. This was a leap that would allow her company to grow swiftly. In turn, this enabled her to expand east of the United States in 1908 where she founded a business office in Pittsburgh, and then a manufacturing plant in Indianapolis that would soon employ more than 3500 people. In addition, Walker opened a hair salon, a beauty school to train sales agents, and a laboratory to support with research. It was evident that Walker was actively integrating the requirements of the Timmons Model- she had an opportunity, a team, and resources. Madam C.J. Walker’s innovative line of beauty products not only allowed her to make a significant profit, nonetheless led to thousands of black women to go into business for themselves (Menzel …show more content…
In March 2016, the Sundial Brands launched a new line called Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture that is exclusively sold in Sephora stores and online. The new line includes key ingredients that date back to when Walker was managing the business, however, modifications have been made due to the unavailability of certain ingredients today. The innovative merchandises of the newly-launched collection contain two beauty breakthroughs: the dual encapsulation oil technology and natural silicone alternative. The dual encapsulation oil technology “infuses hair with two natural oils- one reparative, the other style-enhancing, delivering nourishment where hair needs it”. The natural silicone alternative, “Brassica seed Oil’s excellent antioxidant profile results in a natural shine, smoothness and silky softness without the potential for buildup”. Furthermore, the line includes 25 SKU, including a Jamaican black castor and Murumuru Collection, coconut and Moringa oils collection, and a brassica and Shea oils collection (Sundial Brands