Invest in yourself and your community.

February 21, 2018 4 min read

It's not very often that an entrepreneur's influence can still be felt for more than a century, but that is the case for Madam C.J. Walker.

Walker, born Sarah Breedlove in 1867 in Louisiana, is remembered today as the first black self-made female millionaire in the United States, amassing her fortune thanks to her groundbreaking haircare products for women of color and finely honed marketing skills.

Related: They're Doing It: Awe-Inspiring African American Female Entrepreneurs

In addition to being a determined businesswoman, Walker was an activist and philanthropist, using her success as a platform to help her community. Today, her legacy lives on. In 2016, Sundial Brands launched the Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture product line with Sephora.

Not only that, but the company had some particular personal insight into the woman who inspired the collection -- acclaimed writer and Walker's great, great granddaughter A'Lelia Bundles is on board as the product line's advisor and official historian.

Read on for six lessons from Madam C.J. Walker.