Most people know Madam C. J. Walker. This episode spotlights the mentor and architect behind Walker's framework: Annie Malone.

You’ll hear how she built the Poro Company into more than products—training, schools, agents, and infrastructure that scaled opportunity for thousands of Black women.

If you care about Black business trailblazers, real entrepreneurship, and building business systems that last, this is your blueprint.

Mission Fuel In This Episode:

“Success leaves clues”, and Annie Malone left a trail of them.

We cover:

• Who Annie Malone was (and why she’s often overlooked)
• Poro College and the power of infrastructure
• The mentor connection to Madam C. J. Walker
• The real lesson: spotlight is optional, systems are required

Key Takeaways

• Why infrastructure beats attention when you’re building long-term wealth
• How Annie Malone scaled through training, distribution, and a repeatable agent model
• The behind-the-scenes link between Annie Malone and Madam C. J. Walker’s early career
• What modern creators and founders can copy from a system-first strategy
• A reminder: you don’t have to be the face to be the foundation

Listener Question (Call to Action)

What “infrastructure” are you building right now—distribution, training, community, or operations?

Drop your answer in the comments/reviews or tag us with your takeaway.

Next in the Series

This is part of our 28-Day Black History Month business trailblazer series.
Next up: John H. Johnson and the power of media as a system.

Links & Resources

• Subscribe to the series: https://www.youtube.com/@IAmBlackSuccess
• Newsletter / updates: https://www.IAmBlackSuccess.com
• Connected to Stephen A. Hart on LinkedIn? https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamstephenahart

Keywords: Annie Malone, Black business trailblazer, Poro Company, Black beauty industry, business systems, Poro College, Madam C. J. Walker, entrepreneurship, infrastructure, agent model, Black History Month, Black entrepreneurs

About I Am Black Success®
I Am Black Success® is a podcast featuring conversations with trailblazing Black leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers. With 200+ episodes, the show documents Black stories and explores the strategies, lessons, and tools that fuel excellence, leadership, and legacy.

Stay connected:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
Watch full episodes on YouTube
Learn more at iamblacksuccess.com

Madam C.J. Walker didn’t complain—she built ownership.

In this 10-year anniversary kickoff episode (Feb 1, 2026), Stephen A. Hart launches “28 Days of Black Trailblazers” by breaking down the Madam C.J. Walker story as a real-world entrepreneurship playbook—not a highlight reel. You’ll hear how she turned a personal problem into a product, built a distribution system through the Walker Agents, and proved why ownership and distribution create leverage that outlives attention.

Primary keywords woven in: Madam C.J. Walker, Black trailblazers, Black entrepreneurship.

Chapters

• Introduction: 10 years of the podcast + the 28-day challenge
• The Pivot: from problem to product mindset
• Building the System: branding, the Walker System, and distribution
• Ownership Creates Options: the real lesson behind the legacy
• Next Up: Annie Malone and who history forgets

Key Takeaways

• Why “becoming a student” comes before “becoming the brand”
• How systems (products + training + distribution) outperform motivation
• What “ownership creates options” looks like in practice
• The difference between visibility (attention) and ownership (leverage)
• How wealth becomes impact when it’s reinvested into community

If this episode reframed how you think about business, drop a comment with one system you need to build (product, distribution, training, or reinvestment).
Subscribe/follow for daily episodes in the 28 Days of Black Trailblazers series—and come back tomorrow for Annie Malone.

Links:

• Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IAmBlackSuccess
• Learn more about the show: https://iamblacksuccess.com
• More about Stephen A. Hart: https://stephenahart.com
• Improve your brand today: https://bluoakmarketing.com

#MadamCJWalker #BlackEntrepreneurship #BlackHistoryMonth #EntrepreneurshipPlaybook

About I Am Black Success®
I Am Black Success® is a podcast featuring conversations with trailblazing Black leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers. With 200+ episodes, the show documents Black stories and explores the strategies, lessons, and tools that fuel excellence, leadership, and legacy.

Stay connected:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
Watch full episodes on YouTube
Learn more at iamblacksuccess.com

When you’re one of the few, or the only Black man in the room, leadership comes with a unique mix of visibility and isolation. Every achievement is on display. Every mistake is magnified. And the pressure to be “twice as good” can feel relentless.

In this special episode, our host Stephen A. Hart sits down with Alfred Edmond Jr., Senior VP & Executive Editor-at-Large at Black Enterprise, to talk about the realities behind the title, how to handle hyper-visibility, combat the loneliness of leadership, and turn scrutiny into an advantage.

Whether you’re already in the C-suite or working your way up, Alfred shares insights from decades of leadership and storytelling that will help you navigate the spotlight with confidence, build the right peer network, and create lasting impact.

This conversation also spotlights the upcoming BE XCEL Summit, where Black men in leadership come together to connect, learn, and grow. If you’ve ever felt alone at the top, this is the community you’ve been waiting for.

Learn more about the Summit:

https://www.blackenterprise.com/xcel-summit-for-men-2025/

Use Coupon Code: ALFRED for a $100 discount.

Subscribe to our YouTube to watch the full episode of this conversation on video:

https://www.youtube.com/@BlackSuccessPod

#IAmBlackSuccess #BlackMen #BlackLeaders #BlackEntrepreneurs

About I Am Black Success®
I Am Black Success® is a podcast featuring conversations with trailblazing Black leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers. With 200+ episodes, the show documents Black stories and explores the strategies, lessons, and tools that fuel excellence, leadership, and legacy.

Stay connected:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
Watch full episodes on YouTube
Learn more at iamblacksuccess.com