She carried laundry on her head at 11. She died running a bank that helped 645 Black families pay off their homes. Welcome to Day 6 of DELETED FROM HISTORY: 28 Black women millionaires they prayed you’d never discover… Maggie Lena Walker was born in 1864 in Richmond, Virginia — the former capital of the Confederacy. Her stepfather was murdered. Her mother washed clothes to survive. Maggie delivered those clothes through white neighborhoods with a basket on her head. No trust fund. No connections. Just towels and tips. At 14 she joined a Black mutual aid society called the Independent Order of St. Luke. By 1899 she was elected its leader. The organization had 1,080 members. $31.61 in the treasury. $400 in debt. Most people would’ve shut it down. Maggie said: “Let us put our money together and reap the benefit ourselves.” Then she built a conglomerate. A newspaper to control the narrative. A bank to build Black wealth. A department store to employ Black women. She built it all within four years. In 1903 she became the first woman in U.S. history to charter and run a bank. Her growth strategy was genius. She gave children cardboard penny boxes. Told them to fill them at home. When they hit $1 they could open an account. By the mid-1920s membership passed 100,000 across 20+ states. Deposits reached roughly half a million dollars (about $7-8M today). That bank ran for 102 years — the longest-running Black-owned bank in U.S. history. In 1928 diabetes paralyzed her legs. She installed an elevator in her house. Customized a wheelchair with a rolling desk. Modified her car so she could still get to the office. She kept running her ecosystem until the day she died. Here’s the Penny Savings Method™ I want you to steal: Start with what you have. That small community. That “not big enough” list. Stop treating it like scraps. Start treating it like a base. Build businesses that employ who you serve. Maggie didn’t just serve Black women. She hired them. As your revenue grows — who from your community goes on payroll?

Today, my husband and I took off in the middle of the day—not because something went wrong at work… but because something was beautifully right at home. It was our daughter’s birthday. We have a lot to do to get ready for the Chicago tour this week. A lot of logistics, prep, emails, and moving pieces to handle. But we still cleared our schedules. We cooked her breakfast together. Dropped her off at school—together. Then returned later with a white box of cupcakes… and a real-life princess we hired to lead activities with her and her classmates. Her face lit up the moment she saw us. That joy? It reminded me exactly why we do what we do. After school, we picked her up—side by side—and now we’re chasing her around an indoor playground, soaking up every moment. Because no matter how full our plates are, we will always make room for what matters most. We didn’t build this business to get lost in it. We built it to have the freedom to show up fully—especially for our family. Cupcakes, cartwheels, and quality time… all because we own our time. Here’s something I’ve learned over the years; Always remember: your values should lead your vision. And your family should never have to fight your business for first place.