My first two posts about Sheila Johnson’s autobiography (here and here) didn’t do her journey justice. After entrepreneurs achieve success or wealth, they often struggle less. Not Sheila Johnson, to my surprise:
Age 0 to 21
- Moved thirteen times as a child.
- Her mother had a nervous breakdown and struggled financially when her father left.
- Kicked out of the University of Illinois orchestra and lost her scholarship because she pursued cheerleading.
Age 22 to 50
- Struggled with infertility for years.
- Newborn son died one hour after birth.
- Sister-in-law embezzled from BET.
- Learned of husband’s affair with an early BET employee when served with a lawsuit.
- BET’s CFO embezzled $2 million.
- Husband had an affair with a BET executive.
- Fired from BET after questioning husband’s affair.
- Relocated from DC to Middleburg, Virginia, to escape public humiliation.
- Divorced.
Age 51 to 75 (today)
- Two years of depression after selling BET.
- Thrown from a horse and nearly killed when the horse stomped on her chest, narrowly missing her heart.
- Received death threats and verbal attacks for years from Middleburg residents opposed to her planned resort.
- Denied bank funding for resort projects; forced to personally fund them.
- Global financial crisis forced a two-year construction pause on resorts.
- Endured nightmares and panic attacks for years.
The above list isn’t comprehensive, but you get the idea. What stood out to me was what she still managed to accomplish:
Age 0 to 21
- First-chair violinist for Illinois All-State Orchestra.
- University of Illinois’s first Black cheerleader.
- Graduated from the University of Illinois.
Age 22 to 50
- Started a youth orchestra, which performed internationally.
- Started a full-time private music instruction business, which operated for seventeen years.
- Landed acting roles for extra income.
- Flipped a home with money made from acting.
- Wrote music textbooks for income.
- Traveled internationally with the University of Illinois String Research Project.
- Adopted two children.
- Cofounded BET.
- Helped launch and raise funding for the National Music Conservatory in Jordan.
- Became full-time executive vice president of corporate affairs to help prepare BET for an IPO.
- Launched and raised funding for BET’s Teen Summit, an Emmy-nominated show.
- Completed successful BET IPO in 1991 at roughly $500 million valuation.
- Sold BET to Viacom in 2000 for $2.3 billion in stock.
Age 51 to 75 (today)
- Founded Salamander Hospitality.
- Opened a French-style café in Middleburg in 2004.
- Won a multiyear battle with Middleburg city council in 2005 to build resort on 340 acres purchased years earlier.
- Remarried in 2005.
- Purchased ownership in an NBA team, NHL team, and WNBA team in 2005.
- Acquired resort in Summerville, South Carolina, in 2006, renovated the property, and sold it in 2010.
- Acquired resort and golf club in Palm Harbor, Florida, in 2007 and renovated the property.
- Opened Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg in 2013.
- Launched Middleburg Film Festival in 2013.
- Built or renovated properties in Jamaica, Colorado, and DC.
Sheila’s life has been full of personal and professional struggles. Her ability to march forward is amazing. No matter what happened in her life, she gained wisdom and kept moving forward.
Struggle is inevitable for entrepreneurs. Johnson’s story demonstrates the importance of not being paralyzed by circumstances and what’s possible when you focus on moving forward.
You can listen to audio versions of my blog posts on Apple here and Spotify here.