Lesson 26: Time

You can accomplish anything with time. “You know what they used to call me? One chocolate drop in the box, because I was the only Black woman welder. The other women there would do the cleaning and the cooking, but I wanted to do something besides clean and cook, so I was a welder.” Eugenia Powell Deas was the only Black woman welder at the Charleston Naval Shipyard in South Carolina during World War II. Eugenia knew her time was valuable and she used it to break barriers over 75 years ago.

Black women have been breaking barriers to support themselves, and in the case of Eugenia, the country for generations. The years she worked as a welder also allowed her to send all of her to kids to college who wanted to go. Her story stands as an example of what you accomplish when you dedicate your time to a craft.

Today, more Black women are becoming welders, like Pa’Trice Frazier. She is a Master TIG Welder and launched the Weld Jointed Academy in Philadelphia in 2020. Like Eugenia, she is making an impact in her community as she prepares her students for careers in welding. As one of the few Black female master welders in the country, she inspires more Black women to pick up the craft. She first began welding in 2010, and today her academy serves as a testament to what you accomplish with time.

My vision is to leverage my influence as a Black business leader to pursue economic justice. How can I pursue economic justice if I do not address the wage gap for gender and race? According to the Pew Research Center, “In 2022, Black women earned 70% as much as White men and Hispanic women earned only 65% as much.” Acquiring a trade school and growing the number of Black women walking the halls brings this vision closer to reality as they graduate with gainful employment. This will not happen overnight but I must put in the time as Pa’Trice did and as Eugenia did before her. 

Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition is unlike any other career option for an MBA student. We take the unguided path toward finding a good business and becoming first-time CEO’s. I only have two years to make this happen. Like these Black women, my time is valuable because I cannot get back a single day that is behind me and today needs to be filled with purpose. When you think about it: if I knew that success was certain tomorrow, I would have no problem working today.

Time is Lesson 26. Next week, I will share Lesson 27: Creativity.