When Doors Shut, Black Entrepreneurs Must Build Their Own & Walk Through!

The road for the Black person has never been easy in America. The path has never been straight, but instead, full of detours and longer routes. No matter the route, however, Black entrepreneurs must know that they should never quit, and there are several reasons why, some of which can been proven in the life and career of Percy Lavon Julian.

Percy Lavon Julian was the founder of Julian Laboratories and without him, the proper synthesis of natural drugs to treat glaucoma would not be here today. As a matter of fact, if he would have stopped when doors shut in his face, he would have never succeeded at anything.

Here is what his life teaches all Black entrepreneurs:

Doors Shut. So What. That’s The Wrong Door.

Percy was denied professorships because at the time, white people didn’t want to be taught by Black people, no matter how intelligent. Percy L. Julian was valedictorian and inventor. To them, he wasn’t good enough.

Percy L. Julian didn’t stop. He loved science and continued developing new and better things until he was able to synthesize human hormones from plants. This became a phenomenon, and guess who missed out? Everyone who closed the door in his face. It was Percy Julian’s blessing that they did.

When doors shut on you as a Black Entrepreneur, keep going because the delivery of your creation is meant for you. God knows who he wants to touch it and how He will bless you with it. Keep pushing.

Build Your Own Door & Walk Though It

The doors that shut in your face were too narrow for you or either the wrong shape. The hinges were probably broken and what was on the other side of the door may have been a hole and not a prize.

Therefore, when doors shut in your face, build your own because you are the one who knows exactly what’s on the other side. Success!

Percy Julian had a vision. He saw the other side when others didn’t. He knew how to get there and did it because he decided to build his own door.

Fight Through the Inevitable Tough Times

There will be some super tough times as a Black entrepreneur. Push through the tough times and do what you have to do in order to reach your goals.

There was a time when Percy Julian had nowhere to live and had to live in an attic because of the color of his skin because the college didn’t want Black people to live in the dorms. Hard times came and he had to trade work for shelter, but he graduated valedictorian.

Don’t let tough times swallow your dreams. Push through.

Read the full story of Percy Lavon Julian here.