Young, Black, and Rich

From Women's Health Magazine - 

'Black Girl Sunscreen' Founder Shontay Lundy Became A Self-Made Millionaire By Taking Risks.  But she doesn’t do 7 a.m. meetings.

BY SHONTAY LUNDY, AS TOLD TO ALEXIS JONES

I'm Shontay Lundy, the founder of Black Girl Sunscreen, and I'm a millionaire—a title I never considered possible for myself.

I was born in the small town of Newburgh, New York. Today, it's one of those places that people from the city migrate to because you get more for your dollar. And it's undergoing gentrification. But when I was a kid in the 1980s, there was a lot of drug use and limited job opportunities in my hometown. If you were really doing something for yourself, you were taking the metro to Manhattan to work a better-paying 9-to-5.

I grew up having to work for whatever I wanted. I was raised part-time by my grandparents (my parents were both in the military). Eventually, I became the oldest of six kids, though the only child between the two of my parents. My mom and dad divorced and had children with their new spouses after they both came out of the service. Our age gaps span from a year and a half to 13 years.

Now, when I think about the meaning of leadership as a company founder, I realize this experience really groomed me from a young age to lead by example. I wasn't afraid to be the first or take risks.

I got my first real job running a paper route at 15 years old. I took pride in it. I'd get up at 4 a.m. every day and make sure the paper arrived at my customers' homes dry and secure. This job paid for things my parents or grandparents couldn't afford—like a landline for my room. But it wasn't part of my career goals.

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a33758806/millionaire-shontay-lundy-black-girl-sunscreen/