First African-American woman to pursue billion-dollar company: 'Never compromise who you are personally'

Janice Bryant Howroyd has gone from having $900 when she left her North Caroline home in 1976 to a billion-dollar company.

In an interview during NBC's TODAY show, Howroyd offered some tips for success: make sure you're prepared, understand what the goal is, understand that all of those around are part of that success, and always be grateful along the journey.

Howroyd launched her business in 1978. She is the founder of Act1 Group, which is now a multi-billion-dollar firm that is involved in over 75 cities around the world.

Her goal was to help others find employment. With Howroyd's determination, Act1 is now the largest woman-minority owned employment agency in the nation.

"I never imagined this,'' Howroyd said in the interview. "I always imagined success though. You see the evolution in technology, you see the transparency that the world offers, but the fundamental things that we built the business from have stayed the same, and I really think that's more the secret to the success."

Howroyd explain that family, especially her parents had a major role in her success.

"I have a very pleasant, very happy memory of my childhood, but that's more because of who my parents were,'' she said. "Our parents were so nurturing, and the community was so nurturing that we worked more toward the potential and the possibility, than we did the threat, or the denial of opportunities."

Living in North Caroline in the 70's was a struggle for Howroyd. "I'd love to sit here and sound pretty about it, and I'm not pulling out the violin strings for folks to cry about how I grew up,'' she continued.

"The reality of it though, is that it was harsh, it was ugly, and it should never have been that way. My mother used to always tell us, 'In order to be outstanding, sometimes you're just gonna have to stand out,' so I grew from that root of really working forward, not being held back," Howroyd added.

But Howroyd is not stopping now. "I feel in some ways, newer and fresher than I did back when I first started my company,'' Howroyd stated. "I believe that's because the more you learn, the more you want to know."

She offered a valuable piece of advice. "Never compromise who you are personally to become who you wish to be professionally,'' she said. As for work, "'Discipline' ain't a dirty word."

Video via TODAY