These doors would open, and I said, 'Why can't I go through them?'. "And I decided I was going to go through every door that came my way." - Sheila Crump Johnson

I don't know when I'm going to feel totally comfortable with saying, Yes, I'm successful," she says. "Every day I wake up and say, Okay, we've got to learn to take a risk here and take a risk there. Because I also understand I could lose it all tomorrow. It's in learning to be vulnerable and true to yourself and really make sure that you're safe in your space that you can continue to grow your company.

Every time I drive to the Virginia hotel, I'm like, 'I can't believe I built this.' I'm very proud of myself, but to see faces of color coming through the door is really terrific. I want to go out of my way to meet as many guests as possible, because I want them to also feel a sense of ownership here.

I am creating content programming that is really separating us from all the other companies out there, and this is key,” she says. “I can create my own playground through the hospitality business. It’s not just putting heads in beds, but bringing heads to beds for a purpose. That experience is what Salamander is all about.”