“You’ve got to be an optimist in this economy,” said Sheila Johnson, owner of Salamander Inn & Spa, which is under construction in Middleburg.

Johnson, who is also the founder of Black Entertainment Television and president of the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, spoke of the lessons she’s learned as a businesswoman in front of a crowd of 200 at the National Conference Center in Lansdowne March 4.

“Business is very competitive,” she said. “It’s a tough world out there.”

As the Washington Mystics president, Johnson said she learned boldness in crisis and to be brave enough to go after her dreams. She said she was on a steep learning curve while reinventing the team: Figuring out how to create a culture of accountability, long-term commitment in the basketball players and franchise employees. As a result, the Mystics were the youngest team to reach the playoffs.

In Loudoun, Johnson is most known for her resort, Salamander Inn & Spa. Construction on the inn was scheduled to begin in fall 2006 on a 341-acre tract of land Johnson purchased on the outskirts of Middleburg – the former Averill Harriman estate at Snake Hill. But numerous setbacks, including a six-year wait for approval from local jurisdictions, pushed back the resort’s opening, she said. Now, Salamander is scheduled to open in early 2012.

The snags to the construction timeline and disapproval from some Loudoun residents – Johnson said she received hate mail and death threats – taught her perseverance and resilience, she said.

“Salamanders can walk through fire,” she said. “When times get tough, salamanders stay resilient.”

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Keynote speaker and Salamander Inn & Spa owner Shelia Johnson, left, is joined by Joan Braitch and Caroline Alexander of Healthy Muse Inc.

Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce President Tony Howard thanks Shelia Johnson for speaking at the Chamber’s luncheon. Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Raymond Thompson