Lois Hines cofounded Tropic Isle Living 25 years ago to make beauty products using Jamaican black castor oil. Her staying power — even through profound loss — comes from deep ties to her heritage, she says.
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We've interviewed hundreds of successful women entrepreneurs about their small business journeys and what they learned along the way. Read the stories of inspiring startup founders, mid-stage strivers and established business leaders. Learn from the experiences of women business owners of every age working in every industry, from around the world. Discover the many paths women are taking to build great companies, break through barriers and cultivate economic and social good. Get ready! These everyday role models may well inspire you to start your own business, or give you killer ideas for growing the one you have. You may even feel inspired to share your startup story with us.
A Puerto Rican Founder Relies on Grit to Build a Successful Startup
Today, Julixa Newman runs a growing company, Stuff 4 Multiples, that caters to parents of twins and triplets. But first she had to overcome poverty, homelessness and fertility struggles.
The Sweet Success Story Of A Lawyer Turned Chocolatier
Maggie Callahan built Maggie Louise Confections into a million-dollar venture by offering Instagram-ready custom chocolates that can survive cross-country shipping.
This Designer Couldn’t Find Cute Shipping Boxes. Now Her Startup Makes Them.
Miriam Brafman, the founder of Packlane, saw a huge potential market for customized shipping boxes. Now, her young company provides them to 11,000 brands big and small, and pulls in annual sales exceeding $5 million.
This Young Female Entrepreneur Aims to Modernize – and Personalize – U.K. Real Estate
Gemma Young, cofounder of real estate website Settled, wants to give people a new – and less stressful – way to buy and sell their homes.
This Former Military Officer Is Teaching Young Girls to Be Confident
Girl Smarts founder Dianna Flett hopes her leadership workshop series will empower elementary school girls.
Two Women Tech Investors to Raise $30 Million Robotics Fund
Jennifer Gill Roberts and Kelly Coyne, who are combining forces as Grit Labs, want to invest in promising robotics and artificial intelligence startups — and to save us from a future of sexist robots.
How an Accidental Entrepreneur Created a $30 Million Online Business
Jane Lu, founder of Australian online fashion boutique Showpo, used internet smarts to grow a far-reaching, profitable brand. Now she’s paying her success forward through an irreverent, global network for women business owners: Like Minded Bitches Drinking Wine.
Medical Women: Sophia Yen is on a Mission to Bring Birth Control to the Masses
Through her company, Pandia Health, this doctor aims to improve birth control access with an online portal that makes it easier than ever for women to get prescriptions and pills.
Medical Women: Marje Isabelle Aims to Guide Women Through Fertility, Menopause
A harrowing patient experience inspired this woman to launch two startups, Fertile Matters and Intelligent Hormones, in a bid to help other women navigate two key stages of life with improved hormone monitoring.
Medical Women: Anitha Rao is Personalizing Dementia Care
The cofounder of Neurocern, a dementia-treatment software company, says access to customized resources is crucial for patients and caretakers, most of whom are women.
Medical Women: Michelle Dipp Cares for Women, as an Entrepreneur and Investor
As an investor in medical ventures and founder of a fertility company, Michelle Dipp sees the world of medical startups from multiple perspectives. Her assessment? More women across the industry would aid innovation.
In the Business of Women’s Health
The absence of women in medical studies, both as subjects and researchers, has serious repercussions for female patients. But a growing number of women doctors and business owners are stepping up to solve these problems.
A Shared Sweet Tooth Leads Two Female Founders from Stage Lights to Sidewalk Tours
Allyson Tolbert and Sarah R. Morgan met as actresses and bonded as foodies. Now, as cofounders of Sugartooth Tours, they’re showing tourists and locals the sweeter side of New York City.
A Female Pilot Soars as a Niche Entrepreneur
Chelsea Abingdon Welch is the female founder of The Abingdon Co., which makes high-end watches for women in male-dominated pursuits like flight and diving who are tired of settling for “a pink or small version of men’s stuff.”