The work done by thousands of brave men and women has given women a lot more autonomy over their lives than their ancestors ever experienced. Studies show that women now make up 41% of the workforce globally and that out of the 582 million entrepreneurs in the world, 252 million of them are women.

History of Women Entrepreneurs

It wasn’t until 1972 that women in the U.S. could run their own businesses. That year, there were over 400,000 women entrepreneurs. In 2022, over 13 million businesses have been founded and are run by women. It’s estimated that around 1,500 businesses get started by women every day in America. Today, 22.4% of all small business owners in the U.S. are women.

#1 Glossier

• Founder: Emily Weiss
• Industry: Cosmetics

Emily Weiss created Glossier, a unicorn company geared towards millennials that aligns with a fresh-face, effortless, and makeup-less aesthetic. Its success is in the genius of its clean ingredients and low price point.

#2 Canva

• Founder: Melanie Perkins
• Industry: Design Software

Canva is a design software company that is valued at over $40 million. The Australian company was launched in 2013. Canva allows users to easily create visually pleasing graphics like brochures, content posts, resumes, and even videos using its templates.

#3 The Honest Company

• Founder: Jessica Alba
• Industry: Consumer Goods/Wellness

Actress Jessica Alba decided to start The Honest Company because she couldn’t find safe products that her family could trust. She decided to create what she needed in the market. The Honest Company is transparent and also safe.

#4 Orangetheory Fitness

• Founder: Ellen Latham
• Industry: Fitness

Ellen Latham is an exercise physiologist who founded what would become Orangetheory Fitness in the late 90s. Its success comes from the community building, accessibility, and convenience. It is one of the largest gym chains internationally with over one million members. Orangetheory is based on the concept of EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption).

#5 Stitch Fix

• Founder: Katrina Lake
• Industry: Apparel

Stitch Fix is a personal styling service that makes personal stylists accessible and affordable for people who are looking to elevate their styles. Fashion can often feel daunting and finding clothing that you feel comfortable in and are stylish can feel like an impossible task. Stitch Fix uses real, human stylists to help users navigate and build their own style.

#6 MTM Inc.

• Founders: Lynn and Peg Griswold
• Industry: Medical

MTM Inc. is a non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) bookers company. MTM works with health plans, and government organizations, to organize transportation for patients. Its important services remove access barriers for many Americans. MTM schedules trips for over 13.6 million members each year and handles over eight million calls.

#7 ThirdLove

• Founder: Heidi Zak
• Industry: Apparel

Thirdlove is on a mission to help every woman wear the correct size bra. 80% of women wear the wrong size, which results in health problems. For this reason, thirdLove created half sizes, so every person can find the perfect fit.

#8 Panda Express

• Founder: Peggy Cherng
• Industry: Restaurant

Before she started Panda Express in 1983 in a mall in Glendale, California, Cherng worked as an engineering specialist coding the U.S Air Force battle simulators. Today, Panda Express has over 2,400 locations and is worth over $5.4 billion. She implemented the company’s analytics and sales software which was ahead of most restaurant companies.

#9 Planned Parenthood

• Founder: Margaret Sanger
• Industry: Medical

Planned Parenthood has been the largest non-governmental women’s health organization globally since 1948. Planned Parenthood provides many different services for little to no cost such as prenatal care, sexual education, infertility services, sexually transmitted disease treatments, cancer screenings, vaccinations, and abortions. They serve mostly rural and low-income populations and women who don’t have access to health insurance or birth control.

#10 Dipsea

• Founder: Faye Keegan, Gina Gutierrez
• Industry: Audio Entertainment

Dipsea was started by best friends Gina Guitierrez and Faye Keegan who partner with narrators and writers to create quality erotic audio entertainment. They noticed the gap in female-gaze-focused erotica and a lack of stories that highlighted the complexities of relationships, love, and intimacy. All of the stories on Dipsea are short format, safe, and ethical.

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