Women have been paving the path for entrepreneurs in every industry for many decades. From Estée Lauder, who launched her cosmetics company in the 1940s, to Ruth Fertel, who aspired to have the best steak restaurant when she opened Ruth’s Chris Steak House in 1965, women entrepreneurs have been able to withstand economic and business pressures to be the best.
Today, the list of women entrepreneurs spans many industries. Below is a list of 10 of the most successful women entrepreneurs who have made a significant mark in different industries in recent decades. This list is in no particular order and by no means exhaustive, but it strives to recognize women who have built a world-renowned brand through their own hard work and strong drive.
Key Takeaways
- Most entrepreneurs and executives still tend to be men, but more and more women are becoming business leaders and innovators.
- While there are a handful of woman founders from the past, such as Estée Lauder, the last few decades have marked a great upsurge in self-made women in business.
- Women entrepreneurs are historically most known for running fashion houses or cosmetic companies, but more recently, many have made their mark in other industries, such as real estate and biopharma.
Real Estate
Zhang Xin
Zhang Xin is co-founder of SOHO China, a real estate development firm in China that went public in 2007. Known as “the woman who built Beijing,” she was a factory worker before graduating from Cambridge University with a master’s degree in economic development. Zhang worked for Goldman Sachs before launching her company; she has since amassed a $1.1 billion fortune.
Biotechnology
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is the founder of Biocon, a global biopharmaceutical company. She began Biocon out of a rented shed and grew it into India’s largest listed biopharma firm in terms of revenue. Biocon went public in 2004 and became the second Indian company to reach $1 billion on its first trading day. Mazumdar-Shaw has a net worth of $2.6 billion, as of February 2024.
Workforce Management
Janice Bryant Howroyd
Janice Bryant Howroyd is the founder and CEO of ActOne Group, the first Black female-led company to bring in more than $1 billion in annual revenue. ActOne is a Los Angeles-based employment agency and consultancy with more than 17,000 clients in 33 countries. Like many of her counterparts on this list, Howroyd started from very humble beginnings, launching her company with just $1,500 in 1978. She is included in Forbes’ America’s Richest Self-Made Women for 2023.
Entertainment and Media
Oprah Winfrey
Media mogul Oprah Winfrey has built a large media empire throughout her career. Winfrey, a TV personality turned entrepreneur, co-founded Oxygen Media in 2000. She continued hosting her talk show until 2011, subsequently creating OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, which she leads as CEO. In 2015, Winfrey bought an equity stake in Weight Watchers International and was a spokeswoman for the popular subscription weight loss program; she stepped down from the board of Weight Watchers in February 2024. Winfrey has a net worth of $2.8 billion as of February 2024, according to Forbes.
Beyoncé Knowles
The singer-songwriter, who began her career in the mid-1990s as a member of Destiny’s Child, has since become a top-selling solo artist. Beyoncé signed a $50 million endorsem*nt deal with PepsiCo in 2012. In 2010, she founded Parkwood Entertainment, a management, production, entertainment company and record label. In 2019, she landed a three-project contract with Netflix worth $60 million. Her net worth as of February 2024 is $800 million, according to Forbes.
Arianna Huffington
Arianna Huffington launched the news website The Huffington Post in 2005. She sold it to AOL in 2011 but continued to guide it and grow the Huffington brand overseas. In that same year, Time Magazine included her in its list of the world’s 100 most influential people. In 2016, she stepped down from The Huffington Post to launch health and wellness startup Thrive Global, which she leads as CEO. Huffington has also authored 15 books.
In the U.S., businesses owned by women are growing at more than double the rate of all other firms; women-owned businesses contribute nearly $3 trillion to the economy and are directly responsible for 23 million jobs, according to the World Bank.
Fashion and Beauty
Tory Burch
Founder of her namesake company, Tory Burch launched the U.S.-based clothing and fashion line in 2004. She was included in Forbes’ 50 Over 50 (Lifestyle) in 2022 and America's Self-Made Women list in 2023. Burch is also a philanthropist who launched the Tory Burch Foundation to support women entrepreneurs.
Sara Blakely
The inventor of Spanx undergarments for women and men, Blakely started with only $5,000 of her own money, an idea, and pure drive. Today, the brand is sold in more than 50 countries. Like Tory Burch, Blakely also has a foundation to help women worldwide. To support women entrepreneurs during the 2020 economic crisis, she teamed up with GlobalGiving to launch the Red Backpack Fund, which awarded more than a thousand $5,000 awards to women business owners.
Katie Rodan and Kathy Fields
The co-founders of skincare and multilevel marketing company Rodan + Fields felt so strongly about eradicating acne for all ages that they joined together to develop their flagship product, Proactiv, in 1995. The makers have since taken the dermatologic knowledge that helped them conquer the acne market to the anti-aging skincare market. Kathy Fields has a net worth of $460 million and Katie Rodan has a net worth of $410 million; each woman is included in Forbes’ 2022 America’s Richest Self-Made Women list.
Rihanna
Just 36 years old, Rihanna is the youngest woman on this list. The superstar singer has made most of her $1.4 billion fortune from Fenty Beauty, a cosmetics line she co-owns with luxury goods group LVMH. She also co-owns Savage X Fenty, a lingerie line, with investors. Her foundation, the Clara Lionel Foundation, raised $47 million for climate, racial justice, COVID-related relief, and other causes in 2020. Rihanna headlined the Super Bowl LVII halftime show in 2023, revealing that she was pregnant with her second child. She was included in Forbes’ 2023 Power Women and America’s Richest Self-Made Women lists.
Who Are the Top Women Entrepreneurs?
Women entrepreneurs have shaped many industries. Zhang Xin is known as "the woman who built Beijing" thanks to her work in real estate as co-founder of SOHO China. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw founded Biocon, the largest listed biopharmaceutical company in India based on revenues. Janice Bryant Howroyd co-founded ActOne Group, a workforce management firm with over 17,000 clients in 33 countries; ActOne was the first Black-owned company to achieve $1 billion in annual revenues. Ariana Huffington, The Huffington Post founder, sold the publication to AOL for $315 million in 2011. Rihanna, singer and business owner, runs Fenty Beauty, a billion-dollar company.
Who Are the Top Women Entrepreneurs in Entertainment?
With a net worth of $2.8 billion, Oprah Winfrey is one of the most famous woman entrepreneurs in media and entertainment. Winfrey runs the multinational cable network OWN and co-founded Oxygen Media. Ariana Huffington, Rihanna, and Beyoncé are among the top entrepreneurs in media and entertainment.
Who Are Notable Women Entrepreneurs?
Behind the scene of many well-known companies and brands are women founders and entrepreneurs. 23andMe, a DNA testing company, was co-founded by Anne Wojcicki in 2006. Robotics firm Automation Anywhere was co-founded by Neeti Mehta in San Jose, California. Computer security company CloudFlare was co-founded by Michelle Zatlyn in 2009, while Payal Kadakia co-founded subscription marketplace ClassPass in 2013.
The Bottom Line
Historically, women entrepreneurs are best known for running fashion houses or cosmetic companies, but, in recent decades, more women entrepreneurs have risen to prominence in a wide range of industries.
