The entrepreneurial landscape has long been a breeding ground for innovation and business success. Women, in particular, have harnessed their exceptional capabilities and entrepreneurial spirit to establish thriving ventures across various industries.
At Wednesday Women, we're committed to showcasing the unique strengths and reasons that drive women to become entrepreneurs. In this article, we introduce you to 18 inspiring women entrepreneurs who are putting their superpowers to work by creating businesses that make significant impact in the world.
In particular, you’ll meet female entrepreneurs who showcase qualities critical for founding and growing a business, such as:
Leading with Empathy and Customer-Centric Focus
To deliver a successful product, you must understand and empathize with customer needs. Those who can do this will create businesses closely aligned with market demands, resulting in products and services that resonate with consumers.
...Meet Gaby Grinberg - who wears the title Chief Experience Officer for Proofpoint Marketing and has built her company with this customer-led approach.
Establishing Strong Communication and Relationship Building
It takes a skilled communicator and relationship builder to establish an impactful business. These talents are invaluable in networking, attracting partnerships, and fostering connections vital to entrepreneurial success.
...If you want to be blown away by a master of these skills, follow Abi Williams - Executive Coach, Transformational Speaker, and Founder of Lead Not Lag Consulting.
Perservering with Adaptability and Resilience
Women entrepreneurs, and anyone building a business in today’s world, require high levels of adaptability and resilience when faced with challenges. Those who succeed are adept at pivoting when needed, learning from failures, and persevering in the face of adversity - all crucial traits for navigating the unpredictable business landscape.
...Let’s take this to the max, with Stacey Copas and her Academy of Resilience - an organization that helps anyone develop the skill to see and act on the opportunities that are presented by change.
Meet Female Founders and Entrepreneurs You Should Follow
These women are founders, visionaries, and business leaders who have harnessed their talents and abilities to start their ventures. Join us as we share the businesses they’ve built, the speeches they would be able to give at the drop of a hat, and the topics they share about on social media. Each is an inspiring example of the boundless potential of women in business, inspiring others to seize opportunity, think creatively, flourish as entrepreneurs, and build thriving companies.
Claire Coder - Founder of Aunt Flow
If she had to give a speech tomorrow, it would be called: “Sweat, tears, and BLOOD. The journey of building Aunt Flow, a company that stocks 27k+ bathrooms with freely accessible, organic cotton period products.”
Follow her profile on LinkedIn, where she posts regularly about period positivity and women-owned businesses.
Emma Lo - Founder of Flight Level 180
If she had to give a speech tomorrow, it would be on the topic of: “Female empowerment: I love supporting women who are going through transformation or leveling up in CS. I am currently mentoring two amazing women in Catalyst Coaching corner and Women in Customer Success.”
Follow her profile on LinkedIn, where she posts regularly about: “People as a focus: business is built and supported by people. We cannot lose sight of our customers and always take care of the team we rely on. And also about… Metamorphosis / Transformation: How we go through different stages of life, transform and awake to new potentials.”
Amy Volas - Founder of Avenue Talent Partners and Better Together
If she had to give a speech tomorrow, it would be about: “Why everything starts and stops with our ability to communicate. The human condition is alive and well and the bots haven't taken over.”
Follow her profile on LinkedIn, where she posts regularly about: “Cutting through the chaos of chatter to pay forward my startup, sales, and hiring lessons I've learned over the last 20+ years to leave the ecosystem better than when I found it.”
Christine Renaud - Founder of Braindate
If she had to give a speech tomorrow, it would be on: “How to Surrender Your Silence with Confidence - I speak with so many leaders each week who are struggling to drive change in their organizations because of their lack of confidence. They don’t realize that confidence is a skill that you can develop and that with confidence the stronger your voice. Leaders need to be heard and this is hindering their ability to be successful.”
Follow her profile on LinkedIn, where she posts regularly about “1) How Customer Success is not a one-size-fits-all strategy; just because something worked before doesn’t mean it will work again, there are just too many factors at play. And 2) Why Customer Success is simple. It’s not necessarily easy, but folks tend to overthink and over complicate things creating a barrier to execute.”
Abi Willams - Founder of Lead Not Lag
If she had to give a speech tomorrow, it would be on: "People make the business win. Many businesses forget that engaged people is what makes the business win. They forget to put people strategy at the core of strategy and execution. To run a successful business is based on your competency and understanding of people. Your shareholders, employees, users, clients are all people.”
Follow her profile on LinkedIn, where she posts regularly about: "Great Leadership and Building a GTM Strategy for Results. Success or failure or everything starts or ends with the quality of leadership.”
Alina Vandenberghe - Founder of Chili Piper
If she had to give a speech tomorrow, it would be on: “Lessons learned growing a company from $0 to almost $1 Billion.”
Follow her profile on LinkedIn, where she posts regularly about: “Women in leadership, behind the scenes growing a SaaS business.”
Laurel Farrer - Founder of Distribute Consulting
If she had to give a speech tomorrow, it would be about how “Successful remote work has nothing to do with WHERE we are working, it's about HOW we are working. Return to office vs work from home debates are proof that we are missing the whole point.
Follow her profile on LinkedIn, where she posts regularly about “Remote work. Workplace flexibility provides unprecedented socioeconomic opportunities for workforce diversity, economic growth, and work-life balance. Life events that used to stunt career development are minimized, such as working as a single parent, moving frequently for military service, or having a physical or emotional health disability.”
Krissy Manzano - Founder of Blueprint Expansion
If she had to give a speech tomorrow, it would be called: "Balancing Brilliance: Empowering Women to Thrive in Work and Motherhood. There has been a long-standing message that women can't have both or if they choose to have both, motherhood or work will have to be sacrificed. It's so important that women feel like they have a choice versus one being made for them. And while there are a lot of policies (aka paid maternity leave) and systematic changes that need to be made, there are a lot of myths and exaggerations out there that do not accurately portray what is actually possible.”
Follow her profile on LinkedIn, where she posts regularly about “Paid Maternity Leave and Unconcious Bias & Diversity in the Workplace.”
Nicole Pereira - Founder of CULTURISH and Certified Mastery
If she had to give a speech tomorrow, it would be about how: “Time autonomy exists on a spectrum. But understanding all the options on that spectrum may not be easy. If you're looking to design more time autonomy into your company (or better define what you have) then this session is for you! It starts with defining the "where", "when", and "how much" that make up your company's unique time autonomy culture.”
Follow her profile on LinkedIn, where she posts regularly about “building more time autonomy in companies.”
Precious Williams - Founder of Perfect Pitches by Precious
If she had to give a speech tomorrow, it would be on: “Live in Your Vision, Not Your Reality - As a dreamer and a doer, you may be a space where everything is going wrong. you will be filled with fear, worry and doubt. This is a great place to be. Sometimes you have to lose it all to win again.”
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Follow her profile on LinkedIn, where she posts regularly about: “ 1. #Slayingallcompetition with a Killer Pitch and 2. How Your Perceived Flaws are Your Secret Weapon - No One EVER Sees You Coming.”
Alexis Rivera Scott - Founder of The Fairy Job Mom and Verbatim
If she had to give a speech tomorrow, it would be on: “How to build a strong professional network and leverage it to unlock opportunities in your career.”
Follow her profile on LinkedIn, where she posts regularly about: “Jobseeker strategy, moving from employee to founder, finding a career path that inspires you, the life and times of an entrepreneur, and sales and marketing.”
Brianna Doe - Founder of Verbatim
If she had to give a speech tomorrow, it would be on: “The ups and downs of navigating tech and corporate America as a Black woman. What I wish I'd known when I entered the workforce, and what young Black women can learn from my experiences.”
Follow her profile on LinkedIn, where she posts regularly about: “1. Building a rewarding, impactful career with supportive companies that value you. And 2. Marketing yourself effectively so you put your best foot forward during interviews (and at work).”
Samantha McKenna - Founder of #samsales Consulting
If she had to give a speech tomorrow, it would be on: “SMYKM (Show Me You Know Me) This approach bleeds into every touchpoint you have with your audience or prospective buyers! Whether you're reaching out in an email, commenting on a post/DM'ing in LinkedIn or introducing yourself on a warm call, it should be apparent that you've taken the time to research and authentically connect with your audience.”
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Follow her profile on LinkedIn, where she posts regularly about: “The value of SMYKM (Show Me You Know Me) in everything you do. The art of personalization is what makes us stand out to our buyers and shows them we are authentic in how we might offer value.”
Ruth Penfold Brown - Founder of Pancakes & Peacocks and Bloom
If she had to give a speech tomorrow, it would be on: "Why feminine leadership energy is the power move for your business. To my core, I believe that the ultimate thing missing from a lot of the companies I advise is feminine energy. We have all learnt to operate in masculine more, but that means we can all learn to balance the opposite.”
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Follow her profile on LinkedIn, where she posts regularly to “support other women to overcome imposter syndrome and claim the career they really want, on their own terms."
Gaby Israel Grinberg - Founder of Proofpoint Marketing
If she had to give a speech tomorrow, it would be on: “The importance of a well-defined and codified culture, starting with the ethos of your organization, down to the core values with a detailed matrix that breaks down what it looks like when they're being practiced, and the absence of them when not practiced.”
Follow her profile on LinkedIn, where she posts regularly about: “People Experience/Culture, Leadership and Relationship-Mindsets. I talk about these things because as Chief Experience Officer I have the privilege to shape these important aspects in my business and I get excited in sharing how championing these things can set you apart and ahead in your career, and help you stand out today as a modern, empathetic and people-first leader/organization.”
Lucia Kanter St. Amour - Founder of Pactum Factum
If she had to give a speech tomorrow, it would be called: "Coming Home To Yourself: We’re Not Meant To Live Outside Our Comfort Zone. And it starts off with me saying, "I'm not here to empower you."
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Follow her profile on LinkedIn, where she posts regularly about “Women in Negotiation. It's not just for business; it's everybody's business. Women negotiation 8x less often than men and it's hurting us in real and measurable ways.”
Lisa Saunders - Founder of Whirl Recycling
If she had to give a speech tomorrow, it would be on: “Rethinking our relationship to age and aging.”
Follow her profile on LinkedIn, where she posts regularly about “Small actions we can take or shifts we can make to live more sustainably. Changing our perceptions of age and people's abilities. Business needs all ages.”
Stacey Copas - Founder of Academy of Resilience
If she had to give a speech tomorrow, it would be titled: “When Nothing is Certain, Anything is Possible. Most people see uncertainty as negative, I'd like to shift the perspective.”
Follow her profile on LinkedIn, where she posts regularly about “resilience. It is the foundational skill that makes everything else possible, too many people give up at the first setback or rejection.”
Bridgett McGowen - Founder of Press 49
If she had to give a speech tomorrow, it would: “Challenge the belief that you can’t be it if you can’t see it. My speech would firmly assert that you CAN be what you can’t see because if you wait to find it or if you wait to see it, you run the risk of never being something great and that was within you all along, waiting on you to discover it.”
Follow her profile on LinkedIn, where she posts regularly about “how to be the most dynamic presenter ever to break the patterns of what people have done to expect with presentations and to stand out from the competition.”
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