Women are the most amazing creature on the planet. When Beyonce sings, “Girls, Who Run the World” I can not think of a more appropriate anthem that signifies the strength and progress of women in 2011. We should be extremely proud of our abilities, our decisions, and even greater, our courage. Collectively we soar. Individually we rock! We have managed to not only impact our families, and our communities, but we are change agents that create shifts and break barriers. Here are five women entrepreneurs that not only believed in their dreams but acted in belief, and managed to leave an imprint on our culture.
1. Oprah Winfrey: “The Queen of Media.” Oprah managed to change the concept of talk shows and daytime television by adhering to her own truth of empowering the lives of her audience. Through her truth, she created a billion dollar empire which includes Harpo Productions, which includes television programming and film and the newly launched, OWN.
2. Sara Blakeley: What started as an idea has now become a wardrobe staple for many women. Spanx! We love the coveted under garments that pull in and smooth out those unwanted bulges and bumps. Celebrities always give credit to these miracle workers for creating an amazing silhouette on the red carpet. The demand has been so great, Sara has recently launched Spanx for men!
3. Alexandra Wilson and Alexis Maybank: Co-founders of the Gilt Groupe which operated discount luxury sites. These women catapulted themselves to the fore front of service directed sites.
4. Heidi Klum: The fashion model turned fashion mogul has inspired all fashionista’s and upcoming fashion designers to live out loud! Heidi not only has built an empire on women and mens clothing, maternity wear, shoes and her addictive reality show, Project Runway, but she has demonstrated to other women that you can maintain your own identity, build your career, and have a wonderful family at the same time.
5. Anna Wintour: Single handed rules the fashion world. Ms. Wintour, the Editor-in-Chief of American Vogue controls the epicenter of how fashion is decided, constructed and promoted. Ms. Wintour is such the expert on what trends will be successful in society, that many designers wait to get her nod of approval before launching their new collections.
