Celebrating Women’s History Month: 5 Inspirational Stories of Women in Business
Today, and throughout Women’s History Month, we are continuing to celebrate women who have made significant contributions to the improvement of history, culture, and society. We hope that their stories of innovation and commitment to their dreams inspire people to act as catalysts for change and empower today’s women.
To celebrate this month, here are five stories of women in business and how we can learn from their own successes.
Rea Ann Silva - Founder and CEO of Beautyblender
Photo courtesy of Beautyblender
Many people might be familiar with the iconic egg-shaped sponge known as beautyblender but its developer never thought it would be the industry staple that it is now when she first started using it.
Rea Ann Silva grew up in Los Angeles with a working-class family. She initially held an interest in arts and fashion design and was encouraged by her parents to study at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles. While in FIDM, Silva found a job selling perfume at a local department store to support her living expenses. In the same local department store, she had a new-found interest in makeup and eventually switched to the makeup counter. This interest continued to grow along with her skills, which landed her several jobs as a makeup artist for music videos, TV shows, and film sets in Los Angeles. At that time, as a struggling single mother, this was a huge turning point for her career.
When high-definition filming started in the early 2000s, flaws and blemishes on the actors’ and actresses’ faces were magnified, pushing Silva and the entire makeup industry to come up with new solutions. During this entire debacle, Silva developed the first prototype of the beautyblender. The combination of the egg-shaped sponge and new makeup techniques were the solutions that revolutionized the industry at that time. When Silva realized that she could profit from this new creation, she started selling her homemade beautyblenders and later founded her own company.
What we can learn from this: Innovation can lead to new opportunities and success. Find a solution to existing problems and apply what you’ve learned to create something new.
Ursula Burns – Former CEO of Xerox, CEO of VEON
Photo courtesy of Forbes
Xerox used to be only known for paper copies but after Ursula Burns stepped in as its CEO in 2010, it became a much more viable and profitable business in the field of document technology.
Ursula Burns was raised by a single mother in New York and has shown an inclination to the sciences and engineering at an early age. Burns graduated with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mechanical engineering. She worked an intern for Xerox and later became a full-time employee when she finished her master’s degree. She worked in various roles including product development and planning and as an executive assistant. She worked her way up from there, becoming the vice president for global manufacturing in 1999, senior vice president of corporate strategic services in 2000, and company president in 2007. It was in 2010 when she made history as the first African-American woman to become a CEO of a Forbes 500 company.
Burns left Xerox in 2016 after serving as its CEO from 2010 to 2016. In 2017, she was elected as the new chairman of VEON, the world's 11th largest telecoms service provider by subscribers. From 2018 to 2020 she worked as VEON’s CEO. Burns provided mentorship in the field of STEM and has worked in several public service roles which includes leading the White House National STEM program with the appointment of then U.S. President Barack Obama.
What we can learn from this: Finding and dedicating yourself to a field that you can see yourself enjoying and growing in is crucial to success. Once you find your own path, then you can climb to the top and reach your goals.
Diane Hendricks – Founder and Chairwoman of ABC Supply
Photo courtesy of Lyndon French/The New York Times
ABC Supply is the largest roofing supply company and vinyl siding distributor in the United States. This billion-dollar building and construction supplies company was founded by Diane Hendricks and her husband. Diane Hendricks was listed as number one in Forbes America’s 2022 Richest Self-Made Women list.
Similar to all the successful ladies on this list, Hendricks was not born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She grew up with her parents and siblings on a dairy farm in Wisconsin and was only able to finish with a diploma in high school after she got pregnant with her first child at 17. As a single mother, she had to work odd office jobs to provide for herself and her child until she pursued a real estate license. Her life took a huge turn when she met and married Ken Hendricks, a roof contractor. With their combined expertise and work ethics, they established ABC Supply which sold roofing, gutters, and sidings for building constructions.
When her husband met an untimely death in 2007, Hendricks had to work on managing the growing business on her own. She continued to expand the business by acquiring two rival companies, Bradco in 2010 and L&W in 2016. With these acquisitions, ABC Supply tripled its annual revenue, showing Hendrick’s mastery and leadership in business. The company now has over 800 branches in 49 states in the U.S. Aside from her company, Hendricks was also known to support and spearhead local development projects to revitalize the town of Beloit where the main headquarters of ABC Supply is located.
What we can learn from this: Establishing and following a strong work ethic is the foundation of a successful business. Observe how people work around you and which methods work for you.
Judy Faulkner - Founder And CEO, Epic Systems
Photo courtesy of Steven Ferdman Getty Images
Dubbed ‘The most powerful woman in healthcare’, Judy Faulkner runs one of the biggest healthcare software and database companies in the United States. Epic Systems is used by large U.S. hospitals and healthcare organizations to access, organize, store, and share electronic medical records of citizens across the country.
In high school, Judy Faulkner found her love of math and logic. She pursued her passion, earning a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in computer science. Prior to establishing her own company, she worked for many physicians group in the University of Wisconsin where she introduced a data cards-based doctor scheduling system and a database that keeps track of patients’ medical records over time. It took several more years of convincing from her peers before she started her own company as she didn’t know how.
Faulkner, along with her collaborators, borrowed money from friends and family to have enough capital to launch Human Services Computing, which will later be renamed Epic Systems. The company started in a small office basement where Faulkner wrote all the original code on a Data General Eclipse 16-bit minicomputer. Over the years, the company saw exponential growth but had never raised venture capital or made an acquisition. Until now, all software was developed in-house as Faulkner believes in taking full control. Over 250 million patients from top medical and research centers such as the Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins use the Epic System.
What we can learn from this: Learning how to run a business takes time and does not happen overnight. The key is to start something, gain experience, and take everything as a learning opportunity.
Sara Blakely – Inventor of Spanx
Photo courtesy of SPANX
The popular undergarment and shapewear brand, Spanx, came from a happy accident by its inventor Sara Blakely. Blakely was on her way to a party when she got frustrated with how her outfit looked and so she took matters into her own hands. She cut the feet off her pantyhose and used it under her white pants so that there won’t be any visible panty lines. Later she would realize that she found a solution to a problem that many women have faced.
Sara Blakely originally set her sights on becoming an attorney, but reconsidered because of her low Law School Admission Test results. With a bachelor’s degree in communication, she began working as a salesperson for an office supply company, going door-to-door to sell fax machines. In this position, she gained valuable knowledge about the sales process.
After her discovery of possibly inventing a new type of underwear that will benefit women, she took her $5,000 savings to start the first Spanx prototype. Blakely spent the next two years researching fabrics and designs and planning the launch of her new product. Her product gained huge success right as it entered the market but it wasn’t until Oprah Winfrey featured her products that her major break came. More than just 10 years later, the Spanx brand has become one of the most loved apparel brands in the U.S. making Sara Blakely Forbes’ youngest female self-made billionaire in 2012.
What can we learn from this: Everything starts with an idea but what truly matters is what we do with it. Instead of waiting for an opportunity, strive to create your own by putting enough effort to improve and polish your idea.