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Last Updated on June 29, 2016 by Work In My Pajamas
It takes a lot of hard work and sacrifice to become an entrepreneur. Many people sacrifice a lot of time, money, and talents just trying to get started. Even with all the obstacles new entrepreneurs face, some are able to succeed in a big way which makes the victory that much sweeter. Today there are many women entrepreneurs who have totally changed the world with their businesses, and below is a list of some of the female entrepreneurs who have gone above and beyond in their field. Their stories continue to inspire and give hope to others looking to break the glass ceiling they face.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey had one of the most successful talk shows in American history. The show ran from 1986 until 2011 and Oprah currently has a net worth of nearly $3 billion. She remains the only black billionaire in North America.
Even though Oprah is very successful now, her life has been anything but easy. She grew up in poverty, suffered sexual abuse as a child, and was also a teenage mother. Oprah is not only one of the most successful female entrepreneurs of all time, but has given away millions of dollars to charities around the world. Her story is one that lives in legend and gives hope to many.
Sarah Blakely
Sarah Blakely is the creator of Spanx Underwear, but before she started her company she made ends meet by doing stand-up comedy. She did not have any business training and did not know anything about the underwear industry.
Sarah decided to develop a line of shapewear to make women look slimmer simply because she tried on some pants and did not like the way her bum looked in them. Blakely had $5,000 in her savings account and used it to create Spanx Underwear. Spanx is now the world’s best-selling body shape liners. It is estimated that the company took in $250 million dollars in 2011.
Cheung Yan
Cheung Yan has a net worth of $1.04 billion today which makes her one of the richest women in the world. She is the founder of Nine Paper Dragons, a paper recycling company. Nine Paper Dragons has over 18,000 employees, which makes it the world’s largest environmentally-friendly paper manufacturer. She was able to find a need in her country and turn it into profits. Her tenacity has been an inspiration for women in China and all over.
Maxine Clark
Maxine Clark is the founder of the Build-A-Bear Workshop, a store that sells customizable stuffed animals, and is also a published author. In 2006, she published a book entitled “The Bear Necessities of Business: Building a Company with Heart”. Her innovative success in the retail industry has highlighted her as a business leader all over the world. In 2013 her company was listed as Fortune’s Best Companies to Work For For the 5th year in a row.
Any entrepreneur would tell you the road to success is not easy. Many will fail before they are able to become successful. Financial burdens are a big obstacle, and some take out business loans from companies like Loan Builder in order to have the funds necessary to start up, while others rely on investors or even their own personal savings. However, women like Maxine Clark, Cheung Yan, Oprah Winfrey, and Sarah Blakely have overcome the challenges they faced and showed the world how powerful women entrepreneurs can be.
