It’s not about net worth for these women entrepreneurs, it’s about the impact that they’re able to make in the world. Their success stories are about changing the world of fashion, eliminating the need for single-use plastics, disrupting what we think about women’s sexual health and wellness, and so much more.
This list isn’t your typical list of “women leading in business”. We all know about Oprah Winfrey and Arianna Huffington (who are both incredible female entrepreneurs in their own rights). This list is about the brand of female entrepreneur we should hear more about—the social entrepreneur.
Let’s dive in.
ENSEMBLE 10: FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS
Our latest e-book collection of articles and interviews highlighting women who have chosen to use the power of business as a force for good.
24 Women Entrepreneurs Changing the World Through Business
1. Shamini Dhana, Dhana
Title: Founder & CEO
Company: Dhana Inc.
Industry: Fashion
Shamini is a fashion entrepreneur and the founder of sustainable fashion technology company, Dhana. Through her work, Shamini connects consumers to the clothing they wear and the true history behind it.
She’s active in the sustainable fashion industry and served as an Associate Producer of The True Cost film.
“We have a problem, this [fashion] is a $3 trillion industry where almost 70% of it ends up in the landfill or is burned. That’s over 10% of all carbon emissions today on this earth. And if left unchecked, it’s going to go up to 50%.”
Check out Dhana, or listen to our full interview with Shamini on circular fashion.
2. Abigail Forsyth, KeepCup
Title: Managing Director & Co-Founder
Company: KeepCup
Industry: Consumer Products
Abigail founded KeepCup in 2007 as the world’s first barista-friendly reusable cup.
KeepCup has now grown into one of the most recognizable barista-standard coffee cups in the world, and Abigail has only begun to fight harder to inspire the world to reuse and reduce to mitigate the effects of plastic pollution and climate change.
“How do you make this whole ecosystem that you’re running, you’ve got employees that you’ve got to look after, you work in a community, what does that look like? It’s all the pieces of the puzzle. I think your advocacy has to come from there in order to be authentic and genuine and sustainable in what it’s saying.”
Check out KeepCup, and listen to our full conversation with Abigail on reuse.
3. Madeleine Shaw, Nestworks & Aisle
Title: Managing Director & Co-Founder
Company: KeepCup
Industry: Consumer Products
Madeleine Shaw is a social entrepreneur best known for co-founding Aisle (previously Lunapads), a social enterprise that creates sustainable period products.
She is also the founder of Nestworks, a family-friendly co-working space that promotes a healthy work–life balance. As an entrepreneur, woman, and mother herself, helping families find a balance between their professional and personal lives to achieve success in both is something she is passionate about.
“We can change how business is done, but we need people like you to get in there and do it. We can rewrite the rules. But it takes people willing to get in there and be creative.”
Learn more about Nestworks and Aisle, and listen to our full chat with Madeleine Shaw.
4. Adrianne Chandra-Huff, Bodhi Surf + Yoga
Title: Co-Founder
Company: Bodhi Surf + Yoga
Industry: Tourism
Adrianne has dedicated her life to building a sustainable tourism company in Costa Rica. This unique immersive experience offers visitors surfing and yoga to encourage them to develop a relationship with the planet while reconnecting with themselves.
Bodhi is the only B Corporation of its kind in the world and Adrianne is a vibrant host for all who visit.
“As a tourism company, you are benefiting from the very resources that sort of draw people to you in the first place. If it becomes super polluted down here, people probably won’t come anymore. We have a moral and fiduciary imperative to take care of those very entities that we benefit from.”
Learn more about Adrianne and Bodhi Surf + Yoga and how they model responsible tourism in Costa Rica.
5. Rahama Wright, Shea Yeleen
Title: Founder & CEO
Company: Shea Yeleen
Industry: Personal Care & Beauty
While volunteering in a health clinic in West Africa, Rahama saw women who were working all day processing shea butter but were still unable to pay for essential health services. This led her to reimagine the supply chains of shea butter to empower these women through her own business, Shea Yeleen.
Rahama has spent more than 15 years perfecting the Shea Yeleen model to ensure that it has the maximum impact. She’s created a business that puts women first and proves that you can earn a profit while still being a socially conscious business.
“You can make money and empower people. You can make money and change the world.”
Check out Shea Yeleen, or listen to our conversation about the differences between the social enterprise vs nonprofit models.
6. Emma Rose Cohen, Final
Title: Founder & CEO
Company: Final
Industry: Consumer Products
Armed with a background in waste minimization and a Master’s degree in environmental management and sustainability from Harvard, Emma leads with her gut and creates products for all ages that are fun alternatives to single-use plastics.
Prior to launching Final and the company’s first product, the Final Straw, Emma and some friends founded a nonprofit called Save the Mermaids to educate children (and adults!) about the many steps we can all take to save our oceans.
“The community that grew out of launching the company gave me this kind of newfound hope in humanity and I was like, oh wait, it really is up to companies to create these solutions.”
Check out Final, and listen to our full conversation with Emma on why straws are bad.
7. Sian Conway, Ethical Hour
Title: Founder
Company: Ethical Hour
Industry: Consulting & Business Services
In 2016, Sian founded #EthicalHour as a way to learn more about ethical living, and to provide affordable growth services for women entrepreneurs in need of marketing tactics that align with their values.
In 2018, Sian was named the UK’s Green & Eco Influencer of the Year and continues to help entrepreneurs find their unique purpose to grow their impact.
“When you connect with other people that share your values and you start to work on things together, and you do start to buy from small businesses and you know, you just make those changes gradually, you start to feel so much more empowered and you start to feel like we can make a difference, we can have a voice, we can change things.”
Check out Ethical Hour, and listen to Sian’s episode where she shared what is ethical marketing.
8. Meghan French Dunbar
Title: Founder
Company: Conscious Company Media, Womxn Led
Industry: Consulting & Business Services
Former co-founder and CEO of the first publication on conscious business, Conscious Company Media, Meghan French Dunbar has a history of inspiring others to have a meaningful impact through their companies.
Her new company, Womxn Led, is an inclusive community of changemakers and women who offer advice on navigating the trials and successes of social entrepreneurship. Their work crosses many industries and seeks to create a more equitable world for all.
“It’s about how to maximize the potential of your business. How to really spur innovation, how to set your business up for success.”
Check out Meghan’s work, and listen in to our full conversation on socially conscious business.
9. Masami Sato, B1G1
Title: Founder & CEO
Company: B1G1
Industry: Philanthropy
Masami is an impact-driven female entrepreneur who founded B1G1, a global giving initiative. B1G1 helps businesses incorporate philanthropy in their everyday activities.
To date, B1G1 has partnered with more than 500 high-impact projects that support communities around the world. Every time a business working with B1G1 makes a sale, the benefits are passed on to people across the globe through B1G1’s unique membership and philanthropic ethos.
“When we set a goal, we need to remind ourselves of the meaning of that goal rather than just focusing on achieving that goal.”
Check out B1G1 or our full conversation with Masami on the power of philanthropy in business.
10. Caroline Duell, All Good Products
Title: Founder
Company: All Good Products
Industry: Personal Care
Caroline, another impactful female entrepreneur, embraced entrepreneurship after her handmade herbal salves became a hit with her local community of massage therapists and climbing guides.
Her company, All Good, makes products free from harmful chemicals, which are designed to be safe for the whole family. All Good is a certified B Corp, 1% for the Planet member, and has recently committed to going carbon neutral; all initiatives steered by Caroline’s drive to green the beauty industry.
“It’s our responsibility to make sure we’re doing due diligence on what are the safest ingredients out there, what is the most responsible sourcing, how can we connect individuals to products for their body on a daily basis that are going to be the best for them and best for their bodies.”
Check Out All Good’s signature Goop at Grove Collaborative, and listen to our full conversation with reluctant entrepreneur, Caroline Duell.
11. Rebecca Hamilton, Badger
Title: Co-Collaborative Executive Officer
Company: Badger
Industry: Personal Care
From a family of entrepreneurs, second-generation owner and Co-Collaborative Executive Officer Rebecca entered the business to make an impact on environmental responsibility and climate change.
Rebecca is a woman on a mission for Badger to have a positive impact on the planet by using organic and fair-trade ingredients in all her products.
“That’s why my sister and I are part of this business. And it would be a lot less interesting to us if it was just kind of money for the sake of money, that’s not really what drives us. ”
Check out Badger at Thrive Market, or listen to our full conversation with Rebecca on companies fighting climate change.
12. Janie Brooks Hueck, Brooks Wine
Title: Managing Director
Company: Brooks Wine
Industry: Wine
Since 2004, Janie has been an integral piece of Brooks’ success.
She spearheaded their certification process to become the first B Corp winery, and led the charge on their Demeter Biodynamic Certification and 1% For the Planet Membership. Janie sees value in each certification for the consumer, the community, and for Brooks as an employer.
“I think that for the consumer it’s important [to be certified]. Because otherwise how does the consumer really know what you’re doing and how do you communicate to the consumer what you’re doing? I think that there’s a lot of power in that messaging.”
Check out Brooks Wine, and listen to our conversation with Janie on redefining the “best Oregon winery.”
13. Svanika Balasubramanian, rePurpose
Title: Co-Founder & CEO
Company: rePurpose
Industry: Waste
CEO of rePurpose, Svanika Balasubramanian, and her two fellow co-founders help businesses become certified plastic neutral to help curb the global plastic pollution crisis.
Svanika is a very dedicated social entrepreneur who has been awarded the Forbes 30 Under 30 distinction and received the 2018 President’s Engagement Award.
“The best way to get more information, the best way to see if something works, is to just do it. You can spend a long time planning it. But nothing prepares you until you actually do a test run on the ground.”
Check out rePurpose, and listen in to our full conversation with Svanika on helping businesses to go plastic neutral.
14. Ennie Lim, HoneyBee
Title: Co-Founder & CEO
Company: HoneyBee
Industry: Finance
Ennie endured a major financial crisis and quickly realized how empowering financial wellness can be, so she founded HoneyBee, a certified benefit corporation that provides employers with the tools that their employees need to gain financial control over their own lives and tell their own success stories.
Ennie is among a class of well-known female entrepreneurs and has been published in Forbes and recognized as an Inc. Magazine Top 100 Female Founder.
“Having that empathy, being in that situation, and knowing there was no other solution at the time didn’t feel right. I just kept going one step at a time. I never would have imagined us helping thousands of Americans today. But it was just one step at a time. You have to solve that problem.”
Learn more about the work of HoneyBee, or check out our recording with Ennie Lim.
15. Meika Hollender, Sustain & Grove Collaborative
Title: Co-founder & CEO of Sustain, VP of Communications at Grove Collaborative
Company: Grove Collaborative
Industry: Personal Care, Women’s Health
Meika Hollender founded her sexual wellness brand, Sustain, with her father, Jeffery Hollender (who co-founded Seventh Generation). From there, Sustain bloomed into a line of sexual wellness products, all following their core mission to provide all-natural and safe products for women.
Meika has received 30 Under 30 distinctions from both Forbes and Inc. Her recent book, Get On Top, is an honest conversation with women about sex, pleasure, and wellness. She recently sold Sustain to Grove Collaborative and stepped into a new role as VP of Communications.
“I feel like businesses have a responsibility to their consumers to, yes, do the work behind the scenes to consider all of their stakeholders and the decisions they’re making but also to challenge the industry and really demand better—and change the rules.”
Listen to Meika Hollender’s podcast episode with us to learn more about her journey to Grove.
16. Tara-Nicholle Nelson, SoulTour
Title: Founder
Company: SoulTour
Industry: Consulting & Business Services
Tara-Nicholle founded SoulTour to offer advice for women and business founders to master their lives in all areas. Tara spends most of her time helping high-achieving women entrepreneurs and purpose-driven businesses as a business coach.
She guides them through daily rituals, courses, and challenges in SoulTour’s School of Spiritual Strategy to help them eliminate inner roadblocks and up-level their reality on all fronts. She’s also authored an excellent book, The Transformational Consumer.
“People are less confused about what they don’t want to do than they give themselves permission to be.”
Listen to Tara-Nicholle’s podcast episode with us to learn more about her journey founding her own business and how the spiritual journey can also be the “hero’s journey”.
17. Charity Ryerson, Corporate Accountability Lab
Title: Founder & Executive Director
Company: Corporate Accountability Lab
Industry: Law
Charity’s journey to founding Corporate Accountability Lab is unlike other female entrepreneurs. In 2003, Charity was arrested for civil disobedience in the U.S. Army School of the Americas and given a six-month sentence in federal prison.
After being released, she worked in International Labor Rights and spent time in Colombia, supporting banana workers and their demands for better conditions. She founded the Corporate Accountability Lab to bring justice to family members and victims of human rights violations by corporate abusers.
“Rather than having a company by company punishment, how do we disrupt the system in a more fundamental way?”
Listen to our episode with Charity Ryerson to learn more about how corporate accountability is crucial in modern supply chains.
18. Yasmine Mustafa, ROAR for Good
Title: Co-Founder & CEO
Company: ROAR for Good
Industry: Safety
Yasmine founded ROAR for Good in 2014, which does business-to-business work outfitting hotels with safety alarms and wearables for their staff. ROAR for Good’s products not only meet a new law requiring hotels to protect their staff, but they also meet a staggering need for safety in an industry where more than half of the employees (mostly women) have experienced sexual harassment.
Part of Yasmine’s inspiration was her experience as a refugee who survived the Gulf War and the insecurity of being an undocumented immigrant.
“At every event, no matter what, someone would approach us with their personal story. That’s what ultimately drives you…I would actually go and re-read testimonial emails as motivation any time I got down.”
Check out Yasmine’s work, and hear more about what she’s built-in our conversation about ROAR for Good.
19. Colleen & Maggie Clients, Anchal Project
Title: CEO, Vice President & Creative Director
Company: Anchal Project
Industry: Textiles
During travels to India, Colleen Clines connected with an NGO in the red-light district that provided working opportunities for women who were forced into the commercial sex trade or were survivors of domestic violence, which led to the founding of Anchal Project.
In 2011, Colleen brought her sister into the business. These two female entrepreneurs have grown Anchal into a nonprofit that makes an incredible social impact in the lives of women. Anchal now employs over 150 artisans to design and manufacture original handmade bedding, decor, scarves, bags, and more.
“A real turning point is the confidence we built through those first few years, but really the impact, taking action regardless of whatever you don’t have.” – Colleen Clines
Check out some of Anchal’s goods on Made Trade, and listen to our full conversation with the Clines sisters on starting the Anchal Project.
20. Amy Looper, One Seventeen Media
Title: Co-Founder & COO
Company: One Seventeen Media
Industry: Technology
Amy Looper is co-founder and COO of One Seventeen Media, an AI education technology company. Amy, and her business partner Beth, are two female entrepreneurs who built a life-changing product: reThinkIt!—an app that helps kids process difficult emotions in real-time.
reThinkIt! has been wildly successful. It has literally saved lives, prevented a school shooting, and also boosts attendance for kids who are more likely to miss school due to personal challenges.
“With all of us that are about solving an impact problem, whether it’s social, emotional, or environmental, it is going to take a little bit longer burn rate to some extent.”
Check out One Seventeen Media, and listen in to our full recording with Amy Looper.
21. Kate Jakubas, Meliora
Title: Founder & COO
Company: Meliora
Industry: Cleaning Supplies
While obtaining her Master’s in Environmental Engineering (a field typically dominated by men), Kate Jakubas developed a keen curiosity for how the toxic chemicals in our cleaning products and detergents affect our environment and health.
Kate started experimenting with engineering her own non-toxic cleaning products, and as a result, Meliora Cleaning Products was born. This 1% for the Planet Member and B Corp has reshaped the industry of nontoxic household cleaning.
“As engineers we solve problems. It’s basically everything that engineering is, you find something that’s broken and you fix it or you find something that you think you could make better and you make it better. I really liked the idea of using business as a tool and focusing it on a social or environmental problem.”
Check out some of Meliora’s ‘Zero Waste Products’ on Earth Hero, or listen to our full conversation with Kate Jakubas.
22. Emily Lonigro, LimeRed
Title: President & Founder
Company: LimeRed
Industry: Consulting & Business Services
Emily is the President and Founder of LimeRed, a purpose-driven design firm, media company, and Certified B Corp in Chicago. LimeRed helps meaningful brands and businesses showcase their messages through expertly crafted digital content strategies.
Since 2004, Emily and her team have been advocating social good through their design work with like-minded clients and female entrepreneurs.
“I was at a retreat for conscious business leaders and [the added stress of integrating purpose into your company] was something that came up a couple of times. We were not talking about our own mental health and the stress we put on ourselves to do this thing that is so nebulous without rules, and we are all here writing this rule book together.”
Check out Emily’s Defy Convention Podcast, and learn more about LimeRed Studio and their work.
23. Allison Gibson, Paintbox
Title: Operational Director & Part Owner
Company: Paintbox
Industry: Sustainable Food
Allison Gibson is part owner and Operational Director of Paintbox Catering and Bistro, a B Corp located in Toronto dedicated to creating healthy and delicious food that supports a sustainable food economy.
Allison and the Paintbox team provide creative food offerings while striving to fight poverty, promote environmental sustainability, and build a better future. Paintbox uses its bistro to help provide employment to those that need it most, and they are committed to reducing their environmental footprint.
“So I really took away that if you challenge your team or give them opportunities and they rise to the occasion, great—keep giving them responsibilities, keep going to them to help problem solve.”
Check out Paintbox, and hear more from Allison Gibson on our podcast.
24. Lindsey McCoy & Alison Webster, Plaine Products
Title: Co-Founders
Company: Plaine Products
Industry: Personal Care
Female entrepreneurs and sisters Alison and Lindsey became hyper-aware of the global plastic issue while Lindsey lived and worked in the Bahamas for 10 years. After seeing the ramifications of our disposable culture in the form of plastic pollution, Lindsey decided to start a business (as cofounder with her sister!) that made it easier for people to make sustainable choices.
Plaine Products proves to be one of the many companies fighting climate change that is igniting a plastic-free revolution and making a significant impact.
“This is one [problem] that we have the capability to have a real impact on and consumer purchases make a huge difference.”
Check out Plaine Products, or hear more from Lindsey McCoy about the business’ journey on the podcast.
ENSEMBLE 10: FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS
Our latest e-book collection of articles and interviews highlighting women who have chosen to use the power of business as a force for good.
Closing: Female Entrepreneurs, A Different Kind of Business Owner, Leading the Way
From Silicon Valley to West Africa, female entrepreneurs around the world are changing the way we do business across multiple industries, and redefining what it means to be a success.
You might not find some of these women entrepreneurs on the Forbes cover, a millionaire list, or appearing on a talk show, but their success is paving the way for more women (especially women of color) to take on new industries and change the world for the better.
It’s worth noting that women entrepreneurs face a number of adversities that men in business do not, yet they’ve persevered to build some of the most impactful businesses in the world in terms of social and environmental good. When a woman is empowered, the opportunities for a better planet are endless.
Beyond this article, there are many more female entrepreneurs using their ingenuity to create new products, companies, or even industries that harness the power of business to fight global issues.
Do you have any favorite women in business or women led companies?
Jacqueline Goodwin
Sustainable Workplaces Manager & Writer
Jackie is the Sustainable Workplaces Manager at Urban Green Lab, a sustainability education nonprofit in Nashville, Tennessee. She’s passionate about connecting people with actionable ways to make a positive impact on the environment. She graduated from Dickinson College with a degree in Environmental Studies and a certificate in Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship. Jackie worked in the nonprofit world in Washington D.C. for Ashoka and the National Building Museum.
Jackie enjoys hiking with her rescue dog, finding craft breweries, and traveling the globe in search of plant-based eats.
Hi Jacqueline,
Thanks a lot for this amazing collection of great female entrepreneurs.
I’m just getting to know most of them for the first time.
Keep up with the great work you are doing.
– Emenike
Jackie put together a great post here, didn’t she?
Glad you enjoyed Emenike.
You might enjoy diving deeper with our collection: https://growensemble.com/products/collections/ensemble-10-female-entrepreneurs/
Cheers,
-Cory