Famous Business Women Who Changed the Game - And What We Can Learn From Them
Women are building businesses in ways that feel different - rooted in meaning, not just metrics. Values-led. Human. Sometimes quiet. And still, incredibly successful.
Whether you’re reconnecting with your ambition, exploring what’s possible or simply curious about how others began - this isn’t a list of icons to imitate. It’s a collection of stories. Proof that belief is enough to begin.
From boardrooms to beauty studios, these women carved their own paths. Some started with millions. Others started at their kitchen table. But each of them showed that it’s not about where you begin - it’s about what you’re building toward.
The Landscape for Women in Business
Here’s what the data shows:
Over 1.6 million UK businesses are now female-led - a 76% increase in two decades
Women in the UK are starting businesses at twice the rate of men (according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor)
Yet, female-founded startups receive less than 2% of venture capital (VC) funding
The opportunity is growing. And so are the women stepping into it.
Famous Female Entrepreneurs in the UK
These women didn’t do what was expected. They did what was true to them - and in doing so, they’ve paved the way for others to rise.
Karren Brady
Baroness Karren Brady became the first woman to lead a Premier League football club at just 23. Now Vice Chair at West Ham United, a business advisor on The Apprentice UK, and a peer in the House of Lords, she’s built a life around strategy, strength, and speaking up in spaces where women were once excluded.
Holly Tucker MBE
Holly co-founded Not On The High Street and later launched Holly & Co, becoming one of the UK’s most passionate champions of small business. Through colour, creativity and contagious belief, she’s helped thousands of founders feel brave enough to begin.
3. Sharmadean Reid MBE
From WAH Nails to The Stack World, Sharmadean has always been ten steps ahead. She doesn’t just build businesses - she reimagines systems. Her work across beauty, tech and community is rooted in access, equity, and visibility.
4. Julie Deane OBE
With £600 and a need to support her children, Julie launched The Cambridge Satchel Company. She stitched together story, tradition, and British design into a brand that became beloved around the world - and proved that resourcefulness can be revolutionary.
Women in History Who Built More Than Businesses
Before Instagram, before investment decks, women were building quietly - and brilliantly.
1. Madam C.J. Walker
Widely regarded as the first self-made female millionaire, Madam C.J. Walker built a beauty business serving Black women in the early 1900s. But more than a product, she created economic independence, employment and a legacy of empowerment.
2. Coco Chanel
She didn’t just change fashion - she changed how women moved through the world. Chanel’s vision was minimalist, liberating and timeless. Her name still echoes through luxury, decades later.
3. Anita Roddick
Long before “sustainable” was a marketing trend, Anita founded The Body Shop on ethics, activism, and social change. Her brand became a voice for environmental and human rights — without losing its commercial power.
Women Reshaping the World of Business
From tech to textiles, beauty to social impact - these women are redefining what it means to lead, and reminding us that business can be a force for good.
Sara Blakely (USA)
With $5,000 and a simple idea, Sara created Spanx - revolutionising shapewear, funding it herself, and keeping full ownership until she sold a majority stake in a billion-dollar deal. She built her brand with humour, heart, and hustle.
Melanie Perkins (Australia)
At university in Perth, Melanie set out to make design easier. That idea became Canva - now one of the most widely used creative platforms in the world. Quietly brilliant and community-first, she continues to lead with humility and vision.
Huda Kattan (UAE)
From beauty blogging to building a global brand, Huda turned her love for makeup into Huda Beauty - one of the most recognisable names in the industry. But her real impact? Making visibility, boldness and cultural representation central to beauty.
Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu (Ethiopia)
Bethlehem built soleRebels in Addis Ababa to create jobs in her community - and ended up exporting sustainable footwear around the world. Her business is proof that social impact and global growth can walk side by side.
Whitney Wolfe Herd (USA)
After leaving Tinder, Whitney launched Bumble - flipping the power dynamic in dating and tech. In 2021, she became the youngest woman to take a company public, holding her baby on her hip at the bell-ringing ceremony.
Cher Wang (Taiwan)
Co-founder of HTC, Cher is one of the first women to lead a global tech company. A pioneer in hardware and mobile innovation, her legacy is written into the fabric of our digital lives.
Who Was the First Female Entrepreneur?
Women have always been building - even when history forgot their names.
Eliza Lucas Pinckney (1700s, USA): Took over her family’s plantations at 16 and developed indigo dye into one of colonial America’s most profitable exports.
Eleanor Coade (1733–1821, UK): Built a successful architectural ceramics business in London under her own name - at a time when most women couldn’t even hold property.
They weren’t handed opportunity. They created it.
What We Can Learn - and Carry Forward
These stories aren’t just here to inspire. They’re here to equip.
Here’s what they teach us:
Success doesn’t start with scale - it starts with belief.
Small beginnings can grow into movements.
There is no one way to lead - but your way is enough.
Authenticity is an advantage - not a liability.
They show us that business doesn’t have to fit into someone else’s version of success. It can become a living, breathing expression of your values - and your vision.
Maybe the reason we read stories like these isn’t to follow them - but to remember that we can begin too.
Not with perfection. Not with a pitch deck. But with belief.
