Famous Business Women Who Changed the Game - And What We Can Learn From Them
By Shannon Kate Murray, Founder & Editor of High Flying DesignWomen today 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.
Some of these women started with millions. Others started at their kitchen table.
But all of them remind us that it’s not about where you begin - it’s about what you’re building toward.
The Landscape for Women in Business
The numbers tell a story of progress - and possibility.
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 (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, 2024).
43% of FTSE board roles are now held by women (FTSE Women Leaders Review).
Yet, female-founded startups still 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 paved the way for thousands of others.
Karren Brady
At just 23, Baroness Karren Brady became the first woman to lead a Premier League football club. Now Vice-Chair at West Ham United, 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
Co-founder of Not On The High Street and later Holly & Co, Holly has become one of Britain’s most passionate champions of small business. Through creativity, colour, and contagious belief, she’s helped thousands of founders feel brave enough to begin.
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.
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 global brand - proving that resourcefulness can be revolutionary.
Women in History Who Built More Than Businesses
Long before Instagram and investment decks, women were building quietly - and brilliantly.
Madam C.J. Walker (USA)
Widely regarded as the first self-made female millionaire, she built a beauty empire serving Black women in the early 1900s. Beyond profit, she created economic independence and employment for thousands - a legacy of empowerment still felt today.
Coco Chanel (France)
Chanel didn’t just change fashion - she changed how women moved through the world. Her designs replaced restriction with freedom and proved that simplicity can be the ultimate sophistication.
Anita Roddick (UK)
Decades before “sustainability” became a trend, Anita founded The Body Shop on ethics, activism, and social change. Her brand proved that purpose-driven business can be both principled and profitable.
Women Reshaping the World of Business
From tech to textiles, beauty to social impact, these modern leaders show that business can be a force for good.
Sara Blakely (USA)
With $5,000 and an idea, Sara created Spanx - revolutionising shapewear, funding it herself, and keeping full ownership until her billion-dollar deal. Built on humour, heart, and hustle, her story is the ultimate lesson in self-belief.
Melanie Perkins (Australia)
At university in Perth, she dreamed of making design accessible. That idea became Canva - now used by millions worldwide. Quietly brilliant, Melanie leads with vision, humility, and inclusion.
Huda Kattan (UAE)
From beauty blogger to global brand founder, Huda built Huda Beauty into one of the world’s most recognisable names. Her real innovation? Making visibility and representation central to beauty.
Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu (Ethiopia)
Bethlehem launched soleRebels in Addis Ababa to create jobs locally - and ended up exporting sustainable footwear worldwide. 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 innovation, her work helped shape the smartphone era we live in today.
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.
Success doesn’t start with scale - it starts with belief.
Small beginnings can grow into movements.
There is no one way to lead - your way is enough.
Authenticity is an advantage, not a liability.
Business doesn’t have to fit someone else’s version of success.
It can be 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.
