The Most Successful Entrepreneurial Women of the 21st Century

Women have faced discrimination and unfair compensation for many years, but they work hard continuously to break the trend of men owning in top positions businesses.

Through sheer hard work and determination, women are now among the most successful entrepreneurs in the world today. This article highlights five of these golden ladies who can inspire every woman entrepreneur.

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw built the company into India’s largest listed biopharma firm in revenue. She established Biocon out of a rented shed. She grew it into a global company that went public.

She made it the second Indian company to reach $1 billion. Mazumdar-Shaw is also one of India’s wealthiest self-made women, with an estimated net worth of around four million dollars.

Janice Bryant Howroyd

She is the founder of ActOne Group, one of America’s first African American female-led companies to bring in more than $1 billion in revenue. Her company primarily provides employment services and consultancy based in Los Angeles with over 17,000 clients throughout 19 countries.

Despite her accomplishments today, she started humbly as well, having launched her now multimillion-dollar enterprise through a small entrepreneurship business endeavor at home.

It was back when there were no fundamental laws or parameters for such operations under those circumstances, yet somehow, she succeeded and even received awards and recognition against all odds.

Arianna Huffington

As a former writer for the New York Times and later an author, Arianna Huffington’s career in journalism led to her founding The Huffington Post. In 2005 she sold it to AOL but continued as its editor-in-chief until stepping down from that role in 2016.

Afterwards, she launched the health startup Thrive Global, which is run by herself with input from outside sources, including world leaders such as Barack Obama, who was included on Time Magazine’s list of most influential people.

Zhang Xin

Zhang Xin, co-founder of SOHO China and “the woman who built Beijing,” was once a factory worker. She graduated from Cambridge University with a master’s degree in Economic Development before working for Goldman Sachs. After launching her company, she amassed $3.5 billion to become the first self-made female billionaire.

Tory Burch

Tory Burch is the founder of her namesake fashion and clothing company, Tory Burch LLC. Since its launch in 2004, it has grown to rake in $1.5 billion annually, with over 450 stores worldwide.

She also devotes time as a philanthropist who started The Tory Burch Foundation, supporting Entrepreneurial women globally. She is key among the most successful entrepreneurial women of the 21st Century.