Today, there are many opportunities available to women who want to start their own business. Technological advancements have created avenues that were previously unimaginable. While it is not always easy to run a business, it can offer great satisfaction. Entrepreneurs usually work long hours and must manage several tasks at one time. They may also need to travel frequently.
nicole junkermann mary barra
Nicole Junkermann is a German billionaire and founder of the NJF Group, a holding company with investments in various businesses. She is also the current CEO of General Motors. Born in Germany, nicole Junkermann mary barra studied economics at the University of Cologne and later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. She has been very active in philanthropic work and is a strong advocate of gender equality and women’s empowerment. She is also a member of the Bilderberg Group, an elite group of political and business leaders.
Both Junkermann and Barra have been featured in Forbes’ list of the 100 most powerful women in the world. Both women are a role model for women who want to pursue a career in business. They both lead successful companies and have provided valuable advice to other businesswomen.
Margaret Hardenbroeck
Margaret Hardenbroeck is one of the greatest businesswomen in history. She was a merchant and an accomplished businesswoman. But her life was complicated by a divorce from her husband in 1664. Though she was a merchant, she no longer had her own legal status. This meant that she could no longer purchase goods in her own name and act as a legal agent. In spite of this, she still ran her own businesses.
Hardenbroeck had no children. At the age of 50, she inherited a company called the Brandywine Iron Works from her husband. The business had already been successful for several years and she decided to expand the business when the Philadelphia & Columbia Railroad needed iron for locomotives. She was the first woman to own her own business and was also one of the first black women to own her own business. She died at the age of 60. Her legacy lives on through her descendants.
Rebecca Lukens
Rebecca Lukens’ family traces its roots back to Pennsylvania in the 1680s. Her father, Isaac Lukens, was a farmer who was fascinated by the latest technologies, including the casting of iron. Lukens’ parents encouraged her to pursue a higher education than most women in her day. By the time she reached adulthood, she was worth over $60,000, and was a leader in the iron industry.
After her father died, Lukens became the ironmaster of the family’s steel mill, which became Lukens Steel. The steel mill was the oldest continuously operating steel mill in the U.S. as of the mid-19th century. Lukens Steel’s success led to her being named America’s first woman to run an industrial company. She was later inducted into the National Business Hall of Fame.
Lydia Pinkham
Lydia Pinkham was born in 1819. She came from a well-to-do farming family. She joined the Lynn Female Anti-Slavery Society when she was 16 and worked as a schoolteacher until 1843. She later married Isaac Pinkham and began to collect home remedies. She gave them to friends and neighbors. Her remedies soon turned into a profitable business, and she was able to provide a service that many people were in need of.
Pinkham’s company grew into a multi-national business with production centers in Canada and Mexico. She also founded a women’s health clinic, the Lydia E. Pinkham Memorial Clinic, which continues to provide health services for young mothers. As of 2012, this clinic is a designated site on the Salem Women’s Heritage Trail.
Anna Sutherland Bissell
Bissell was a hands-on executive who was active in philanthropic and civic organizations. She founded Bissell House and served on the board of the D.A. Blodgett Children’s Home. She managed to balance being a mother and a businesswoman. Her business success is evidence of her integrity and ability to lead by example.
The Bissells initially manufactured crockery, but in the early 1880s, they focused on making carpet sweepers in large quantities. She began complaining to her husband about the filthy carpets left behind by shipping boxes of china. The two eventually collaborated on a carpet sweeper invention and Anna became its first salesperson. She traveled extensively, selling the product and demonstrating its use.
Anna Sutherland Bissell was born in Nova Scotia, Canada, to a shipping captain and his wife, Eleanor Putnam. Her family immigrated to the United States to pursue a better life for their four children. Anna’s entrepreneurial instincts, marketing prowess, and leadership skills allowed her to turn her company into a multi-billion-dollar empire.
