Heroes are important. They are role models for admirable behavior and guides to being a better person or more successful. In today’s guest post from Tara Lundy, you’ll find some successful business women that you can use and role models in your life.

Need Inspiration?
Look to These Women Entrepreneurs for Advice

By Tara Lundy

Being an entrepreneur comes with its fair share of obstacles. Being a woman entrepreneur just adds a whole other set of layers. It can no doubt be hard to be a woman in business. Even with all the strides women have made, it still sometimes seems as if we still have a long way to go. But when feeling doubtful or in need of inspiration and/or advice, look towards these women entrepreneurs who have made their mark in the world.

Arianna Huffington

Many of us are aware of The Huffington Post. But along with being the founder of The Huffington Post, Arianna is also the founder and CEO of Thrive Global and the author of fifteen books. Having sold The Huffington Post to AOL in 2011 for more than 300 million, Arianna is now not only a millionaire but also one of the most successful women entrepreneurs out there. What’s helped make Arianna continuously successful is her ability to achieve a healthy work-life balance. A full believer of meditation, whenever Arianna can’t sleep or has too many thoughts in her mind, she uses meditation as a way to drift into sleep. Arianna stresses the importance of getting around 8 hours of sleep per night as it has helped to improve her life in almost every way. In fact, in an interview with CNN, she believes this so much that when asked what advice she would give to her 18-year-old self, she stressed the importance of unplugging, “Arianna, your performance will actually improve if you can commit to not only working hard but also unplugging, recharging and renewing yourself.”

Maegan Scarlett & Liora Dudar

The beauty industry is a competitive one. In order to be an effective and powerful entrepreneur in the beauty space, you have to really set your product apart from others. This is exactly what the co-founders of hair color company, oVertone accomplished. What launched in 2014 quickly grew and oVertone became one of the biggest industry disruptors in the hair color world. Not only is oVertone a healthy hair color alternative with its vegan and cruelty-free ingredients, but oVertone is also a brand that values inclusivity, giving them a distinct edge. When it comes to building your brand, Liora says it’s okay to be money motivated. “It’s okay to put a pin in your altruism (unless it’s an integral part of your business model) and focus on growing your brand and your company. Once your business is successful, you’ll be able to make a much bigger impact philanthropically.” If you want to find out more about the company, check out oVertone’s LinkedIn page for industry information and news on the game-changing beauty company.

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey has definitely made her mark as one of the most inspiring and most successful celebrity entrepreneurs out there. Although she started out with a rough childhood, she grew up to be an anchor and news reporter, working on the morning program, AM Chicago which eventually came to be renamed the infamous The Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah has since then grown to be a billionaire, has created her own network, OWN, donated millions to her charities and has become one of the most powerful women in the world. When giving her commencement address at Smith College, Oprah stated the importance of being aware of what you’re good at and therefore what you’re meant to do which is called the “power of service.” After recognizing her power of service, she credited her success to doing shows that were only in alignment with her truth. This allowed her show to run for 24 seasons with over 5,000 broadcasts, donate millions to charities and turn herself into a billion-dollar mogul.

Indra Nooyi

Indra made her mark in the business world by being the CEO of Pepsico. for 12 years. Throughout that time, she has consistently ranked as one of the most powerful women in the world. This is a startling statistic seeing as how fewer than 5% of companies in Standard & Poor’s 500 are led by women. While she was CEO of Pepsico., sales grew 80% and changed Pepsi into a greener, more eco-friendly company. Along with creating a greener initiative, Indra also wanted to put the focus on healthier products Pepsi could offer to their consumers due to an increased interest in healthy alternatives. Even though her reign has ended at Pepsico., she is teaching at West Point and is currently on the board of Amazon.

Upon resigning at Pepsico., she gave the sage advice of balancing work and personal life, “Make the most of your days and make space for the loved ones who matter most. Take it from me. I’ve been blessed with an amazing career, but if I’m being honest, there have been moments I wish I’d spent more time with my children and family. So, I encourage you: be mindful of your choices on the road ahead.”

Who are the women entrepreneurs you look up to in life?

About the Author

Tara L. is a writer who is passionate about women in business and women’s empowerment. When she’s not writing, she’s spending her time with her family and dogs.