What was once a highly male-dominated business world is now seeing a significant transformation with the rise of ambitious female entrepreneurs.

The number of women-owned businesses in the US has grown almost twice the rate of male-owned ones between 2019 and 2023. They now account for close to 40% of all enterprises, generating $2.7 trillion in revenue and 12.2 million jobs.

And there are some inspiring female entrepreneurs leading them. These are women who have broken the glass ceiling to achieve outstanding success with sheer passion and determination.

Here are six of our favourites.

1. Oprah Winfrey

Known as one of the most influential females in the world, Oprah Winfrey came to fame as the host of The Oprah Winfrey Show, which ran for 25 years with phenomenal success.

But she is not just a TV show host. At the age of 32 years, Winfrey started her own production company, Harpo Productions, which went on to produce hits, such as The Dr. Oz Show, as well as her namesake talk show.

This set the stage for a multimillion-dollar media empire, leading to Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), O, The Oprah Magazine, and various other enterprises.

Winfrey has also invested in multiple ventures, notably real estate and businesses, including Weight Watchers, which she exited this year.

She is now one of the wealthiest self-made women in the US and shares her success with the less privileged with Oprah’s Angel Network.

2. Rihanna

Rihanna’s net worth is around $1.4 billion, and it is not only due to her vocal talents. Her entrepreneurial skills have led to the rapid growth of her wealth, despite not releasing a music album since 2016.

Robyn Rihanna Fenty, better known to the world as Rihanna, has her own label, Westbury Road Entertainment, which she founded in 2005. She also co-owns Tidal, a music streaming service.

But a large part of her earnings come from her business ventures in fashion and beauty. Rihanna launched Fenty Beauty in 2017 in a bid to introduce a range of cosmetic products for diverse skin types. That year, it made Time magazine’s The 25 Best Inventions of 2017 list.

Today, the Fenty empire includes the lingerie brand Savage X Fenty, the Fenty fashion collection, and Fenty Skin, which produces skincare products. This year, she also introduced Fenty Hair, a haircare brand for different hair types.

3. Arianna Huffington

Unlike others on this list, Arianna Stassinopoulos Huffington began her entrepreneurial career much later in her life, at the age of 54.

She co-founded The Huffington Post in 2005, carving out a niche in the digital media space, focused on news in politics, business, and entertainment.

The platform’s rapid rise to fame became evident when AOL purchased it for $315 million in 2011. Over the years, The Huffington Post has also gone international, launching in Canada, the UK, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, and Japan.

Later on, Huffington also launched Thrive Global with the aim of helping readers combat stress and burnout and create a more balanced life. One year later, in 2017, this company was valued at $120 million.

Huffington’s legacy carries on through her business ventures in digital media and journalism. She has become an influential figure in the US, playing an instrumental role in reshaping how we see work and well-being.

4. Whitney Wolfe Herd

Born in 1989, Whitney Wolfe Herd has appeared in Time’s 100 Most Influential People list and Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for the remarkable success she achieved with the dating app Bumble.

When she was 22 years old, Wolfe Herd co-founded Tinder, together with Sean Rad and Justin Mateen. Two years later, she launched Bumble as a female-centric dating app.

This quickly grew in popularity, attracting millions of users and placing the app only second to Tinder.

And in 2021, when Wolfe Herd was only 31, Bumble went public and reached a valuation of $7 billion. This made her the youngest female to take a company public in America and the youngest female billionaire in the world.

Her achievements in business have had a profound impact on women, too, especially in empowering and inspiring female entrepreneurs, both young and old.

5. Payal Kadakia

The tech space seems to attract more and more women entrepreneurs striving to challenge the traditional male dominance in the field.

Payal Kadakia is a good example of this.

At the age of 29, Kadakia founded ClassPass, the popular subscription-based fitness and wellness app that serves as a search engine and booking platform for gyms, studios, spas, salons, and other related places.

The app was first launched in 2012 under the name Classtivity, which was rebranded as ClassPass in 2014.

It quickly drew attention, gaining 45 million bookings by the end of 2017 and a $1 billion valuation by 2020. Now, ClassPass is available across 30 countries and works with tens of thousands of businesses globally.

Kadakia’s entrepreneurial skills and vision have been recognized throughout the years, winning her a spot in Fortune’s 40 under 40 and Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People list.

6. Tory Burch

As with most other enterprises, Tory Burch’s multibillion-dollar fashion empire has had humble beginnings. She has expanded what started as a simple store in Manhattan in 2004 to over 370 stores across several countries in less than two decades.

In 2023, the company’s revenue reached nearly $2 billion.

With this level of achievement, Burch didn’t just make the pages of top fashion magazines like Harper’s Bazaar and Glamour. She has been recognized for leadership and entrepreneurial acumen in the business world, too.

Burch has been on Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World list as well as Forbes’ The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women list.

She has also won recognition for work carried out through the Tory Burch Foundation, founded to support female entrepreneurs with education, mentoring, small business loans, and networking opportunities.

To Conclude

From Oprah Winfrey, Rihanna, and Arianna Huffington to Whitney Wolfe Herd, Payal Kadakia, and Tory Burch, female trailblazers have taken over the business landscape (once considered a man’s world), generating trillions of dollars in revenue each year.

Their sense of purpose, passion, and determination will, no doubt, serve to inspire millions of women across America and beyond to pursue their life goals and reach their full potential.