International Women’s Day: What You Can Learn About Business From 5 Trailblazing Female Founders

International Women’s Day is on March 8th, and I usually spend the day reflecting and thanking the women who have inspired me. As we lead up to #IWD2020, I wanted to share some of the female entrepreneurs whom I admire and the big business lessons we can all learn from them.

1. Ty Stiklorius, Founder & CEO of Friends At Work

Lesson: Working behind the scenes can lead to the most impactful change.

Ty Stiklorius is singer-songwriter John Legend’s manager, which is impressive in its own right. I got to know her when John became one of Hint’s early investors after he stumbled across our product in Starbucks. 

In 2015, Ty founded Friends At Work, a company that combines artist management with a commitment to social impact. Not only is she one of the most prominent female managers in the business, but also she makes sure that her clients use their voices to speak out on causes. An expert dealmaker and negotiator, Ty figures out her client’s goals and intentions. Then, she helps them channel their talent and high profiles into activism. For example, she teamed up with John Legend for his #FreeAmerica campaign. The initiative addresses mass incarceration and other criminal justice issues.  

2. Maria Shriver, founder of The Women's Alzheimer's Movement

Lesson: When you have a platform, use it to make a difference.

When the legendary TV journalist, Maria Shriver, came to film a segment for the TODAY Show at Hint's offices in early 2019, I was nervous. But then I quickly realized that Maria is not only incredibly kind and generous but also we have a lot in common. For one, she’s the founder of the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement, a nonprofit that focuses on women’s roles in combating Alzheimer’s disease. Women make up two-thirds of patients and are more likely to be caregivers. It’s a cause close to my heart since my father had the disease. (Related: The Hidden Ways Alzheimer’s Affects Women—and What to Do About It)

Running a nonprofit—or any company—is so much work. Someone like Maria already has a high profile and a demanding career. But she knew she had a powerful platform and voice that she could use for good, and wasn’t afraid to take on a new challenge. How could I not follow suit? Recently, Hint partnered with Maria’s nonprofit on their Move for Minds event in LA. The day was focused on how keeping your body and mind active could help prevent the onset of diseases like Alzheimer's. 

3. Gregg Renfrew, CEO of Beautycounter

Lesson: Entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint.

When she was in college, Gregg needed a way to pay for a summer house rental in Nantucket. So she and her friends founded a house cleaning business. A few years later, she was frustrated with the low-quality options for bridesmaid dresses, so she co-founded a company to make better ones. That turned into The Wedding List, a registry company that Gregg sold to Martha Stewart Living in 2001. 

In 2013, she created Beautycounter, a cosmetics company dedicated to eliminating the use of harmful chemicals and byproducts. (They have a list of more than 1,500 ingredients that they don’t use.) I admire her career trajectory. There’s pressure in the entrepreneurial world to be continually launching something new, raising a lot of venture capital, and making a ton of headlines as a founder. What resonates with me when it comes to Gregg’s entrepreneurial path is that she founded companies when she saw the real-world value for them. And sometimes she waited a decade or more to start the next one. She knows that quality is more important than quantity. 

4. Katrina Lake, Founder and CEO of Stitch Fix

Lesson: Take that leap of faith and forge new paths.

I’m a big fan of Stitch Fix, an e-commerce company that uses professional stylists and cutting-edge data to figure out your style. You receive a “fix” of five items every month that you can either purchase or send back. There have been many clothing retail startups founded in the past decade. As someone working in a similarly crowded space (bottled beverages), I can attest that it takes perseverance. So I was surprised to learn that Katrina considers herself a risk-averse person. She stayed on the path to becoming a doctor for years before she decided to start her business in 2011. She became the only woman to take a tech company public in 2017—and the youngest-ever to do so at 34. (Related: When it Comes to Business, Don’t Just Think Outside the Box. Smash the Box)

What most resonates with me from Katrina’s story is that you don’t have to be crazy or obsessed with risk and volatility to be an entrepreneur. You have to find a problem to solve, the best people to help you solve it, and then you have to commit. What will get you across the finish line (or at least to the point of stability) is grit and perseverance, much more than a willingness to try anything in the book.

5. Rebecca Minkoff, founder and CEO of Rebecca Minkoff

Lesson: Storytelling can be your secret weapon.

Rebecca Minkoff’s handbags have been my go-to purses for years. But what really inspires me about her is that she’s committed to storytelling—both her own and others. She hosts a podcast called Superwomen, where she shares the stories of other women, from CEOs to artists. But Rebecca’s also incredible at telling her own story. 

Her fashion line launched right around the same time that Hint did 15 years ago, so I’ve been able to watch her grow from a parallel path. As a fellow entrepreneur in a similar position, I appreciate that Rebecca is frank about how hard it is to balance being a CEO and a mom. I got to see it firsthand when she launched her new kids’ collection this February at New York Fashion Week and Hint participated as a brand partner. 

Given her high profile, I was thrilled that she turned to a woman-founded brand like Hint as opposed to any of the loads of other beverage brands out there. Rebecca proves that you don’t have to fit a mold as a founder or CEO. You just need the ability to tell your own story passionately and help to elevate those of others.

Tell me: Who are the women you admire most and why? Please share in the comments!

You Might Also Like:

International Day of the Girl: How to Create Unstoppable Women

Why Having a VIP Backer Like John Legend Can Boost Your Business

Why Every Business Should Pay Their Interns

Kara Goldin is the founder and CEO of San Francisco–based Hint, a healthy lifestyle brand that produces the leading unsweetened flavored water scented sunscreen spray that’s oxybenzone and paraben-free and eucalyptus + lemon deodorant with 100% plant-derived ingredients and no aluminum. She is also the founder of The Kara Network (TKN), an online resource for aspiring and thriving business-minded people. Listen to her podcast, Unstoppable with Kara Goldin, where she interviews founders, entrepreneurs, and disruptors across various industries and keep up with her on Twitter,