The face of business is changing, and often times, women are the ones leading the transformation. Across industries, women are building companies, driving innovation, mentoring teams, and challenging outdated norms to redefine what it means to be successful in historically male-dominated spaces. Being a woman in business today is about more than representation – it’s about opening doors, taking up space, and making a lasting impact. In honor of International Women’s Day, we asked 55 women business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals to share what it means to them to be a woman in business:
Being a woman in business means something entirely different to me now than it did a year ago. I became a mother this last year, and that changed everything in the best way. My priorities are clearer. The balance of my time is more intentional. When I’m in work mode, I’m locked in, focused, strategic, and decisive. When I’m with my baby, my brain flips into mom mode: present, soft, grounded. There’s a much stricter split between those two parts of me now.
Each role fills me up in a different way. Motherhood sharpened my ambition. The hours I have to work matter more, so I use them better. I waste less time. I trust my instincts more. I make decisions faster. There’s a new level of clarity that comes with knowing exactly why I’m building what I’m building. And I’m grateful that my son will grow up seeing how much my work fuels me. He’ll see that working hard matters. That caring about your career matters. That building something matters.
Becoming a mother has given me a better work-life balance than I ever had previously. When you run your own business, the lines can disappear. Now, they’re firm. Work time is focused. Home time is sacred. That structure has made me better for my clients, too. They see a leader who protects her energy, values her time, and shows up fully where she is.
Kourtney Jason, President and Co-Founder of Pacific & Court Book Publicity
As a woman who has spent 15 years in the software industry often being the only and youngest woman in the room by a decade, being in business means taking the opportunities I’ve been given and making the most of them. It means lifting others up with the privilege I’ve been given and building support systems for others to not feel alone. It means embracing what makes me a woman and bring it into how I show up on a daily basis.
Alenka Kyslik, CEO and Founder of Saha Collective
Being a woman in business means many things, but at its core, it means learning to lead with both empathy and authority — and knowing how to balance the two. We don’t just multitask across our work; we manage our own internal struggles while helping our teams navigate theirs. In that way, it’s not unlike parenting: we’re moving forward, trying to make a difference, and striving to show that the effort was worth it.
Kelly Brieger, Head of Communications for SRI
Being a woman in business means backing yourself, especially in industries like Finance where you’re often one of the few women in the room. It’s about being prepared, knowing your numbers, and not shrinking your perspective just to make others comfortable. For me, it also means showing that steady, disciplined financial leadership can be just as powerful as the loudest voice at the table.
Holly Manning, Finance Manager at Financier.com
Being a woman in business, especially as a CEO, means I don’t feel the need to model myself after anyone else to be taken seriously. I don’t need to act inauthentically, like someone who more traditionally “looks like a CEO” to lead well. I trust my judgment, say what I think, make the call, and own the outcome. I don’t dilute decisions to make them more palatable.
It also means I lead in a way that reflects who I am. I pay attention to how the work feels on the other side of the table. I care about performance and I care about people. I give direct feedback. I expect excellence. And I try to do it without ego and with deep heart.
For me, leadership is straightforward: be clear, be accountable, and be decent. Strength and empathy aren’t opposites. They’re the job.
Lauryn Warnick, CEO of Villain Branding
Being a woman in business means reclaiming the authority that was always there, not performing likability, but leading with clarity and depth. After rebuilding OG Solutions from the ground up following personal loss, I learned that strength comes from dropping the mask. Your voice becomes brand firepower when you stop softening it to fit someone else’s comfort zone.
For me, being a woman in business means helping other female founders do the same, drop the performance and start building brands that mirror their actual strength.
Gina Dunn, Founder & Brand Strategist of OG Solutions
To me, being a woman in business shows how far society has come in that more and more of us are leading teams, spear heading projects, and running both small companies and large. There is still so much discrimination in the world, and so many who continue to underestimate us, but every day the playing field gets more and more level. That doesn’t mean there aren’t set backs, but today’s girls and young women have so many more career options before them thanks to the women who came before us.
Adriane Meeus, Co-Owner and Project Manager at crisalisllc.com
Throughout my legal career, I have focused my efforts on helping the underrepresented, with a significant portion of my practice dedicated to securing compensation for minors and incapacitated individuals. I strive to fulfill the dual roles my law degree represents, serving as both an attorney and a counselor to my clients. Real problems require real problem-solving, and I use every tool available to deliver meaningful resolutions and lasting solutions.
Brittnie Panetta, Attorney at Matthews & Associates
Being a woman in business means dedicating my career to helping people who have been injured and ensuring their voices are truly heard. It also means being strategic and fearless by showing up exceptionally prepared, detail-oriented, and unwavering in my advocacy. I understand that the people I represent are at the heart of every case, and I take pride in communicating the magnitude of their injuries clearly and powerfully to opposing counsel, judges, and juries.
Elizabeth Kayatta, Medical Malpractice Attorney at Berman & Simmons
Being a woman in business means I give my all to both my work and my family. I’ve found that being a mom and a leader makes me better at both. I bring the same fierce dedication to building products that I bring to raising my daughter. Leading teams while being a present mom has taught me efficiency, empathy, and how to make every moment count.
Isabella Rossi, CPO at Fruzo
To me, being a woman in business today means leading with authenticity and conviction. It’s about bringing emotional intelligence, collaboration, and long-term vision to the table, not as soft skills to be minimized, but as vital components to creating sustainable businesses. It’s about holding the door open for other women, just as it was held open for me, because when more women get a seat at the table, businesses are stronger, cultures become healthier, and society is better as a whole.
Christina Reckard, President of Pat Summitt Leadership Group
For me, being an experienced female leader in business means having to build trust before anyone else believes you are capable of doing so. The golf industry was not built with women’s interests in mind, so, my transition into the role of Sales Director at BirdieBall Golf required me to prove myself based on my ability to achieve measurable results instead of simply knowing someone who can help get me in front of the right people. So, my ability to achieve sales goals and objectives with data-driven numbers, strategic planning, and strong communication skills was helpful to my success.
Katie Breaker, Sales Director at BirdieBall Golf
Being a woman in business means having the courage to reinvent yourself and the discipline to do it well. It’s building something of substance, rooted in experience, and refusing to dim your ambition as you evolve. As I grow, I’m intentional about extending my hand to other women so they rise alongside me.
Krista Cavanaugh, Founder of Spoleto Designs
Being a woman in this industry means I understand how deeply jewelry can matter. It is not just an object. It carries memory, identity, and intimacy.
Lee Bridge, Founder of TwentyFour
Being a woman in sports business means bringing a high-achiever mindset to a high-stakes arena while navigating the very real, often imperfect juggle of leadership and motherhood. I’m driven by the goal of making female leadership in sports a visible and respected reality, especially for my two sons. Ultimately, it’s about showing the next generation that you can be a powerhouse in the front office and still be fully present for the moments that matter most at home.
Raquel Braun, Co-Founder of Mulier Fortis
Being a woman in business means owning your perspective and leading with conviction. As CMO of King Swings, I bring a perspective shaped by experience that sharpens our strategy and better connects us to the families we serve. With executive leadership still lacking female representation, showing up confidently and intentionally helps drive meaningful change and inspire the next generation.
Janet Malin, CMO at King Swings
Being a woman in this business means setting boundaries early and staying consistent, the work has to stay precise even when the noise is loud. It also means navigating double standards without letting them shape your ambition. When building FORK Eyewear, I wanted to create a brand with a clear point of view, something bold and intentional that reflects both product and attitude. I lead with that perspective, and let the product and performance speak.
Hila Shtram, General Manager of FORK Eyewear and Chief Design Officer at Optimax Eyewear Group
Being a woman in the business of beauty means reclaiming the narrative around what beauty actually is. It’s about building with clarity; creating spaces, products, and solutions that respect women’s perspective, time, and individuality rather than pressure them to conform to a specific standard. To me, beauty should feel like agency, not obligation.
Kaitlyn Nelson, Founder of SKNdustry, board-certified Physician Associate, and national trainer
Being a woman in business means knowing you can reinvent yourself at any stage of life and having the courage to do it. It’s resilience, leadership, and the ability to command a room while leading with emotional intelligence. Women don’t peak in their 20s we sharpen in our 40s, 50s, and beyond, building businesses rooted in confidence, purpose, and the decision to never shrink again.
Cheryl Sharp, Founder or Back in the Game™: The Confidence & Dating Reset for Women Over 40 | Bestselling Author
Being a woman in business means inspiring other women at every stage of life to discover their entrepreneurial spirit and pursue their talents and passions in ways they may never have imagined possible. It also means building meaningful connections with like-minded women who create space for collaboration, visibility, and shared growth. And at its core, it means standing firmly in the value of what I offer, honouring my work as both a service and a product with confidence and integrity.
Joanne Clark, Founder of Exquisitely Bored, Author & Fractional CMO
I have run Archival Designs since 1983, and early on, clients would walk in and direct every question to a male colleague, not me, the owner. So I stopped waiting for validation and let the work speak: we built a catalog of house plans from some of the most respected architects in the country, purely on merit. And that’s what being a woman in business means to me. You don’t wait for the room to include you, you build a better room.
JoAnne Loftus, President and Owner of Archival Designs
For me, being a woman in business means combining empathy with consistency. At Wow Now Cleaning, I daily build processes between clients and the team, where it’s crucial to simultaneously listen to people and make quick operational decisions. For example, when urgent schedule changes or complex client situations arise, I don’t just solve logistical problems; I help maintain trust and an atmosphere of respect—and this, in my opinion, is what makes female leadership especially valuable in the service industry.
Khrystyna Boiko, Business Assistant at Wow Now Cleaning
Being a woman in business means I let the data do the talking. In my work as a data analyst and Co-Founder at Ink Removal, I’ve seen that the moment I pull up a dashboard and show the actual numbers, bias has no room to operate. The math is irrefutable and that levels the playing field faster than any argument ever could.
Johanna Chen Lee, Co-Founder and Head of Research & Insights at Ink Removal
To me, being a woman in business means creating something that actually helps people. I have grown both of my clinics by listening carefully and creating spaces where women feel safe and confident in their own skin. It’s all about trust and showing up for your clients each day.
Stacey Tapping, CEO & Owner at Beauty Sculpting Room
Being a woman in business means paying an invisible tax on every opinion I give, spending extra time building the case before the case gets heard. We just don’t get the benefit of assumed competence our counterparts get, so it’s also about playing the long game and building enough of a reputation through time. Sadly, that also means watching relationships I built and wins I drove get attributed to the team or some other superior.
Caitlin Agnew-Francis, Commercial Sales Manager at Desky
Being a woman CEO is a goal that I’ve always wanted, and I want to inspire other women to chase their goals. The road to success will have detours, but when you experience a challenging situation, look at the experience as an opportunity to pivot and take the leap to a new experience.
Sabrina Kidwai, CEO of Kidwai Collective
Being a woman in business means understanding that talent alone isn’t enough – there are unspoken rules, and they don’t apply to everyone equally. We’re often left to decode expectations that were never designed with us in mind. I believe it’s our responsibility to make those invisible rules visible so the next generation doesn’t have to figure it out the hard way.
Monika Malan, Career Coach
To me, being a woman in business means leading with strength, vulnerability, determination, and humility. It took a while, but I’ve realized that sensitivity, self-doubt, and even overthinking aren’t flaws, but strengths. They make us listen more intently, prepare thoroughly, and care immensely about the impact of our decisions.
When people feel safe, supported, inspired, challenged and encouraged they grow, which in turn = business growth. It’s about championing the highs but also acknowledging hurdles. I lead with authenticity. I also heavily believe in striking a healthy work life balance. I want my children to see me lead and grow a business, but not at the detriment of my family, so they understand it’s important to work hard, but live hard too.
Women make exceptional leaders and I am delighted that at Custom Neon, the majority of our leaders and managers are made up of women! (Many working mothers too!)
Jess Munday, Founder & Chief People, Culture and Strategy Officer for Custom Neon
To me, being a woman in business means leading as your full, authentic self while delivering exceptional results. I think about my mother-in-law, who built her business decades ago when women were expected to fit a mold. Because of leaders like her, women today have the freedom to build companies that reflect our values and voices while also being excellent at what we do.
Makena Finger Zannini, CEO & Founder of The Boutique COO and Co-Founder of HumanFirst Accelerator Services
Being a woman in business means leading with both strength and authenticity—bringing lived experience, not leaving it at the door. It means turning high-pressure moments into learning and clarity, and helping others do the same. For me, it’s about designing human-centric systems that adapt under pressure, fueling growth without burnout in an ever-evolving world.
Jenny Hoffmann, CEO and Founder, Sure Footing Consulting and Executive Director, New England Medical Innovation Center
As a female founder, I believe it’s important to build with conviction, even when most of your peers may have different experiences and backgrounds than you. Being a woman in business means embracing both empathy and drive, and recognizing that those qualities are not at odds with strong leadership. Most of all, it means keeping the door open so that the next generation of female founders see what is possible, and know they have the power to build great things.
Sarah Ahmad, Founder of Stable
Being a woman in business means believing that your voice, your ideas, and your dreams matter. It means having the courage to build something that reflects who you truly are, even if it looks different from what others expect. For me, it’s about creating work that feels meaningful, honoring both ambition and family, and defining success on my own terms.
Wendy Jensen, Founder & Author, Scandinavian Hearts
Being a woman in business means having the autonomy to design my schedule in a way that supports both my professional goals and my family life. It means being a decision maker, moving ideas forward without unnecessary delays, and no longer having to rely on or accept inefficient choices made by others.
Sheri Long, Owner of Sugar and Spice
For me, being a woman in business is the courage to transform my passion from an obsession to a career. As a leader in the pet wellness industry, I’ve learned that it isn’t just about ‘loving animals’; it’s about the grit required to bridge the gap between a passionate idea and a science-backed reality to create a product. It is that courage that earns me the respect of my peers and shows that women, too, can create, lead, and be successful in business.
Veronika Karubian, Founder & CEO of BioPup
Being a woman in the fitness industry, and not just as a participant but as the Head of Training, means challenging the misconception that this is a men-only field. It’s all about having an unwavering belief in my ability to lead by example and prove that women can deliver at the highest level. Most importantly, it’s showing the future generations that we’re not just a part of this industry — we’re leading it.
Maria Vazquez, Head of Training at MYWOWFIT
Being a woman in business means leading with compassion, conviction, and adaptability. Embracing change as an opportunity and the ability to quickly pivot when the unexpected happens is paramount. It’s all about building a supportive network and making a lasting impact that goes beyond results and shows up in how we build teams, partnerships, and brands with purpose.
Jen Root, Managing Director at Perhaps
Being a woman in my area of business means to me that I am able to use my innate ability to connect with people to help them solve their worries in their health. I see that our success is from truly hearing someone when they are hurting and suffering. We avoid the cold typical sales talk and goals because we know that real growth occurs because of the long-term trust and the small wins that we and our customers celebrate.
Sara Cemin, Head of Customer Relations at Helio Cure
Being a woman in business means defining success in a way that doesn’t require me to abandon myself to achieve it. It’s about creating impact from alignment, not exhaustion, and building legacy from wholeness instead of survival. For me, that means leading in a way that honors both ambition and emotional well-being.
Clarindria Addison, MS,LPC,NCC, CEO/Founder of Shift Consulting MKE
Being a woman in business means leading with both heart and head to clearly articulate your mission. It’s not all roses and sunshine as there are tough days but that’s when our super power of clarity kicks in enabling us to build communities which support one another. I love my fellow entreprenistas because together we cheer for each other’s wins, strategize over each others obstacles, and share valuable resources.
Bose Akadiri, Founder of Goal & Grind LLC
Being a woman in business means I must bring my full self to every single thing I do. I rarely get the opportunity to just be a business owner without also being a mom. I don’t want to show up as a friend without also bringing expertise, connections, and support from my work. I can’t afford to advocate for better systems, policies, and communities without considering how things impact the whole person. And what a wonderful privilege/honor/responsibility/burden/opportunity to get to be all of me all the time.
Sami Kinnison, Communication Coach & Co-Founder of Be Freaking Awesome
As I sit in my office, I often find myself watching the playful birds in the sanctuary I built outside my window, and I am filled with an immense sense of gratitude. Reflecting on my journey, I began my career in the funeral industry 36 years ago while living in a cemetery—at a time when women were rarely seen in this field. Now, having owned my own funeral parlor for 21 years, I truly cherish being a woman in this business as it allows me to lead with softness, kindness, and love, providing people with the comfort and care that comes from a woman and a mother.
Elizabeth Fournier, Owner / Undertaker of Cornerstone Funeral Services
Being a woman in business means building something meaningful while staying deeply rooted in purpose, not profit. For me, it’s about creating legacy driven work that honors stories, families, and the moments that matter.
Chari Pack, Founder of Persnickety Box
Being a woman in business means proving every day that technology and empathy are not opposites — and that the best products are built by people who understand both. As a Tech Evangelist at PhotoGov, I work in the space between AI and human experience to assist people through bureaucratic systems that can feel intimidating and cold. To me, being a woman in this space means that you inject that human perspective into every conversation — whether it’s our audience, our partners, or the embassies and consulates we collaborate with globally.
Olga Radevskaya, Tech Evangelist at PhotoGov
To me, being a woman in business is about reclaiming the narrative of my own career and owning my destiny. After realizing the traditional path wasn’t built for me, starting my own venture gave me back my agency and a way to contribute authentically to the world.
Lauren WuCombe, President of Edge Collective LLC
Being a woman business owner is a very gratifying experience for me. Knowing that I have the ability to create something special by bringing other women together and creating amazing connections between them is more than I could have ever dreamed of. For me, it’s all about making women feel important and empowered to challenge themselves and grow as a person.
Leslie Coleman, Founder of Suitcase Gals
Building a business feels deeply connected to how I move and teach. Guided by intention, being a woman business owner is less about force and more about alignment and quiet resilience. It’s trusting your intuition, leading with integrity, and growing something in a way that feels sustainable and true. As a new mom, this work means even more. I want my daughter to see that you can be both gentle and strong, that you can nurture and lead, and that building something meaningful starts from within.
Lily Collins-Sak, Founder, CEO & Franchisor of The Daily Pilates®
For me, being a woman running a business means believing everything my mom said I could be. It means seeing myself as capable of turning my dreams to reality. As a woman sometimes we are made to believe we have to sit in the background, but as I have built my business I have discovered I have a place in the front row.
Dr. Patricia Dixon, Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Being a woman in business means transforming lived experience into leadership and innovation. As the CEO of Total Rehabilitation Systems and inventor of O2MOVE, I’ve learned that women don’t just build companies — we build solutions that change lives. For me, it’s about resilience, responsibility, and redefining what’s possible in healthcare.
Amy Ellis, CEO of Total Rehabilitation Systems, LLC
Being a woman in business means striving for excellence and equality so it’s no longer “unique” to be a woman in business. It’s showing up every day, performing at my highest level, and eliminating the idea that my gender has anything to do with my skillset. I want being a woman in business to be so ordinary that my daughter’s generation won’t think twice about their place in any room.
Olivia Garrison, Director of Communications at Creative Click Media
For me, being a woman in business means shattering the myth that professional growth has an expiration date. Starting a new career in my late fifties proved that wisdom and resilience only deepen with age. By thriving in this chapter of my life, I’m showing that women have vital contributions to make at every stage of life. It’s incredibly fulfilling to lead with decades of experience, proving it’s never too late to reinvent yourself and make a lasting impact.
Bev. Farrell, Project Manager at Creative Click Media
To me, being a woman in business means coming to the table with a unique perspective. While logic certainly plays a significant role in my day-to-day work duties, I often find the understanding, patience, and humor that is so present in my female friendships positively impacting my projects as well. I learn a lot about communication from my girlfriends, which at the very least helps me draft a good email.
Brittany Hull, Senior Web Designer & Project Manager at Creative Click Media
For me, being a woman in business is about creating space for growth and collaboration, both for myself and for others. It’s an opportunity to lead with empathy, share knowledge, and lift others while pursuing my own goals. I value building genuine connections and creating an environment where everyone can contribute their best.
Molly Goldsmith, Digital Marketing Manager at Creative Click Media
In Summary: What It Means to Be a Woman in Business
Across industries, today’s women leaders are redefining success on their own terms by blending ambition with authenticity, performance with empathy, and growth with purpose. They’re:
- Leading with both strength and emotional intelligence, proving empathy and authority can coexist.
- Turning motherhood and life experience into leadership advantages by sharpening focus, boundaries, and resilience.
- Rejecting outdated leadership molds and choosing authenticity over performance or likability.
- Using preparation, data, and measurable results to overcome bias and build credibility in male-dominated industries.
- Prioritizing purpose-driven impact, mentorship, and opening doors for the next generation.
- Reinventing at every stage of life, proving that ambition has no expiration date.
- Building businesses aligned with values, where success does not require burnout or self-abandonment.
Cheers to International Women’s Day!
Happy International Women’s Day! These stories prove that being a woman in business isn’t about fitting into a mold — it’s about breaking them. Today’s women in leadership roles are reshaping what success looks like, and we’re honored to share their voices.
Did you know Creative Click Media is powered by a woman-dominated team? From social media and content marketing to graphic design and SEO, if you have big digital marketing goals and even bigger ambitions, the women (and men) on our team are here to help you execute, scale, and succeed. Your own success story is only a click away — give us a call or schedule a meeting and let’s build something powerful together.
