Beyoncé was right when she said girls run the world. With Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day both falling in March, Elite Daily asked 10 women business founders to share their biggest pieces of advice for young female entrepreneurs looking to start their own company.
These interviews have been edited for length and clarity.
Who: Founder of Everyday Human, a cruelty-free and eco-friendly skin care company.
Advice: Be intentional about your company’s branding.
“We stand by causes we believe in, like inclusivity and sustainability, but we don't take ourselves too seriously (or else we won’t name our products Resting Beach Face). I think there’s something nice about the contradiction,” Pienaar said.
Who: Co-founder and CEO of CoziRose, an earring company for people with or without pierced ears.
Advice: Don’t be afraid of failure.
Two of the biggest hurdles CoziRose faced when starting out were “related to mindset and money.” Rose tells aspiring entrepreneurs to “embrace failure” as “it is your most excellent teacher.” She said they “learned more from our failures than from our successes.”
Who: Founder of By / Rosie Jane, a clean fragrance company.
Advice: Be authentic to who you are with your business.
By leaning into her multi-faceted life as a mom, teacher, and homemaker to influence her products, Johnston says being the most authentic she’s ever been “shows in our marketing and product development.”
Who: CEO of Bocce’s Bakery, an all-natural pet treats company for your fur friend at home.
Advice: Be prepared to roll with the punches.
“You will inevitably run into roadblocks,” Wen advises aspiring female entrepreneurs. However, she also emphasizes that “there are always ways to keep going if you are persistent.”
Who: CEO of Chamberlain Coffee, a coffee and tea company.
Advice: Don’t be afraid to switch gears if something isn’t working.
Realizing that a rebrand with a new look and cohesive aesthetic needed to happen was one of the biggest lessons Chamberlain learned when starting Chamberlain Coffee. Chamberlain says it started out as “a very different company from what it is today.”
Who: The co-founder of Pili Ani, an award-winning natural skin care line.
Advice: Feedback can be your best friend.
Tan-Ong encourages wannabe business owners to “learn to accept feedback, whether positive or negative, and grow from it.”
Who: Founder of The Organic Skin Co., a skin care and makeup brand from New Zealand.
Advice: Find your allies.
Having a great support team is important. Douglas says aspiring entrepreneurs should seek out “people who believe in you and your business and are there to help guide you when you feel lost or out of your depth.”
Who: CEO of Spa Girl Cocktails, a canned spirits brand.
Advice: Accept that you’ll need to wing it sometimes.
“You learn so much once you get your business out there,” Beyer says. “You can spend weeks planning things out, but you’re always going to learn more through trial and error.”
Who: Founders of Art Angels, a Los Angeles NFT gallery with celebrity clients like Kylie Jenner and Elon Musk.
Advice: Don’t be afraid to be different.
With only 5% of women in NFT art sales, Napal and Emery are paving the way for more women to ensure “future generations don’t encounter such a high entry barrier into the art world.”
Who: Founder and CEO of Bev, a women-owned canned wine brand.
Advice: Take leaps of faith.
Peabody advises people thinking about starting a business to “just do it.” “Take the leap of faith, take risks at a young age, and ultimately, try to think about putting yourself in a situation where failure is not an option,” she says.