1. Amy Porterfield – Online Marketing Expert
Amy Porterfield left the corporate marketing world to pursue her passion for helping others achieve their dreams “action by action.” She now runs multiple 7-figure online businesses on her own terms.
Amy has taken her experience of becoming a successful female entrepreneur and turned it into a profitable opportunity to support and educate others as they launch their own businesses. She details her journey, describing it as “anything but ‘high powered.’” Her experience was full of ups-and-downs, self-doubt, long hours, painful conversations, and missed games.
Amy’s persistence paid off, as she discovered how she could help others, build her business, AND make her son’s football games, all at the same time. She turned her experience into resources for those of you with the itch to break the working mama mold.
What key advice does Amy have for working moms and aspiring entrepreneurs?
In an interview with Boss Mom, Amy encourages moms to not obsess too much over work-life balance. You can only be in one place at once. Make your choice, stick with it, and move on to the next thing.
She also emphasizes business owners to “tweak more than you pivot.” One key to successful entrepreneurship is consistency. If something works, keep doing it. Be consistent with what you say, what you market, and what you do. Eventually, your persistence will pay off and you’ll become known for it – which is what every successful business owner wants.
2. Arianna Huffington – Founder of Huffington Post & Thrive Global
If founding Huffington Post wasn’t enough, Arianna Huffington has since authored 15 books, including Thrive and Sleep Revolution. After setting the stage for a new model in the media industry, Huffington has since set her mind to reducing burnout culture across the nation.
Her wellness business, Thrive, promotes work-life balance for both men and women, in an effort to “end the macho culture of burnout and ‘being always on’.” In an interview with Quartz at Work, Huffington doesn’t attribute her success to working long hours, never disconnecting, and never sleeping. Instead, she attributes her success to her willingness to fail.
And Huffington knows firsthand about failure – in and out of the office. Her persistence in the workforce translates to her persistence in motherhood. After facing the birth of a stillborn child at 36, Huffington and her husband pressed on. Huffington gave birth a few years later, and what did she face? Mom guilt.
As she worked to balance motherhood and entrepreneurship, Huffington speaks of often feeling guilty about working, but knew it was her passion.
Her advice? Persevere through the pain and stop worrying; it’s all part of how we, and our children, grow.
3. Katie Echevarria Rosen Kitchens – Co-founder & Editor in Chief of FabFitFun
From writer to curator to overseer, Katie Echevarria Rosen Kitchens successfully helped launch FabFitFun, sharing quality lifestyle products with millions of women around the nation. Talk about breaking the mold – Rosen Kitchens is your lady!
FabFitFun’s mission is to “inspire happiness and well being through new products and experiences.” A lifestyle membership for boxes of wellness products, FabFitFun was launched well before the days of grocery, clothing, and pet subscription boxes. With the goal of supporting women rather than preaching at them about wellness, FabFitFun set the stage for the subscription memberships many of us love!
Rosen Kitchens doesn’t just break the mold in as a female entrepreneur, but also as a mom. In an interview with The Newsette, Rosen Kitchens details how her evenings center around her family – not her job.
Part of what makes her so successful is her commitment to a healthy work-life balance. She works while she’s at work. She parents and mothers while she’s at home with her two girls. She and her husband intentionally set aside quiet time in the evenings. She prioritizes self-care and a bedtime routine so she is energized and prepared for the next day.
With intention, commitment, and perseverance, Rosen Kitchens has helped model a balanced path to successful entrepreneurship.
Want to learn more about FabFitFun for yourself? Check out their products here.
4. Jasmine Star – Photographer & Business Strategist
From law school to business owner, Jasmine Star also kicked the 9 to 5 career to the curb to pursue her passion. In just four years, she built a successful photography business, became a business strategist, and public speaker for entrepreneurs.
Her start to launching a business was not all sunshine and roses. It started with caring for her mom as she battled brain cancer and was followed by being a broke, jobless, newlywed. Her persistence to follow her mom’s advice of doing what she loved kept Jasmine pushing forward to grow a successful business and educate other aspiring female business owners.
Jasmine’s continued to grow her business while selling a home, renovating a new home and through the process of adopting a beautiful young girl. She and her husband’s journey to adoption was long and slow. She shares the ups and downs of the waiting, the unknown, the aching desire to adopt on Instagram, holding space for hopeful mothers everywhere.
Through it all, she “testif[ies] that miracles happen for those who remain steadfast, embracing the notion that life won’t look how we’ve imagined…it’ll be even better.”
5. Jenna Kutcher – Photographer, Podcaster, Educator, Aerie Spokeswoman
Life is messy. Building a business can be hard. No one keeps it more real than Jenna Kutcher.
Starting with nothing but a camera from Craigslist, Jenna launched and built a business while navigating the beauty of marriage, the messiness of miscarriages, and the wonder of childbirth and motherhood. She has since expanded her talents from photography to hosting a podcast, educating aspiring entrepreneurs, and promoting body confidence as an AerieREAL role model.
Jenna openly shares her story of entrepreneurship and life, detailing the challenges, the successes, the mistakes, and the lessons.
What kept her going? Her passion. Her commitment to authenticity. Her desire to leave a legacy.
One of the biggest motivators for Jenna has been motherhood. On her blog, Jenna discusses her fears around motherhood. One of her biggest fears is one many female business owners can relate to – that being a mom would take away from her business.
Instead, Jenna found motherhood to take ownership of key pieces of her business and delegate the rest. It helped her trust her team. It allowed her to let go. She gave herself permission to work part-time to best serve her business and her daughter.
Feeling inspired? Know your passion? Take the first step to writing your story of entrepreneurship. Soon YOU could be on the list of female entrepreneurs and changemakers around the world.
