When you think of the many famous entrepreneurs there are, which are the first that you think of? Bill Gates of course, the creator of Microsoft comes to mind, as does Richard Branson, owner of Virgin records and an entrepreneur that appears on Forbes’ list of billionaires regularly. But also consider that there are so many famous women entrepreneurs that rank among the top entrepreneurs in the world as well.
Some of these women not only make more money than most men in the world, but they have also proven themselves to be much more dominating in the world of business and have made names for themselves that will truly last forever. Here we’ve unearthed two of the names that you can’t help but think of when you think of famous women entrepreneurs – Oprah Winfrey, and Coco Chanel.
Oprah Winfrey
You can’t talk about famous women entrepreneurs without first talking about Oprah Winfrey. This businesswoman has truly made an art of being a successful businesswoman, a philanthropist, and entertainer all at the same time! Oprah is worth over one billion dollars and all of this comes from a talk show that she worked on and moved to Chicago for. The talk show was called AM Chicago and Oprah has always talked about the move as ‘just feeling the need to get to Chicago” because she knew that great things waited for her in the Windy City. And she was right!
After quickly proving that she could not only compete with the likes Phil Donahue, but actually surpass him in ratings, the show was soon called The Oprah Winfrey Show. Here she came every day and provided viewers with everything they needed to know about shocking scandals, weight loss, beauty tips, current news, and other talk-show subjects. But just having the show named after her was not enough.
In 1988 Oprah created her own production facility, called Harpo Studios, which is still where all of her business interactions are done. Harpo Studios in Chicago is also where Oprah now films from. Currently, Oprah still nets 30 million viewers a week and has remained the number one talk show for the past 18 seasons.
In 2000 Oprah Winfrey expanded her business venture by creating O, The Oprah Magazine, which has more regular subscribers than any other woman’s lifestyle magazine. In addition to getting herself involved in both print and television media, Oprah also opened up a school for girls, The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy in 2007. This was actually just the icing on the cake though on Oprah’s list of philanthropic efforts. She’s also been the founder of The Angel Network since 1997 and has done extensive work for many different charities. There’s little wonder why Oprah Winfrey remains at the top of the list when it comes to famous women entrepreneurs.
Coco Chanel
Women around the world today can still thank the original fashion icon, Coco Chanel, for wardrobe staples such as the little black dress. But even more than just cute little wardrobe pieces, women can also thank Coco Chanel for changing the meaning of the word ‘feminism’ even though Coco Chanel herself would rebuke the fact that she was a feminist.
Coco Chanel was simply a young girl who, by the age of 17, had become so disgusted with the choices of clothing available for women that she started making her own. Coincidentally, the only things she had to start her designs were men’s blazers. So she started with those. Those blazers became one of the items that gave the name that Coco Chanel was and still is today. Coco Chanel was all about upgrading women’s fashion while giving them clothes that complemented who they were, and that were comfortable and practical to wear.
It was by the year 1920 that Coco Chanel had made her name as the “It” name in fashion. It was during the 1930s that Hollywood started seeing more of her and she earned the celebrity status she rightly deserved. Along with this celebrity status came a very high profile engagement to the Duke of Westminster. When she didn’t go through with the wedding, she simply replied that she was after all, Coco Chanel. And while arrogance such as this might have been unappealing in any other woman, Coco Chanel was able to carry it off with elegance, sophistication, and grace.
Coco Chanel not only had her finger on the pulse of fashion, she dictated what fashion would be for any era whether it was gypsy skirts, costume jewelry, or jersey suits. And everyone followed, and continues to follow by paying homage to Coco Chanel’s fashion in most designer trends that are released. And why? Well because after all, she is Coco Chanel.
