Travel, check. Career, check. Relationships, check. Motherhood, check. Friendship, check. Pretty much anything, check.
They are founders, CEOs, and marketing managers. They are building empires, impacting communities, conserving the environment, and so much more.
Here are seven retail moguls that we’re celebrating this International Women’s Day. But there are so many of you out there, and you don’t have to be a celebrity to be crushing it. You’re already doing it.
1. Kendra Scott, founder and CEO of Kendra Scott Jewelry
Kendra Scott is a perfect picture of a self-made entrepreneur. She started her company with $500 back in 2002. Since then, she’s grown the company into a beauty giant, popular among millennials and celebrities.
But Scott is more than a successful businesswoman. She’s also an avid philanthropist and believes that “the truest form of success is giving back in a meaningful way.” In addition to her many causes, she helps raise money for breast cancer research, support for sick children, and avenues to empower young women leaders.
Scott also focusing on taking care of her employees. She offers paid parental leave and paid philanthropy days for her staff. Now that’s crushing it.
2. Shan-Lyn Ma, co-founder and CEO of Zola
Zola is a wedding services company that’s disrupting the traditional $76 billion wedding industry.
Before she started disrupting the traditional wedding industry, Ma worked three jobs to put herself through college. Today, Zola has raised more than $140 million and has expanded from a gift registry to a one-stop wedding services company.
Ma believes in creating a positive work environment for her employees and Zola has a “no asshole policy.” She also ensures that Zola maintains a diverse workforce. Her inclusive workforce helps create a seamless experience for the company’s diverse customers.
3. Julie Mathers, founder and CEO of Flora and Fauna
Based in Australia, Flora and Fauna is an ethical, vegan, cruelty-free online shop that sells everything from beauty products to home goods to clothing.
Mathers started her online store because she couldn’t find an ethical, cruelty-free lipstick. Flora and Fauna is a purpose and value-driven business that serves the needs of its customers while conserving the environment.
Since it’s founding, Mathers successfully built a self-funded online retail store that delivers personalized services to its customers. She considers her team as family and always includes them in the decision making process.
By creating a conscious, sustainable, and eco-friendly business, Julie is proof that it’s possible to make ethical profits.
4. Maria Raga, CEO of Depop
Depop is a UK-based online platform that sells secondhand clothes.
As the CEO of Depop, Raga has helped the company raise more than $100 million in funding and increase its sales by 85%. She’s also overseen the expansion of the company into the US with a mission of empowering young people to be entrepreneurs on the platform.
Raga is building an environmentally conscious business by making it possible for young people to buy and sell used clothes. In doing so, she’s building a business of the future for future generations.
5. Kate Morris, founder and executive director of Adore Beauty
Kate Morris is the founder and executive director of Adore Beauty, an online beauty store based in Australia. And she’s a true online retail pioneer.
With the help of a $12,000 loan from her boyfriend’s father, Morris started her business back in 2000 when she was 21 years old. Her aim? To create a positive cosmetic shopping experience for women.
She’s grown Adore Beauty from her garage to a beauty giant with more than 2 million staff and 150 employees. The company also received $400 million in funding.
Morris believes in creating a work environment where failure is welcome by encouraging her employees to experiment. Her resilience and determination show us that hard work pays.
6. Charlotte Tilbury, founder and president of Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Limited
Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Limited is a UK makeup and skincare brand.
Tilbury started out as a makeup artist and creative consultant for top supermodels and beauty magazines. In 2013, she launched her own beauty line using all the knowledge that she had gained in her career. She wanted to create beauty products that give women confidence.
To say that she has succeeded is an understatement. Her business has received more than 205 awards and her products are sold around the world. Charlotte is a great example of how to turn passion into profit.
7. Stacey McCormick, senior vice president of marketing of Aerie
Intimate-apparel brand Aerie is “committed to making all girls feel good about themselves, inside and out.”
McCormick has positioned Aerie as a body-positive brand that encourages customers to love themselves. One example of vision is the #AerieREAL campaign, which encouraged customers to post their untouched real-life photos.
Her customer marketing chops have increased the profits of Aerie and, respectably, supported the National Eating Disorders Association. Kudos to Stacey for showing that marketing doesn’t have to be sleazy.
Keep on crushing it
Whether you manage an online beauty store, own a corner pub, or oversee a specialty restaurant, you do what you do because you love it. So when you’re bogged down with things like creating schedules, manually addressing compliance issues, and keeping employees happy, you don’t have time for the good stuff.
Download The Definitive Workforce Management Toolkit to learn how you can continue to crush it — without the stress.
