The world is witnessing change like never before. Every day, hundreds of companies are born allowing people to fulfill their dreams. Amongst all these evolution, the progress of women is still constrained to a great extent. Women entrepreneurs still face economic inequalities all over the world. Although the scenario has improved little bit and more and more women are coming on board, financial inequality remains unresolved. Women still earn 19% less than their male counterparts according to Fawcett Society Research.
There are still some women who dared to dream big and curved their own fate. Starting from absolutely nothing but a penny, they turned their fortune into millions. As the saying goes, “Some are born entrepreneurs, some are made!” Here are the stories of 5 such businesswomen who were born with absolutely nothing but a determination to make it big.
1. Indra Nooyi- CEO PepsiCo
“Leadership is hard to define and good leadership harder. But if you can get people to follow you to the end of the earth, you are a good leader.”
Hailing from a middle-class Indian background, Indra Nooyi made her way to the top by working as a receptionist during her college days. After her graduation, she worked at Johnson and Johnson and at the Motorola group. She also handled international corporation strategy projects at Boston Consulting group for 6 years. Today, she’s head of PepsiCo and has been awarded as the most powerful woman of the world by Fortune Magazine. She is an epitome of success and determination for every woman who dreams to be like her. Starting low on the ladder, her hard work paid off.
2. Hilary Devey- Founder and CEO Pall-EX
“I had no money and went without Christmas presents. I only owned three dresses; even though it was important I looked smart every day. ”
Hilary’s family lost everything after her father was declared bankrupt. She was always inclined to make money and so she left school at a very early age of 16. She landed herself in sales and logistics but was again not very convinced by the idea of working. She was into social affairs which she quit to work extra hours for money. She soon got married which didn’t last for long. After two failed marriages, she finally thought to start something of her own. After three years of dedication, her hard work paid off. She started Pall-EX, a freight distributing company without the backing of a single bank. She funded herself by selling off her house.
3. Michelle Mone- Co-founder and CEO MJM Ltd.
“I was naïve, I didn’t know what I was getting into. Just remember that you need to work your socks off, there’s no shortcut.”
Mone didn’t have a single penny in hand as she grew up. Luck and riches never favored when she was a child. She grew up in a one-bedroom flat and started to work at a tender age of 10 years, selling papers around. She was working at a fruit shop at the age of 12 years. When she was 15 years old, her father suffered from an illness which left him paralyzed. Mone was left with no option except earning money. She left school without any qualifications and started working as a model.
After some years, she grabbed a job at Labattas by lying on her CV. She became the head of sales and marketing within 18 months of joining. However, the company was bought and she was sacked.
She developed a “perfect” bra which was not only comfortable but also provided a good shape. In this way, Ultimo was born after 3 years of extensive research and 100,000 pounds in debt. Currently, she is the CEO and Co-founder of MJM Ltd.
4. Ursula Burns- Chairman and CEO XEROX
“Things happen to you, you will have to make sure that you happen to things.”
Burns was raised by a single mother in a housing project in Manhattan. The area was known for gangs. Her mother worked double shifts to raise her children and to send them to school. Her hard work paid off and Burns went on for studying at NYU. When she was pursuing her master degree, she applied as a summer intern at XEROX. She joined the company permanently after working as an intern for a year. She quickly rose through ranks to become the CEO of XEROX. Shortly after becoming the CEO of XEROX, she helped the company in its largest acquisition which was the $6.4 billion purchase of Affiliated Computer Services. Presently, Ursula is also the board director of the American Express Corporation, Exxon Mobile Corporation and the Ford Foundation.
Also Read: Womentrepreneurs- so few, why?
The world tags them as ‘powerful’ because they promised themselves to make it happen someday. Despite facing struggles, the goal was well marked. We all have it in us to achieve what we want. Many people even start as handicaps and defeat adversity in spectacular ways. Everything is possible; we just need to believe in ourselves. Dream big, achieve bigger.
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