Many believe business to be a “man’s world.” Little do people know, countless successful business are completely founded, owned, & run by some incredible women. In celebration of Women’s History Month, let’s take a moment to highlight some awesome female-run companies in New York City:
Emily Weiss, Glossier
Emily started a women’s grooming site, “Into the Gloss,” out of her studio apartment in 2010 & later grew her dream into a multi-million dollar cosmetics brand that we all swear by today, Glossier.
Jordana Kier & Alexandra Friedman, LOLA
Jordana & Alex, both graduates of Dartmouth, founded the latest & greatest feminine care products company, LOLA. This company revolutionized the industry by giving women the ability to customize each purchased box of tampons & pads, & the frequency at which they are delivered. Check out Nicole Bregante’s article from a while back where she goes into detail about why we should all be switching to LOLA!
Christina Tosi, Milk
Christina founded the enormously popular bakery chain, Milkbar, in 2008, best known for its crack pie & cereal milk soft-serve. If you haven’t heard of Milk, surely you’ve seen trendy pictures on Instagram of Christina’s aesthetically-pleasing & absolutely tasty at-home creations.
Hannah & Marian Cheng, Mimi Cheng’s
Hannah & Marian could never find a plate of food in the city that felt like home, so in 2014 they opened what is now one of the hottest spots in Nolita, making Taiwanese dumplings by hand every single day. What do Hannah & Marian have to say about running a business in New York as a woman? “Ignore the naysayers – what they say is a reflection of themselves, not you.”
Jenny Fleiss & Jenn Hyman, Rent the Runway
Jenny & Jenn met at Harvard Business School & later revolutionized the fashion industry with their 2009 launch of Rent the Runway, an online platform that gives millions of women the opportunity to rent apparel & accessories from over 450 top designers at a discounted price. RTR also has flagship stores in several urban cities like Chicago, San Francisco, Washington D.C., & of course, New York!
Reshma Saujani, Girls Who Code
Reshma set her sights on closing the gender gap in technology early on in her education & career, founding Girls Who Code, a set of programs & learning opportunities that builds the largest pipeline of future female engineers in the country – a sisterhood of techies!
While these are just a few of female-run companies in the city, it is a true testament to what women can do, specifically in the realm of business. Look out for more female-owned or female-run businesses the next time you take a trip to Manhattan – supporting other women is just one thing we can do to further female advancement. Happy Women’s History Month!