Who Runs The World? American Business Women!

In honor of American’s Business Women’s Day being September 22nd, we wanted to give you a list of phenomenal business women and their success stories to inspire you in building your empire. The business world can be tough and you have to hang on to the successes of others to remember that you’ll get there one day!

Oprah Winfrey

“Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.”

Oprah Winfrey has become one of the most famous and successful women in television and in business. From her very own talk show to now having her own complete network, Oprah has excelled in building her business. Surprisingly, at 23 years old she was fired from her job and told that she was unfit for television news. Luckily for the rest of us, she did not listen to this feedback. Oprah’s life has not always been perfect and has faced many trials and setbacks. What has made her so incredibly successful is that she was determined to be the maker of her own destiny and never gave up.

Indra Nooyi

“Leadership is hard to define and good leadership even harder. But if you can get people to follow you to the ends of the earth, you are a great leader.”

Indra Nooyi is the current CEO of PepsiCo and has been making moves to continue furthering the company's success. Since Nooyi has been in the position of CEO, profits have jumped 16% and outpaced many other companies in stock value. Indra Nooyi is continuing to grow both her personal success and the company’s and doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon!

J.K. Rowling

“We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all of the power we need inside ourselves already.”

J.K. Rowling created the world of Harry Potter and millions of people instantly fell in love with the lives and narratives she imagined up. Although J.K Rowling isn’t a business woman in the traditional sense, expanding her influence and work into film was no easy feat. This move not only made her more famous but also added to the empire she had already built.

Sallie Krawcheck

"If you haven't had a major fail in your career - face-plant level - you aren't trying hard enough.”

Sallie Krawcheck has been named one of Wall Street's most powerful women. Currently she is the CEO and co-founder of Ellevest. Ellevest operates as a digital financial advisor for women, and has more than 30,000 members in 130 countries. Krawcheck could have given up when Bank Of America decided to fire her from her position as president of the global wealth and investment management division, but instead she took it as an opportunity to grow and rise in the business world.

Ruth Porat

“You can't cost-cut your way to greatness.”

Ruth Porat, also known as “Ruth Vader” at Google where she is the CFO, has been a major component in the companies growing success. Since becoming the CFO in 2015, shares have jumped more than 70% making it currently the world’s second-most-­valuable company after Apple. By increasing profit, Porat stands out by wanting to put her focus more towards investment than cost cutting. She is truly an incredible asset to the company and she is only going to continue to grow in success.

You!

You can be one of the world’s most influential business women. All it takes is an idea and the determination to see it happen. In many of the stories above, these individuals faced multiple setbacks, but their belief in themselves and what they had to bring to the table was always stronger than any doubt.

We hope the lives of these incredible women were inspiring to you! Spend some time today dreaming up how you want to be remembered.