Great Women of Business

After developing a scalp disorder that caused her to lose much of her hair, CJ Walker identified a market opportunity. So she developed her own homemade hair care products and marketed them to the black community. This would become an important business principle for her – necessity is the mother of invention. Sponsors! Pitney Bowes - For a free 60 day trial of a Pitney Bowes C200 go to PB.com/WOMEN Wunder - If you’re interested in helping businesses go solar while earning up to 7.5% annually, go to WunderCapital.com/WOMEN Gossip - Listen to episodes one and two of GOSSIP now on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your shows. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lillian Vernon had no formal business training but that didn’t stop her from starting her own business selling mail-order handbags out of her kitchen. An ad placed in Seventeen magazine for personalized purses and belts would lead to a multi-million dollar operation. Vernon would later become the first female-founded company on the American Stock Exchange. Sponsors! Halo Top - Halo Top is available nationwide. Find your pint at HaloTop.com. Follow them on social media @halotopcreamery. Ritual - Go to Ritual.com/WOMEN to sign up and learn more about Ritual vitamins. The Great Courses Plus - Get a full month of unlimited access to The Great Courses Plus for FREE at TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/Women. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Debbi Fields showed that anyone can make a dream business reality. As a young mother with no business experience, she was able to open her first cookie store in Palo Alto, CA in the late 1970s. She often gave cookies away, telling customers they were the most essential investment she could make. Debbi Fields based her business not on selling cookies, but on customer experience. Sponsors! Halo Top - Halo Top is available nationwide. Find your pint at HaloTop.com. Follow them on social media @halotopcreamery. Leesa - Don't miss these summer savings! Get $160 off a Leesa mattress at Leesa.com/WOMEN. The Great Courses Plus - Get a full month of unlimited access to The Great Courses Plus for FREE at TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/Women. Wunder - If you’re interested in combating global climate change, while earning up to 7.5% annually, go to WunderCapital.com/Women. Gusto - Sign up today get 3 months free once you run your first payroll at Gusto.com/WOMEN. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brownie Wise didn't just sell Tupperware, she revolutionized sales strategies and created lasting opportunities for working mothers. However, her volatile relationship with Earl Tupper cost her job, her contacts, and for years, her credit for making Tupperware a household name. Sponsors! Halo Top - Halo Top is available nationwide. Find your pint at HaloTop.com. Follow them on social media @halotopcreamery. The Great Courses Plus - Get a full month of unlimited access to The Great Courses Plus for FREE at TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/Women Lightstream - Listeners get an additional interest rate discount on top of LightStream’s already low rates. Go to LightStream.com/GREATWOMEN. LinkedIn - Go to LinkedIn.com/WOMEN and get $50 off your first job post. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Originally a plastics company, Mattel changed their focus to toys when co-founder Ruth Handler sensed a growing need for toys after the post-war baby-boom. Years later, she would disrupt the toy market by launching a doll for kids in the form of an adult woman. It would be called: Barbie. Sponsors! Pitney Bowes - Go to pb.com/WOMEN and get a free 60 day trial of a Pitney Bowes C200. ModCloth - To get 15% off your purchase of $100 or more, go to ModCloth.com and enter code WOMEN at checkout. LinkedIn - Go to LinkedIn.com/WOMEN and get $50 off your first job post. LightStream - Get an additional interest rate discount on top of LightStream’s already low rates at LightStream.com/GREATWOMEN See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices