Women Entrepreneurs in History

Today’s featured woman entrepreneur is Estée Lauder, one of the wealthiest self-made female entrepreneurs in America.

 The founder of the Estée Lauder cosmetics line, Ms. Lauder learned about business and entrepreneurship at a young age. She helped out at her father’s hardware store, where she gained valuable merchandising experience. Her uncle was amateur chemist and created face creams, lotions, and fragrances in a makeshift laboratory behind her family’s house. It was from him that Ms. Lauder realized her passion for making and marketing cosmetics. She would eventually begin selling her cosmetics under her own name, and started the Estée Lauder Company in New York in 1935. Her business continues to be incredibly successful to this day.

Ms. Lauder was the only woman on Time magazine's 1998 list of the 20 most influential business geniuses of the 20th century. In 1998 she was also inducted to the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame.

Estée Lauder was truly an amazing lady entrepreneur. She was a talented businesswomen who aimed for the best from the beginning, starting our at Saks Fifth Avenue instead of trying to sell her products in lesser known stores first. Her dedication and hard work is inspirational for female business owners everywhere.

“I didn’t get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it.” – Estée Lauder