Inspirational Women in Business商界巾帼也励志

达雷尔·扎霍尔斯基

Women-owned businesses continue to be the shining light in the current market. According to the Center for Womens Business Research， female entrepreneurs generate $2.3 trillion to the American economy and employ more than 18 million people.

There are many examples of women in business success stories but we did not have to dig deep to find the truly inspirational female business leaders. The following women in business have overcome great odds and serve as a beacon for all those to follow.

Each of these examples provides varying degrees of hardship and success. Some， like former Washington Post CEO， Katharine Graham， had no idea of the ability in her until tragedy struck. Others， like Oprah Winfrey， have the spark of greatness within them. As William Shakespeare stated， “Be not afraid of greatness; some are born great， some achieve greatness， and others have greatness thrust upon them.”

Katharine Graham， CEO Washington Post

Grahams rise to publishing leadership was something “thrust upon” her. Following her husbands death from suicide depression， Katherine had chosen to fill her husbands shoes as the Posts publisher.

Katherine had no idea of the greatness ahead of her but as stated in her autobiography “Personal History”， “What I essentially did was to put one foot in front of the other， shut my eyes， and step off the edge”. That courage led her to become the first female CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Katherines success can be summed up by her words， “To love what you do and feel that it matters—how could anything be more fun？”

Ruth Handler， Founder of Mattel & Barbie Creator

California female entrepreneur， Ruth Handler transformed her belief of girls playing with paper dolls， to dolls with breasts being vital to the childs self-esteem. That belief led to the icon everyone knows as Barbie. From a garage in 1945， Mattel grew to become a Fortune 500 company. Ruths understanding of self-image continued later in life when she developed the “Nearly Me” breast prosthesis1 following a mastectomy2. Disliked by feminists， Handlers ability to stick to her vision shows the trait required by all small business owners.

Mary Kay Ash， Founder Mary Kay Cosmetics

Probably one of the most significant impressions left upon womens opportunities to succeed in business was from the positive and giving attitude of Mary Kay Ash. Mary Kay entered the world of selling for a company called Stanley Home Products.

Throughout her career， she won numerous awards and upon retirement decided to take the entrepreneurial plunge and build her “dream business”. And what a business it was， Mary Kay Cosmetics has gone on to change the lives of millions. Success did not come easy to Mary Kay， her husband died one month before the company launch but her philosophy endured， “If you think you can， you can. And if you think you cant， youre right.”

Oprah Winfrey， Chairman Harpo， Inc.

The first African-American woman to become a billionaire， Oprah overcame her own trials and tribulations stemming from child abuse. Oprah began her television career at seventeen and her star was lit when she turned around the failing “AM Chicago” show. Oprahs business and career success can be attributed to her passion for helping others.

Oprah clearly states her corporate mission for The Oprah Winfrey Show “... is to use television to transform peoples lives， to make viewers see themselves differently and to bring happiness and a sense of fulfillment into every home.”

These women represent a small sampling of many great women in business influentials. The one common thread among the stories of success is that success does not come easy. Success goes hand in hand with hardship and challenges. Never lose sight of your small business struggles， they are a requirement for great things.

女性创办的企业仍旧是当下市场的亮点。女性商业研究中心数据显示，女企业家为美国经济贡献2.3万亿美元，手下员工超过1800万人。

女性管理企业的成功案例比比皆是，无须深挖即可发现其中真正励志的领军人物。以下几位女性劈波斩浪，犹如灯塔给所有后来者引路前行。

这几位女企业家都经历过不同程度的苦辣酸甜。像《华盛顿邮报》前首席执行官凯瑟琳·格雷厄姆那样的人，厄运降临前根本不晓得自己有多大本事。还有像奥普拉·温弗瑞那样的人，内心本就强大。诚如莎士比亚所言：“莫要惧怕伟大;有人生来伟大，有人造就伟大，有人就要担当伟大。”

《华盛顿邮报》首席执行官凯瑟琳·格雷厄姆

格雷厄姆领军出版界，算是她“担当”而为。丈夫因抑郁症自杀后，凯瑟琳决定接替他继续出版《华盛顿邮报》。

凯瑟琳对日后的伟大成就始料未及，但正如她在自传《个人历史》中所说：“我无非就是摸着石头过河，不管不顾，如走钢丝。”正是凭借这种勇气，她成为了《财富》世界500强中首位女性首席执行官。凯瑟琳的成功可以用她自己的话来概括：“干一行爱一行，感悟它的价值——还有什么比这快乐呢。”

美泰玩具创始人、芭比娃娃发明者露丝·汉德勒

加州女企业家露丝·汉德勒一改自己对女孩玩纸娃娃的看法，认为娃娃应该有关乎女孩自信心的胸部，由此创造出无人不知的芭比娃娃。美泰公司1945年从一间车库起家，如今已跻身世界500强。露丝对女性自我形象的理解直到晚年也没有改变。在因病切除乳房后，她研发出品牌义乳Nearly Me。女权主义者并不喜欢汉德勒，但她能够坚持己见，这正是所有小企业主需要拥有的特质。

玫琳凯化妆品公司创始人玫琳·凯·艾施

玫琳·凱·艾施积极向上，乐于奉献——人们觉得，这样的心态可能是让女性有机会在商界取得成功的重要因素。玫琳·凯由在斯坦利家居用品公司做销售而入行。

职业生涯中她获奖无数，退休后决定一展身手，创建自己的“梦想事业”——玫琳凯化妆品公司。这是一个多么成功的企业啊，改变了千百万人的生活。对玫琳凯来说，成功实属不易。就在公司成立前一个月，丈夫离世，但她坚守自己的人生信条：“觉得自己行，你就行;觉得自己不行，趁早别干。”

哈普公司董事长奥普拉·温弗瑞

奥普拉战胜儿时受虐待带来的磨难和痛苦，成为美国首位非裔女性亿万富翁。她17岁就投身电视行业，后因扭转《早安芝加哥》节目的惨淡而一举成名。奥普拉在公司经营和电视事业上的成功可以说是得益于她乐于助人。

奥普拉明确表示，《奥普拉脱口秀》的使命“……就是用电视改变大众生活，帮观众发现不同的自我，给家家户户带来幸福满足。”

具有影响力的杰出女企业家还有很多，以上几位只是一小部分代表。这些成功故事有一个共性，那就是成功不易。成功与困难、挑战相生相随。绝不要轻视小企业的发展奋斗，那是成就大事业的必由之路。□

（译者单位：广西民族大学）