5 business women to inspire you

The success of these businesswomen serves as inspiration for millions of women who, when they see how far these female figures have managed to come through a lot of effort and dedication, feel motivated to pursue their dreams.

The importance of representation

As everyone knows, being a woman in business is not an easy task. Although this scenario is gradually changing, this sector is still very much dominated by men. This makes the challenge of being a successful entrepreneur even greater.

When we come across stories like the ones we are going to tell today, we can see how these great women play an excellent role as entrepreneurs.

Their performance in a market still largely dominated by men can be a great way to empower future leaders and businesswomen who seek a world with more equality and opportunities for professional growth for women.

5 business women to inspire you

Female entrepreneurship has stood out in several market segments, such as finance, beauty and retail, for example.

To further inspire this movement, we have selected 5 women who stand out in their fields through entrepreneurship and leadership. They are:

Luiza Helena Trajano

This is perhaps the figure on the list that is best known to the general public. Born in Franca, a city in the interior of São Paulo, Luiza Trajano became known for leading one of the largest retail companies in the country: Magazine Luiza.

In addition to the retail sector, today the company also offers various types of financial services to meet the needs of the public, such as LuizaCred (financial services), LuizaSeg (sale of insurance) and Consórcio Luiza (sale of consortiums).

Although she is no longer in charge of the presidency – having passed the position of CEO to Frederico Trajano, one of her sons – Luiza has become a reference in the area of entrepreneurship, for successfully leading a true empire.

Another very significant achievement in Luiza Trajano's history is her leadership of the Grupo Mulheres do Brasil, a group created with the aim of encouraging female participation as a whole in the market and eliminating inequalities based on gender, race and social status.

Cristina Junqueira

Here in Brazil, Nubank's trajectory is already a success in the financial sector. The fintech, which has opened doors for a series of other companies, has Cristina Junqueira as vice president and one of the three co-founders of the startup, back in 2013.

Graduated in Production Engineering from USP, Cristina completed a master's degree and MBA in Business at the Kellogg School of Management, and has experience at Itaú, LuizaCred and Unibanco.

This experience allowed Cristina, together with David Vélez and Edward Wible, to found Nubank in 2013.

The startup's initial purpose was to go against the tide of high fees charged by traditional banks present in the market at the time.

I don't even need to say that the initiative was a success and the purple card conquered the whole of Brazil, right?

One of Cristina's professional achievements that deserves to be highlighted is her inclusion in the American magazine Fortune, on the Fortune Under 40 list of 2020, being the only Brazilian on the list. This is one of the main ways in which her success in the business world is recognized.

Another historic achievement of Cristina was her appearance on the cover of Forbes, representing the list of 20 most powerful women in Brazil. The cover is considered historic for being the first Brazilian cover – and one of the first in the world – to show a pregnant woman starring in the edition of a business and economics magazine.

CONTINUE

Heloisa “Zica” Assis

Another important figure on the list is entrepreneur Heloísa Assis. Known as Zica, Heloísa worked as a nanny, cleaner and saleswoman before finding her true calling: the beauty industry.

At the age of 21, Zica began her studies to become a hairdresser.

During this period, she noticed the lack of specific products for treating curly, frizzy and wavy hair. With the knowledge gained from the course, Zica began to develop products suitable for these hair types.

After years of testing the products on herself and her family, she was able to achieve the final result she was looking for.

Only then, after much effort and with the help of 3 other founding partners, in 1993, the Beleza Natural salon was born.

Located in Tijuca, a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, the salon's proposal was focused on serving these types of hair. Despite the small initial investment, it didn't take long for the institute to expand, leading to the creation of the first branches in Duque de Caxias and Jacarepaguá in 1995.

In 2004, Cor Brasil Cosméticos, Beleza Natural's own factory, was opened. In 2013, the American magazine Forbes included Zica in the list of 10 most powerful women in Brazil.

Currently, Instituto Beleza Natural is one of the main references in the treatment

and care for frizzy, wavy and curly hair throughout Brazil, ensuring that Zica Assis is one of the leading figures in the beauty and well-being industry.

Patricia Bonaldi

A well-known name in the fashion world, Minas Gerais designer Patrícia Bonaldi began her career through a multi-brand store selling party items.

After working in this sales area and dealing with a wide range of clients, Patrícia realized that many of them were looking for more customized and different pieces.

It was from then on that the designer began to invest in pieces of her own design, starting her brand, which bore her name.

After much effort, the brand conquered its space in the world of new, resulting in the launch of its second brand, PatBo, in 2012. The launch took place 10 years after the launch of the first brand.

Both brands became huge successes, and today, Patrícia has become a fashion reference here in Brazil. Currently, the brand has 9 of its own physical stores, in addition to selling its products to more than 100 multi-brand stores throughout Brazil, the United States and some European countries.

Carla Sarni

And last but not least, we have dentist Carla Sarni.

As she came from a humble family, Carla had to work as a street vendor, selling clothes and accessories to pay for her dentistry studies. After graduating, Carla began working in the field.

However, early on, she realized that most dental treatments were very expensive, making them inaccessible to people with lower incomes.

It was in order to serve this segment of the population that the dentist created Sorridents.

The venture became a success and, today, has become a franchise network, being the largest network of dental clinics in Latin America.

All this success has helped make Carla one of the most successful female entrepreneurs in the country.

Conclusion

After reading this, we can conclude that, if it depends on the representation that these female figures carry, the future of entrepreneurship in Brazil tends to be increasingly present in the lives of women, allowing them to break down the barriers built by machismo and conquer their rightful spaces in the business world!

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Business