CELEBRATING women entrepreneurs ACROSS THE GLOBE

THE GT STORY PROJECT - W.FOUNDER

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Julie Poitras-Saulnier

Julie Poitras-Saulnier

It all started with a phone call from Frédéric Monette, Vice-President of Operations at Courchesne Larose, a century old, family-run fruit and vegetable distributor in Eastern Canada. In 2016, Monette called us and said that they were throwing away 16 tons of fruits and vegetables every single day, 365 days a year. I was working as a Sustainability Specialist in the food industry and David was working full time in the two other businesses that he also cofounded; a raw vegan fast food chain and a kombucha company. When we heard about that food waste issue, we quickly left everything from our respective projects in order to start LOOP Mission.

Culinary, Eco-Friendly Solutions, Food Manufacturing, Food ProductionGirlTable AdminApril 13, 2021Canada

Folaranmi Folayan

Folaranmi Folayan

The idea for the company came after working as a radio presenter for a few years. I kept getting requests for internship and mentorship from young people who would like a career in the broadcast industry. I also noted that there were very limited opportunities for training broadcasters outside of the conventional universities, so I thought; 'why not create an opportunity for these young people to learn and also get the internship opportunities they need'?

Journalism, Broadcasting, EducationGirlTable AdminApril 4, 2021Nigeria

Celine Hajjar

Celine Hajjar

In 2015, I had the great opportunity to go to Dubai where I began my journey in the fashion industry. Although it was very insightful, I was quickly made aware of the detrimental impacts the [fashion] industry has on the environment and the people behind our clothes. That's when I began researching alternatives and learning about sustainability in the industry - and eventually applied these learnings to launch NAFSI.

Fashion, Eco-Friendly SolutionsGirlTable AdminMarch 30, 2021Canada

Salma El Hayani

Salma El Hayani

L’Artchi, as its name explains, is a combination of architecture and art. It is a brand that specializes in architectural design but also designs its own interior decoration along with paintings and artisanal deco (like pottery for example). The idea is to bring more art to architecture and more architecture to art. L’Artchi is here to offer a complete architectural experience starting from an empty field to a beautiful project, delivered with its handmade interior details.

Architecture, Art, Design, Interior DesignGirlTable AdminMarch 23, 2021Morocco

Jessica Zavala

Jessica Zavala

I started working when I was 20 years old as a practice graphic designer, then I got hired, but I felt like my creativity was always limited. I wanted to be able to see my projects completed, so I started to make vinyl for cups, coffee mugs, shirts, and different media at home. I had such demand that in six months, I decided to open a store. I had so many customers and appointments that I wasn’t able to have a job and have my shop at the same time so I decided to quit. It was really hard but definitely the best decision.

Product Design, Personalized ProductsGirlTable AdminMarch 20, 2021Mexico

Sumreen Mahmood

Sumreen Mahmood

The most resistance I faced was from my own workshop workers who would randomly nudge my father [and say] "Get her married. Why do you bring her here?" Distant family members would come to my mother and tell her how humiliating it is that she's making her daughter a mere carpenter. Men in our society look down on a woman who works outside of home, especially like in my field where I have to visit homes, communicate with labourers, masons, and store keepers etc. But when you prove people wrong by actually accomplishing your goal then they look at you differently. When projects started coming and getting completed, people started getting close to me, respecting me far more than they used to when I started my work.

Design, Interior Design, FurnitureGirlTable AdminMarch 19, 2021Pakistan

Tsaone Bedi

Tsaone Bedi

When I first joined the corporate world in 2015, transitioning from being a practicing attorney in a law firm, I needed guidance when faced with challenges, opportunities, or situations I had never met before in my life. My mission was to be that person for those who came after me... In Botswana, unemployment is a major challenge, however, when young people are employed, a number of issues are raised about their behaviour, work ethic, and their expectations. I wanted to reignite the passion for corporate work, to encourage successful young professionals to speak up about their journeys and challenges.

Consulting, Professional DevelopmentGirlTable AdminMarch 18, 2021Botswana

Zeynep Osmanli

Zeynep Osmanli

I laid the foundations of this business in July 2019. While I was brainstorming about business ideas with my family, my mother explained how my grandmother got herself and her siblings educated by doing handicrafts at home and earned a living for the house in this way. When I heard this, I thought that thousands of housewives needed additional income, their hand-made skills and they could support the family economy. Assuming that a virtual market that can realize this can reach handicraft workers in every corner of our country, I bought my domain address that night and laid the foundations of my work that I love very much.

E-Commerce, Handmade Products, TechnologyGirlTable AdminMarch 16, 2021Turkey

Iguehi Aimienwauu

Iguehi Aimienwauu

I have always planned events for my friends and family - surprising people is one of my favorite things. After I graduated, I also worked for a year at an oil company. During that period, my friends told me to start my event planning company but I wasn’t confident about it at first. It was a hobby and I didn’t think I could make it a way of living. To my greatest surprise, I started getting booked by people I didn’t even know and that’s how we’ve been growing day-by-day.

Events Management, Design, Personalized ProductsGirlTable AdminMarch 12, 2021Nigeria

Gennevieve Awino

Gennevieve Awino

I have been making stuff for myself from my childhood. My passion for design was driven my my creative ability but was largely influenced by lack of access. The "good things" and the "beautiful things" were out of my reach financially so I found a way to create my own replicas and its a craft I carried through to my adulthood and birthed this business.

Fashion, DesignGirlTable AdminFebruary 23, 2021Kenya

Mariana Loeza

Mariana Loeza

I started my projects aiming to apply what I learned at school. I believe that economic growth is not against sustainable development. La Fabrica Cafetería is a sustainable specialty coffee shop based on the circular economy goals, the first of it’s kind in my city, and Sustenta Mx is an online blog that includes a podcast, infographics, images, and all kind of digital content in order to disseminate knowledge related with sustainable development.

Culinary, Eco-Friendly SolutionsGirlTable AdminFebruary 23, 2021Mexico

Reena Pandya

My first “business” was selling glitter water on my street when I was 5 years old! That lasted a day - until my dad came and told me to get back inside the house, but I would say yes, I always intended on having my own business someday… Being in the marketing industry for so long, I was always facing challenges working with agencies. Deadlines were never met, quality was always subpar, creativity was always lacking. My idea was to eliminate the struggle by creating an agency where these issues would not exist, in turn, providing efficient and affordable service.

Marketing, Brand Management, Advertising, ConsultingGirlTable AdminJanuary 7, 2021Tanzania

Dilayla Kopuz

Dilayla Kopuz

I believe that fashion is currently going through tremendous changes, and that we as designers and creatives have to find the most innovative and engaging ideas to make sure we produce the most sustainable options and remember that we are part of nature. [IM]perfectionists will be a great representative of sustainable living, conscious fashion, and art. My designs are timeless, seasonless, and trendless.

Fashion, Eco-Friendly SolutionsGirlTable AdminJanuary 7, 2021Denmark

Stephanie Anyamele

Stephanie Anyamele

In December 2016, I was so unfulfilled in my corporate career and I wanted something different. I thought of the life I wanted to have personally and career-wise and I could tell I wouldn't find it in my corporate role. In 2018, after being in Nigeria for a couple of months, we quickly pivoted and streamlined our focus and resources to best serve micro and small businesses in Nigeria based on the glaring gap in the market (as well as our personal and organizational strengths). Since the beginning, we've always wanted to positively impact lives and we have chosen to do this for business owners by improving their businesses. It presented an exciting opportunity to use my technical hard skills to improve human lives more directly.

Business Advisory, Business SupportGirlTable AdminDecember 30, 2020Nigeria

Christy Maingot

Christy Maingot

Upon graduating with my Masters and returning home, I worked for another design firm for a few years but there was no room for me to grow. I felt like I was not challenged and I decided to take the leap and venture out on my own. It was a difficult decision because I had no idea if I would rise or fall but I knew I had to at least try, regardless of the outcome.

Design, Interior Design, Home DecorGirlTable AdminNovember 16, 2020Trinidad and Tobago

Yana Immis

Yana Immis

There was a rather toxic environment in both of the places I worked at. I didn't like my job as I was no longer developing or meeting resourceful people and every day was the same. One day, as a coincidence, a few things happened that led to me risking everything and starting the business from scratch. I believe that immigration and education consulting are services needed by many individuals from developing countries who are moving to the developed countries. Mostly, there is no one to help or the services are too expensive, and this is where my niche is…

Consulting, Educational ConsultingGirlTable AdminNovember 8, 2020Germany

Mpho Raseroka

Mpho Raseroka

I believe I somehow always knew that one day I would like to own a clothing brand. It was on my vision board for many years until I pinned a name to it in 2015. The name and the motive behind the brand were something that I considered for years. I worked on the concept of the Jlove Brand for four years prior to its launch. I started spending a lot of time watching business videos and my relationship with God was also maturing. I figured, anyone can start a brand of their own with a fancy name, but I needed something that was beyond me.

FashionGirlTable AdminNovember 7, 2020South Africa

Samara Salas

Samara Salas

I always worked at technology companies even when I was not an engineer and I realized that to build great technology you need a good team, common sense, and product vision - that is why I started Common Sense. Also, we opened a new market instead of competing with development or software agencies. We add value and have a difference when we offer product concept design and software development. We create our own methodologies to deliver value and what our customers need.

Design, Product Design, Service Design, Customer Experience, Digital TransformationGirlTable AdminNovember 2, 2020Mexico

Ana Matos

I started to ask around the neighborhood shops if they needed any kind of service from me. They asked me, what could I offer them? What were my abilities? I answered that I had great abilities with social media. Then I started to help them, developing their identities and building business relationships online. By observing and being empathetic, I began to understand their strengths and weaknesses. I realized that what they needed was someone who believed in their business and could transmit their concept and value on social media. In this way, I was able to make a difference in their businesses, in order that they also could make a difference in the world.

Brand Management, Marketing, Public RelationsGirlTable AdminOctober 29, 2020Brazil

Jess Lennon Nussey

Our desire to start Cult was built from our recognition of the lack of female leaders in the creative industry. Although the industry has a large female work force, the decisions are still being made by the boys club. To add fuel to this, we know women are making 85%+ of the purchasing decisions in South Africa (and the world), yet advertising and marketing does not cater to the specific insights of each female target audience.

Advertising, Events Management, Brand Management, MarketingGirlTable AdminOctober 23, 2020South Africa