Read inspirational stories of how these women entrepreneurs showed exceptional resilience. Support their businesses by joining our pledge to #BuyFromHer.

Stories of resilience from women entrepreneurs across the world.

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Afrin Shahnaz

Bangladesh | Taste Kingdom

Afrin Shahnaz started Taste Kingdom during a low phase of her life. But little did she know that her courage to dive into entrepreneurship will take her places. Here’s how she braved all challenges to make a name for herself.

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Sok Sothearath

Cambodia | Junlen

From an agricultural student who was intrigued by agricultural practices across the continent, Sok Sothearath became an award-winning entrepreneur who identified with the age-old problems of rural farmers in Cambodia and sought an inexpensive, sustainable solution. Read her story.

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Vriko Kwok

Hong Kong | Herbs’ Oil Hawaii

Vriko Kwok has made a name for herself through Herbs’ Oil Hawaii. It all started with a desire to help her business partner Tata Miyamoto’s son while also battling her own skin woes. With no available solution in the market, she and Tata turned to Hawaiian medicine and came up with a solid skincare brand. Through their venture, they have created a safe space where women can inspire each other through their journeys. Read her story. 

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Nicole Or

Hong Kong | FusionLens

Nicole Or founded FusionLens in 2017. She is a trained engineer who started her business developing mobile photography technologies. During the pandemic, she switched to an entirely new business venture beyond the scope of her training. Find out how she made it all work and came out a winner.

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Kitty Yip

Hong Kong | Addoilmusic

Kitty Yip’s Addoilmusic is on a mission to ensure that the less fortunate do not abandon their musical dreams because of a lack of stable income, support, or network. Despite challenges, she has come a long way and wants to reach out to as many children as possible. Read her story.

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Meybi Agnesya Lomanledo

Indonesia | Timor Moringa

In 2018, Meybi Agnesya Lomanledo founded her unique business of processed Moringa leaves in varied product forms. She tasted success early and right there with her were the Moringa farmers she had worked hard to empower. Then, the pandemic struck and her sales dropped by more than half. Find out how she stood strong and eventually turned things around.

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Dinni Nurhayati

Indonesia | Deandrahandmade

The lack of Muslim wear options in the market led Dinni Nurhayati to turn her passion for sewing into a full-time business. However, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the shutting down of her store. She didn’t lose hope and explored other avenues to stay afloat. Read on to find out how she saved the day.

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Dina Rosaria

Indonesia | Lori Fashion

Dina Rosaria founded Lori Fashion in 2017 in order to revive a traditional weave through her online clothing line for men and women. While she successfully empowered the local artisan community, the pandemic brought its own challenges. Find out how she adapted her business strategy to rise above the odds.

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Tissa Aunilla

Indonesia | Pipiltin Cocoa

Tissa Aunilla founded Pipiltin Cocoa in 2013. She exclusively used local cocoa and was keen to introduce the world to the taste of Indonesian chocolate. All this while promoting sustainable cocoa farming practices. The business took off and she had a few stores running successfully till the pandemic arrived, shut the stores down and sent her business into a loss. Read on to see how she changed her game and came out a winner.

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Wida Sadrahwati

Indonesia | Tulatali Craft

Wida Sadrahwati ran a successful handicrafts business using organic materials. All was going well until the pandemic forced her to let go of her team, making it difficult to keep the business alive. But, that didn’t deter her and she came up with a thoughtful solution. Here’s her story.

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Blanche Morrogh

New Zealand | Kai Ora Honey

Blanche Morrogh’s mission of showcasing the beauty of manuka honey was reaping great results. But the impact of the pandemic led her to relook at her business strategy. With support from her team, she was able to come out of a hard time. Here’s how she rebuilt her business from the ground up.

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Nadia Qamar Ali

Pakistan | Ajia Collection

Nadia Qamar Ali had a sewing talent and little else at the start. When she started making clothes for kids, she had no money to rent a physical store. And zero digital know-how. Find out how she moved past all this to launch her successful kids’ clothing store online in 2002.

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Bushra Shahid

Pakistan | BeesCraftLand

Bushra Shahid pursued her passion for art and craft and turned it into a full-time business—BeesCraftLand. While she had taken the first step towards entrepreneurship, she didn’t know how to grow the business. This impacted her sales. But, a deep dive into her strategy and she found the solution. Read more to find out how she boosted her company.

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Maryam Sarim

Pakistan | InstaEnergy

After working 17 years with corporates, Maryam Sarim left her job to start her own solar energy services business, right at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. Read her story to know how she followed her aspirations through tough times.

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Sanam Asif

Pakistan | Miryana Organics

Sanam Asif built a skincare business in the confines of her kitchen, but this gave her an opportunity to expand online, build a quality control model, and deliver on her brand promise. Read her story.

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Shayan Ather

Pakistan | Shayan Ather Photography

Shayan Ather runs a top photography/videography studio in Pakistan. Apart from its high standards of service and quality, the company is also special because it is women-led. The pandemic affected them badly and she had to relook at her basic business model itself. Find out how she got through it all.

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Leonora C. Magaling

Philippines | TLM Yema Buko Pie and Pasalubong Center

Leonora C. Magaling refused to stop growing. She went from distributing coconuts to making Buko-Pies out of coconut leftovers as a roaring business. She preemptively set up organic acclaim for her brand through Facebook, which eventually eased up the crisis she faced during the pandemic. Read her story.

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Nene T. Plamio

Philippines | Nene Prime Foods

Nene T Plamio didn’t have the ideal start when it came to entrepreneurship, but when she found her calling, there was no looking back. She consistently grew her team before the pandemic hit her business. But she was determined to tide over the crisis. Read her story.

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Trixie de Guzman

Philippines | Genuinely Everywhere

Trixie de Guzman was living her dream with her company, Genuinely Everywhere. She saw a huge year-on-year increase in revenue and also employed stay-at-home moms. Things changed in 2020 with the pandemic, and she had to transform to ensure her employees are able to support their families. Read on to know how she faced the challenge.

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Yathusha Kulendran

Sri Lanka | OLAI

Yathusha Kulendran founded OLAI - an online business that promotes Palmyra products such as leaf trivets and jaggery-in 2016. Her business empowers local women artisans. Despite the pandemic causing problems in the supply chain, she fought back by successfully transforming her business strategy. Read the story.

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Selyna Peiris

Sri Lanka | Selyn

Selyn is a Fair-trade certified handicrafts company in Sri Lanka. Thanks to the untiring efforts of Sandra Wanduragala and her daughter, Selyna Peiris. A humble business that started with 15 rural women in a garage is now empowering over a 1000 artisans. Find out how they did it and how they continue to raise the bar for women entrepreneurs.

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Sam Lin

Taiwan | Sam Star Shoes

Sam Lin had made a name for herself in the entrepreneurial world through her venture, Sam Star Shoes. But the pandemic had a huge impact on her turnover. She didn’t let that get to her and learned new skills to improve her situation. Here’s her story.  

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Mina Wu

Taiwan | Legere

From sourcing Egyptian Cotton fabric to designing special wardrobes, Mina Wu’s men’s clothing brand, Legere, went through a journey of learned lessons about brand-building. She faced multiple hurdles, including the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Read the story.

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Mindy Jen

Taiwan | BOBA CHiC

Mindy Jen founded her bubble tea company BOBA CHiC in 2018. She combined her passion for traditional Taiwanese tea, boba pearls, and her creativity to build a successful bubble tea business. Her biggest challenge came during the pandemic when she had to transform the business from a service to a digitally viable product. Find out how she innovated not just a solution but the product itself.

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Ngô Thị Hoài

Vietnam | WeCreate

At one point, all Ngô Thị Hoài wanted was to feel supported. Now, she does exactly that for other women in the entrepreneurial world—connects them to the right resources through WeCreate Vietnam. However, it wasn’t an easy journey. Here’s her story.

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Lưu Lệ Thủy

Vietnam | HAKI

Lưu Lệ Thủy spent 20 years in a stable job until she finally broke away and started her own business to follow her dream of sewing safe and pretty clothes for children. Her business organically attracted interest far beyond Vietnam —in Canada, and Saudi Arabia. Read the story.

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Lương Thanh Hạnh

Vietnam | HanhSilk

Lương Thanh Hạnh founded HanhSilk in 2012. She established an end-to-end business in the craft village of Nam Cao, Thai Binh province and made high-quality silk products. After only exporting to international markets, she was forced to turn to the domestic market during the pandemic. Find out how she changed her strategy to pull this off successfully.

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Phạm Hồng Vân

Vietnam | Emmay and Colleagues Joint Stock Company - Nấm Tươi Cười

Phạm Hồng Vân founded her mushroom-based food products business in 2010 along with her mother. Together, they built a successful company advocating the health benefits of a plant-based diet. Find out how they overcame the impact of COVID-19 on their business.

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Nguyen Hoai Xuan Lan

Vietnam | Coolmate

Nguyen Hoai Xuan Lan wanted to make shopping easier for men and came up with the idea of Coolmate. She and her team were going strong, but the pandemic struck. However, the business was able to register a growth despite the challenges. Here’s her story.

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Phuong Diem

Vietnam | Flyfood

Phuong Diem’s Flyfood serves traditional Vietnamese dishes on delivery. Things were looking up but COVID-19 affected her business. She stood up for the citizens and helped the frontline workers through the pandemic. Here’s her story.

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Dương Thị Huyền

Vietnam | Mai Chau Hideaway

Dương Thị Huyền started Mai Chau Hideaway to put forth the rich Vietnamese culture. She plans to take her venture to the next level with a strong focus on providing guests with a memorable experience and upskilling the staff. Here’s her story.

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Vimbai Madya

Vimbai Madya

Vimbai Madya showcases the handiwork of women who have faced hardships. Until now, she has empowered over 300 women. But, starting a business during a pandemic and making it work was no mean feat. Here’s how she did it all.

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Jocelyn Galicia

2UAUTO

When Jocelyn Galicia noticed a lack of car-detailing services in her area, she saw an opportunity to create one herself. 2UAUTO is a unique mobile car-detailing service that is convenient, affordable, and uses only 5% of the water that a traditional car wash uses. But, establishing herself was anything but easy. Here’s her story.

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Kim Osterhoudt

Jams by Kim

Kim started her entrepreneurial journey 13 years ago after being laid off from her corporate job. She perfected her artisanal jams, jellies, and preserves working in firehouses and church kitchens before attracting the attention of a farmers’ market manager. This helped her grow her business. Here's her story.

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Lynn-Marie

Sisters Sage

Lynn-Marie was looking to turn her life around when she and her sister founded Sisters Sage in 2018. The brand creates wellness products using traditional Indigenous ingredients. In five years, they have created a safe workspace that inspires other Indigenous women to seek financial independence. Here’s her story.

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Stories of resilience from women entrepreneurs across North America.

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Vimbai Madya

Vimbai Madya

Vimbai Madya showcases the handiwork of women who have faced hardships. Until now, she has empowered over 300 women. But, starting a business during a pandemic and making it work was no mean feat. Here’s how she did it all.

Read More

Jocelyn Galicia

2UAUTO

When Jocelyn Galicia noticed a lack of car-detailing services in her area, she saw an opportunity to create one herself. 2UAUTO is a unique mobile car-detailing service that is convenient, affordable, and uses only 5% of the water that a traditional car wash uses. But, establishing herself was anything but easy. Here’s her story.

Read More
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Kim Osterhoudt

Jams by Kim

Kim started her entrepreneurial journey 13 years ago after being laid off from her corporate job. She perfected her artisanal jams, jellies, and preserves working in firehouses and church kitchens before attracting the attention of a farmers’ market manager. This helped her grow her business. Here's her story.

Read More

Lynn-Marie

Sisters Sage

Lynn-Marie was looking to turn her life around when she and her sister founded Sisters Sage in 2018. The brand creates wellness products using traditional Indigenous ingredients. In five years, they have created a safe workspace that inspires other Indigenous women to seek financial independence. Here’s her story.

Read More
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