Women have come a long way since the 19th amendment. Women launch more than 1,200 new businesses every single day in the US, and own 36% of small businesses worldwide. Women currently hold 31 of the CEO positions at the S&P 500 companies.

Thinking about where women sat in the social hierarchy less than 100 years ago and comparing it to where women are in business today, I can’t help but feel proud. Today, entire businesses that are run by women. Some of the first to come to mind being cabi and Arbonne. Continue reading as we spotlight a few women who have trailblazed in the business world, representing female entrepreneurs all over the world.

Mary T. Barra has been the CEO of General Motors Company since 2014. She has been working with General Motors since 1980 in various jobs. She graduated from Kettering University with her Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering in 1985 and earned her MBA from Stanford in 1990.

Corie Barry is the CEO of Best Buy Co., which is on its way toward being “one of the best places to work in America. Ms. Barry has been with Best Buy since 1999 and prior to her CEO position, she served as chief strategic growth officer and senior vice president of domestic finance and interim president of Best Buy’s services organization.

The CEO of Hershey, one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the world, is a woman. I’m not surprised. Michele Buck is described as having two important roles—” mom and business leader, that fulfill her life.”

Sonia Syngal is the CEO of Gap Inc., one of the nation’s billion-dollar lifestyle clothing brand portfolios. Ms. Syngal joined Gap in 2004 and from 2016 to 2020 she led Old Navy, a brand under the umbrella, from $7 billion to $8 billion in sales. Similar to Mary Barra, she earned her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Kettering University and a master’s in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Stanford.

There are others among these names of women in the business world, like Karen S. Lynch (CVS Health Corporation), Linda Rendle (The Clorox Company), and Tricia Griffith (The Progressive Corporation), and many more. Women are not to be underestimated in the business world. If you know a female entrepreneur or businesswoman, cheer her on! She will do great things just like those before her.

And if you are a businesswoman, you are amazing too.