Honoring Female Entrepreneurs during Women’s History Month
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, National Women’s History Month traces its roots to March 8, 1857, when brave women from various New York City factories stood up and staged a protest over poor working conditions. The first Women’s Day in the United States was celebrated in 1909, in New York City. It’s a month to recognize, admire and respect amazing women who take a risk to make the world a better place. Their resilient entrepreneurial spirit and unmatched passion inspires other women to take that first step forward to make a difference in our world.
Kansas City based April Kramer created Apple Pie Painting to inspire fun while the world was in a pandemic lockdown. April’s art expertise inspired her to successfully pivot her paint and sip business into a DIY painting session in the comfort of ones home. Since so many people were adopting pets to keep them company and entertained, April asked customers to submit a photo of their dog to her. In return they received a paint-by-number kit with art materials. Apple Pie Painting is entertaining for all ages and skill levels and makes for a thoughtful gift. The price is $65+ (varies based on canvas size and pet quantity), and available online or through Etsy
Based in Oakland, California Ashley Sharma created Cincha for travelers in mind. As a woman, her entrepreneurial journey began when she started marketing to women. Working in market research with startups, she took her skills and passion to start her own company debuting Cincha’s Travel Belt. It secures your personal bag to your luggage while walking to an airport, hotel or out to your car. This simplifies travel and offers added security and safety. Cincha works with the nonprofit, Miles4Migrants and donates 100 frequent flier airline miles per Travel Belt. Starting at $35 and is available onEtsy.
Vietnamese American founder and designer, Sandra Martinelli started creating high-quality, lightweight, and delicate personal jewelry in 2018. She started Delicoraoffering a wide collection of semi-precious stones with classic to bohemian and sophisticated styles. Designed and handmade with love in Aptos CA, every piece reveals a woman’s unique personality and can be worn on all skin types. Her jewelry is designed with hypoallergenic 14k gold filled, and sterling silver materials. For each item sold, 20 meals are donated to fight hunger through Feeding America. Delicora participates in additional efforts to give back with programs including MSAA, Dress for Success, UNICEF, Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support Services, the California Fire Foundation and many more. Besides Delicora, her pieces are on display for sale at oner 55 speciality boutiques nationwide.
Amy Chesnut started Sonoma Wool Company to help people re-discover the benefits of wool, and support family sheep ranches. The centuries-old wool industry is struggling as fewer and fewer people choose to become sheep ranchers. If demand for wool increases, the likelihood of maintaining a viable wool industry strengthens. Wool offers incredible natural properties for bedding (pillows, mattress toppers and comforters); long-lasting dish drying mats; and comfort for cats and dogs as pads for beds.Wool bedding offers luxury that is sustainable and environmentally friendly. Chesnut bought a felting loom and began experimenting with family-owned and operated ranches throughout the United States. She started with wool from the Pozzi Ranch in Valley Ford, CA. With an average rainfall of over 40 inches per year, coarse-grade wool sheep thrive in this climate. Their coarse wool, with a 28 to 34 micron count, easily sheds the heavy rains of this region and keeps the sheep warm. These sheep are traditionally British breeds, including Dorset, North Country Cheviot, Romney, Suffolk, and Hampshire. Chesnut’s Sonoma Wool Company believes the qualities of wool are ideal to be used for practical products to make your home a more natural and soothing place.
Launched in March 2019, founder Ashlyn Rowland wasn’t intending to be an entrepreneur in high school. She simply set out to make a candle that she felt was safe to use around herself and her family. After months of trial and error in her garage, she found the perfect combination of simple and clean ingredients, luxurious scents and 100% soy wax to create Bare Candle Company. Majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in entrepreneurship, her candles are crafted with wax made entirely from soybeans grown in the United States. Sourcing locally means the company is reducing its carbon footprint while supporting other small businesses. Bare Candles are vegan-friendly, cruelty-free, and made with no paraffins, phthalates, parabens, or prop 65 chemicals. Rowland’s favorite scent is pear and honey.
April Sargies, founder of Cloth + Bristle, brought her vision of all natural cleaning products to fruition. A wife and mother of three young children, April owns an award winning residential cleaning company in Maryland, The Neat Nest. With more than 25 years of experience in the professional cleaning industry, she created premium all-natural cleaning products that are free of toxins and chemicals. Her renowned patent pending No. 001 all-purpose cleaning products work effectively on delicate and fine surfaces. Not only do they remove stains, they sparkle appliances.
The Baby Dream Machine was created by moms, for children of all ages to have a better night’s sleep. When a child sleeps better, moms and dads sleep better too Influenced by the world’s best sleep trainers, industry experts and scientists, this 5-in-1 product was developed to help a child get a good night’s sleep, while using the most natural and scientifically proven methods by combining a Night Light, Red Light Therapy, Sound Machine, Cool-Mist Humidifier and Aromatherapy into one adorable high-quality machine. Price: $109-119.
Childhood best friends Ashley Wong Tsui and Diane Liu co-founded Gemnote, an internal software that streamlines the ordering process, allowing large and detailed orders to be placed and processed in minutes. Launched from Y Combinator (a startup accelerator), their mission is to use the best parts of tech to help people build closer relationships. The Asian American women-owned service fuses retail and promotion to elevate the corporate gifting experience. Consumers can find all the best brands (Patagonia, North Face, S’well, Native Union, and more) in one place Gemnote. It’s proved to be a one-stop shop for tech giants seeking unique gifts for valued clients and team members.
![Caren Rideau: Designer, Vintner, Entertainer [PART 1 OF 2]](https://luxebeatmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/CarenRideau_Saturn_MeghanBobPhoto_Portrait7676_WEB-1-440x264.jpg)
