The 100 largest companies founded by women, based on their revenue…
Female Founders Club is Coming
Preparing such lists, creating a Club made up of women, might seem “sexist.” However, we are just at the beginning of the road in Turkey, as we are all over the world. Therefore, it is still very important to share the success stories of women entrepreneurs and bosses and to underline the differences they create… We took this into account when preparing the Women Founders 100 list. It is only possible to see in these lists that there are women in Turkey who have founded companies that generate billions in revenue and who have reached millions of TL in a few years.
Following this list, we will also include research titled “Female Founders Speak,” just as Fast Company US does. In this research, we will question women entrepreneurs on topics such as their “company founding processes,” “finding funds,” “the problem of equality,” and “future plans.” We also have plans for a ceremony and a few events at the Female Founders Club, where awards and plaques will be presented to those who made the 100 list. We will shape these according to the suggestions that come from you.
How Was This List Prepared?
The Women Founders 100 list is the first research published in this field in Turkey. The main reason it hasn’t been done before is the inability to collect “data.”
→ The excitement created by Fast Company Turkey and the team’s experience encouraged participation in such a difficult research. Hundreds of women entrepreneurs (including those who did not make the list), to whom we owe our thanks, shared their information. → The data of some entrepreneurs were available in open sources. We benefited from them. The data of a few entrepreneurs’ companies were published as estimates with the support of sources in the sector. → We could have published the revenue figures as exact numbers instead of ranges. However, we preferred the range to keep our word and not to put entrepreneurs who have agreements with various institutions, such as angel investors, in a difficult position. Our aim at the time was to draw attention to the scale. → We had also stated it in the Internet 100 list. A few important companies did not share. Apart from that, there may be a few companies we could not reach. However, we think that the business world, which greeted our Internet 100 list with “How can it be this accurate?”, will show the same interest in this list.
How Did the First Black Female Billionaire Make a Difference?
A very new series has started on Netflix: “Self Made”: “Inspired by the Life of Madam C. J. Walker” (which can be translated as “Sıfırdan Yaratan”). This series tells the life story of America’s first black female billionaire. I am writing this as it might inspire the 100 women on these pages. First, you must watch it. For those who haven’t, I want to share her extraordinary story under a few headings:
→ The first “self-billionaire” (billionaire by her own means) woman entrepreneur was Sarah Breedlove, who lived between 1867-1919… → Everyone knew her as “Madam Walker.” She was an entrepreneur who made her fortune from cosmetics and was a great sensation in her time… She later invested in art, donations, and social work and was known for her philanthropy. → She followed the strategy of “Don’t sit around and wait for opportunities to come to you. You go get them.” &Tsimilar; She did not get help from anyone when setting up her business. When the cream she produced from coconut for her own hair was successful, she thought about how she could deliver this formula to other black women. → She named her successful product “Madam Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower” and her treatment method the “Walker’s System.” Then she started selling it door-to-door. She prioritized branding even in those years. → She developed innovative products and systems for cosmetics and hair care. She invented the “hot comb” for hairstyling in the 1900s. → As her business grew, she followed another important strategy. She organized black women across the country as a sales force. In a sense, she turned her customers into salespeople. → She followed the strategy of giving back what she earned. She was known as a good donor and had donated a significant part of her wealth when she died.
OVER 4.5 BILLION TL Tülin Akın is ranked 55th on this list.