Have you placed an order with a Shopify store recently? If so, chances are good that the shop is woman-owned: in fact, 53% of Shopify’s global entrepreneurs are women. Shopify’s research found that, sadly, men are about twice as likely to secure traditional bank funding as women are, giving them a big head start in founding new businesses that require capital investment. Shopify and other low-cost ecommerce platforms, however, help to democratize the world of entrepreneurship, lowering the financial barrier to start a new business, and fostering innovation in all its forms. (It’s one of the many reasons that we love Shopify here at Loop). Read more: Scale and outsource your reverse logistics with Loop and SFN We wanted to showcase a few of our favorite woman-owned businesses to celebrate Women’s History Month. It’s a tough choice with thousands of amazing entrepreneurs to consider, but here are a few standouts we discovered. Alivia While volunteering to teach art to individuals with developmental disabilities, fashion designer Jovanna Mullins found a way to bring the two worlds together. She was amazed by the original and colorful designs that her students came up with, and founded the apparel and accessories company Alivia as a way to bring their designs to life while providing meaningful work opportunities for people with developmental disabilities and give back to nonprofit organizations that help them nurture their talents. Each artist is paid for the use of their designs, and 10% of each purchase is dedicated to their associated art therapy organization. Asian American Girl Club Founded in 2018 by actress Ally Maki, Asian American Girl Club is a lifestyle and apparel brand designed to celebrate Asian American women. The brand’s products include tee shirts, bandanas, water bottles, stickers, and more, many of which sport the brand’s logo. The company’s goal is to provide creative expression for Asian American women, who are often under-represented in American culture. When she launched the brand, Maki told the TODAY Show, “Our inbox was flooded with girls from all across the country, literally writing, like, college-style dissertation essays overnight just about their identity and what it meant to them. And that was when I was like, ‘Oh, wow, this is really something.’” Girls Chronically Rock Keisha Greaves was diagnosed with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, a progressive disease that causes gradual weakness in arms and legs, at the age of 24 after experiencing problems with balance and falling. Now working as a Merchandise Coordinator after graduating with an MBA, Greaves has launched her own apparel line, Girls Chronically Rock, which provides products with messages of support and inspiration for Black disabled women like herself, as well as adaptive swimsuits and other products. Greaves hopes to expand her product line into department stores in the near future. LUVSPUN LUVSPUN is a line of artisanal cotton candy made from raw organic sugar with no preservatives. The product line was developed by Therese Dozier, the mother of an autistic child, who needed to exclude artificial colors and flavors that she knew impacted her child’s health and behavior. Dozier wanted to create a company that could give meaningful job opportunities to young adults on the autism spectrum, employing them to create and sell the products. Though the brand started in 2018 serving the product in pop-up shops and events, they began focusing on ecommerce after the global pandemic, and now offer over 200 unique flavors to serve their hungry customers. Olori Founded by Tomide Awe, a Nigerian-born entrepreneur now living in England, Olori sells hand-crafted bags, wallets, and other accessories made in partnership with women-owned businesses and artisans in African countries. A portion of profits from every product sold goes toward paying education fees for girls in underserved African communities, through partnerships with the international nonprofit groups CAMFED and Bridge International Academies. Check out more Black-owned Shopify stores we love here. Pride in a Box Celebrating Pride doesn’t need to be limited to Pride parades and festivals – LGBTQ+ people and allies can celebrate all year long with Pride-themed products from Pride in a Box, a company founded by entrepreneur Elise Lindborg, in response to the COVID-19-induced restrictions on public Pride gatherings. The box includes coasters, a key chain, a flag, a bandana, and other goodies, and 95% of the products are created by LGBTQ-owned businesses. In addition to the Pride Box, which is often sent as a gift, the company also serves as a marketplace for standalone products including the trans flag, a love wins” pet bandana, and other products that celebrate LGBTQ identities. Check out more LGBTQ+ Shopify stores we love here. Sword & Plough Sword & Plough gets its name from the ancient saying, “to turn swords into plough shares”—which relates to repurposing military materials into peaceful civilian applications. Former Army captain Emily Núñez Cavness and her sister Betsy Núñez co-founded the ecommerce shop with the goal of repurposing military surplus products into consumer goods and providing work opportunities to military veterans. Since 2012, the business has supported more than 65 veteran jobs through their company and manufacturing partners, and repurposed more than 30,000 pounds of military surplus into sustainable and stylish products including jewelry, handbags, and tote bags. My Pride Store Started by Andrea Saunders as a way to raise much-needed funds for her transition costs, My Pride Store carries anything and everything you might need for your Pride celebrations. From flags to pins to mugs with fun sayings and more, My Pride Store is a great way to stock up while giving directly back to the LGBTQ+ community. Get the best returns management software available to your brand with Loop. Book a demo today.
