How Your Business Can Make a Positive Impact on Your Community
Around the world, women entrepreneurs are proving that businesses can do more than just make a profit—they can transform lives and uplift communities. Such founders are harnessing their success to launch innovative programs, amplify marginalized voices, and build meaningful connections, showing us all how business can be a force for good.
We had the opportunity to speak with 31 inspiring female founders who are redefining what it means to lead with impact. From organizing fashion shows for at-risk youth to providing funding for underserved groups, their stories remind us that any business—no matter its size—has the potential to create real change. Whether you’re taking small, intentional steps or spearheading bold initiatives, their journeys demonstrate how you, too, can use your business to make a lasting impact on your community.
Danielle Thompson
Founder of Design Match, connecting startups with top-tier designers, enabling seamless, on-demand collaborations that drive innovation and accelerate growth.
Our ethos is all about helping designers find work that truly inspires them. Recently, we matched An Le, a brilliant UX researcher fresh out of her PhD, with her first industry job—a nonprofit project focused on improving literacy rates among marginalized communities across the U.S. While we often think of our mission as helping designers find jobs, this reminded us that each placement can also create a meaningful ripple effect. This project alone is set to benefit thousands of young people across America, amplifying the impact of our work beyond design.
Emily Reza
CEO & Lead Brand Strategist of 4th and Crawford, a creative communications agency that works hand-in-hand with pro-athletes and changemakers to find the magic—in their roots, culture, and dreams—to create strategic and innovative opportunities.
At 4th and Crawford, we’ve created a meaningful impact through our nonprofit division, With A Love Like Yours (WALLY). Our signature program includes passion development workshops for K-12 students, designed to help kids discover and nurture their unique interests that are often not taught in school, such as social media, sports business, entrepreneurship, technology, and fashion. This program ties directly back to our company vision of creating a world where kids from inner cities (where our namesake at 4th and Crawford comes from) can see endless possibilities for their future. We’re committed to providing students with the tools and inspiration they need to follow their passions and let their innate greatness shine.
Jennie Amstrong
Founder & CEO of Wild Awake, supporting mission-driven consultants who are ready to master their business, hone their brand, and grow as a leader.
We’ve donated more than $20,000 and dozens of pro-bono hours to everything from bail funds to global nonprofits. I believe that those closest to the problem are best equipped to solve it, and I care deeply about giving to underfunded groups and those doing the on-the-ground work. I also make sure my giving is unrestricted, as I trust the organization to use the money in a way that best serves their mission.
Andrea Nguyen
Co-Founder & Design Director of Koi Studios, a modern product design studio that makes good design a competitive advantage for companies.
We are proud to rank in the top 5% for charity donations among similar businesses, according to Intuit. AAPI organizations receive less than 0.2% of philanthropic donations from foundations and under 1% from corporate giving. By supporting these underserved groups, we help amplify their efforts and provide the support they deserve.
Marika Frumes
Founder & CEO of Mysha, a membership community supporting women in their transition to motherhood.
Mysha is a community-forward business, creating powerful networks and connections is core to our mission. Becoming a mom is one of the most vulnerable transitions for a woman. With the work we are doing, we see daily that going through it within a community makes a monumental difference in a mom’s mental and physical health. What can feel super isolating immediately takes on a positive flavor when you enter a virtual pod with 10 other moms who are in the same position as you.
When people join a Mysha event, they often leave full of energy and feeling super connected to the other women present. One by one, we are ensuring that moms have their village and remain healthy in this vulnerable moment.
Lauren Hersh
CEO & Co-Founder of Official Ritual, a wellness hospitality company dedicated to creating space for practitioners and people to unite over shared wellness experiences.
Since opening, Official Ritual has become a home for healers, lightworkers, practitioners, and guides. Our studio serves as a haven where NYC’s wellness practitioners can come together for support, connection, and community—because even healers need healing. Members of our healer community enjoy exclusive sessions and gatherings, providing a dedicated space to connect, learn, and reset.
Catharine Montgomery
Founder & CEO of Better Together, a Black woman-founded and purpose-driven communications agency.
At Better Together, our work is all about having a positive impact on communities—locally and globally. For example, our expansion into the UK market has allowed us to bring our expertise in culturally competent communication to new audiences. By working with organizations dedicated to empowering underrepresented groups, we ensure that our efforts not only resonate locally but also contribute to larger global movements, helping to create a more equitable world for all.
Yulia Saf
CEO & Founder of Miss Tourist, a travel site helping people plan unforgettable vacations all over the world.
I’m proud to say that our travel blog has made a difference for many travelers, helping them have more meaningful and enjoyable experiences. We often hear from readers who’ve discovered off-the-beaten-path spots or avoided common tourist pitfalls thanks to our tips. One reader, for example, wrote to us about a hidden viewpoint we recommended, where they ended up meeting locals and fellow travelers, turning a simple suggestion into a memorable experience. It’s moments like these, where our advice transforms a trip into something truly special, that reminds me why we do what we do. It’s incredibly fulfilling to know we’ve helped create those lasting memories.
Grace Nguyen
Founder & CEO of LOUPN, an inclusive jewelry brand with a mission to brighten our communities and help people BE SEEN.
We had two incredible opportunities to partner with the nonprofit organization Underground Grit in order to put on a fashion show featuring at-risk youth just out of juvenile hall. The show helped the youth to rewrite their narrative from cold and calculated monsters to resilient and faithful outliers. It was a powerful message of second chances. Each youth in the show was given a piece of LOUPN jewelry to remind them of their resilience and how precious they are.
Lauren Fleming
Founder of Hem Support Wear, a purpose-driven brand and wellness advocate dedicated to creating innovative pelvic floor support garments for women in all stages of life.
Hem Support Wear has made a positive impact by fostering a supportive online community for women navigating pelvic floor health challenges. Through our Hem Spotlight series, we share the personal stories of those impacted by Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP), giving a voice to those often unheard. Additionally, our Expert Spotlight series raises awareness of pelvic health and highlights the options available so women don’t have to suffer alone and in silence. This community has created a safe space for women to feel supported, informed, and empowered in their health journeys.
Sydney de Arenas Sherman
CEO of The Hive, providing small businesses with the dynamic team they need to thrive.
The Hive has been around for 10 years now, and with that, we have had many opportunities to impact our various communities. We have shown up for natural disasters like Hurricane Harvey in Houston and general poverty, which is a part of my day-to-day living in Guatemala. During the pandemic, I started several campaigns to help get funding for food as people were literally starving. And most recently, a community member’s house burned down so we rallied to provide what we could to help this widow get back on her feet. I have found that it isn’t about how much you do but rather how you show up that makes an impact. Sometimes, people just need to know someone cares, and that can move mountains.
Vanessa Farino
Founder, Creative CEO, & Strategist of Creative CEO, an empowering movement and community dedicated to supporting ambitious women of color and diverse female founders in redefining success on their own terms.
At Creative CEO, we’ve made a significant positive impact on the entrepreneurial communities in Boston, Miami, and New York City through our two signature events—Out of Office Days and the multi-city PWR of WMN Summit. These events are designed to help women of color and diverse female founders grow their networks and foster meaningful collaborations that drive business success.
We’ve built a thriving community where women not only expand their networks but also find the partnerships and resources they need to take their businesses to the next level, creating real, positive impact locally and beyond.
Natalie Nicole
Brand Strategist & Designer of Impackedful Creative, unleashing creativity for a cause to help businesses attract and engage the right audience with impactful design services and brand tools.
In addition to donating a portion of our profits to initiatives that help feed, clothe, and educate children in need, Impackedful Creative recently made a positive difference by hosting a community event in Dallas, Texas. In collaboration with the organization Feed My Starving Children, we organized an event that gathered 250 volunteers to pack 50,000 meals to feed children around the world in a matter of hours. This event was especially meaningful because it not only fostered a sense of community locally but also had a profound international reach. The meals we packed were sent to children in regions severely impacted by malnutrition, directly improving their chances of survival and their ability to focus on education and skill development. It was truly inspiring to see everyone join forces and make a difference.
Elle Wilson
Founder & CEO of Met Through Friends, offering friends-of-friends singles events in NYC, giving people the opportunity to meet other vetted singles in fun, social, IRL settings.
I have the privilege of regularly watching people beat back big city loneliness and build meaningful IRL connections. While people come looking for romantic connections (and many of them find it!), I am equally touched to watch people make new friends, build new friend groups, connect more deeply with the people they came with, or simply feel less alone as they make new social bonds as adults. In the words of one previous attendee, It was great to talk with other people who are looking for a partner, and even if you don’t find someone, there’s a shared camaraderie with other people going through the same struggle. And if nothing else, that can go a long way toward making people feel less lonely.
Julie Zhu
Chief Marketing Strategist of Julie Zhu LLC, an award-winning marketing consultancy helping visionary founders grow their visibility and impact.
During the pandemic, I helped a local boutique law firm build their online presence from scratch, resulting in a 40% increase in client inquiries within three months. This growth enabled them to open a second location and hire two paralegals, expanding their capacity to serve the community. This experience encouraged me to continue thinking strategically and reinforced my commitment to supporting local businesses during challenging times.
Catalina Parker
Co-Founder of Relatable Nonprofit, empowering growth-driven people with nonprofit hearts to succeed in consulting.
Through our Instagram account, we’ve leveraged humor to shine a light on significant yet often overlooked issues within the nonprofit sector such as fair pay, healthy work-life balance, and leadership development. We’ve created a virtual hangout where nonprofit professionals can feel seen, share a laugh, and gain the courage to push for the changes we all know are overdue. It’s more than memes and jokes; it’s about building a better, healthier sector together.
Jessica Alderson
CEO & Co-Founder of So Syncd, a media business that focuses on relationships and personal growth.
Syncd started out as a dating app. During that time, we helped nearly 6,000 people find love. Many of these people had struggled for years to find meaningful connections. They expressed how the platform helped them find love and understanding in ways they hadn’t experienced before. Since then, we have pivoted to become a media business, sharing relationship and personal growth advice with millions of people worldwide.
Karimah Hudda
Founder & Chief Catalyst of illumine.earth, a mission-driven organization born to accelerate a world where all nature and people thrive through leadership programs, strategic advisory, and systems change.
Through our Regenerative Resonance program, I’ve catalyzed transformational change for impact leaders and aspiring impact leaders worldwide. For example, a leader who initially struggled with burnout and incremental change used the program to reconnect with their purpose, integrate regenerative practices, and scale their organization’s impact globally. By empowering leaders to align their lives, leadership, and livelihoods with their unique resonance, the program has rippled positive change across local and virtual communities, amplifying their ability to make meaningful contributions to people and the planet.
Molly Nutt
Founder of The CEO Society, an in-person networking community for female founders in the greater Seattle area.
Seattle is known for the ‘Seattle Freeze,’ which often makes meeting new friends challenging. The CEO Society is building a community of warm connections for female founders to change that. One of our members, a local photographer, gained new clients from attending just one meeting. Another attendee shared that she found her closest friends through The CEO Society—women who truly understand the journey of entrepreneurship. With over 65 members and counting, we’re creating genuine spaces where women can find friendships, clients, and collaborators. Our mission is to make connection, learning, and community the heart of every event we hold.
Jenny Hanh Nguyen
CEO & Co-Founder of Y’OUR Personalized Skincare, using a unique algorithm that’s driven by powerful AI and human insights to create a personalized skincare system that changes with you.
We periodically host giveaways and surprise deals on our TikTok Live, offering our products at up to 90% off. This is our way of saying thank you to the supporters who tune in regularly and may not have been able to access our products otherwise. Many have expressed how touched they were, having followed us for so long but been unable to purchase due to financial constraints. Hearing how much our products have transformed their skin and boosted their confidence means the world to us.
Adebukola Ajao
Digital Marketing Consultant at B.D.Y. CONSULT, a marketing agency providing small businesses and badass brands with creative and efficient marketing services without breaking the bank.
My marketing agency has an initiative called For All Things Digital. It’s an open source platform that provides our clients/community of business owners with free marketing, business, and funding resources. We’ve helped thousands of businesses get access to millions of dollars worth of funding and assisted 25 businesses secure $600,000 of that funding.
One of our members, B. Marie Accessories, secured a $5,000 grant and coveted seat into the Creators’ Momentum Business Accelerator designed by the Accion Opportunity Fund. This financial boost, alongside the resources we provide on our platform is helping this business flourish. We’ve also administered $95,000 worth of marketing services to 10 business owners this year, giving them the tools they need to grow without any upfront cost.
Trish Boes
Founder & CEO of UnlimitMe, partnering with colleges and high schools to support next-generation leaders to build greater connection to themselves and others, boost performance, and elevate mental well-being.
At UnlimitMe, we support college and high school students to not only unlock their infinite potential and feel more positive about the future, but also to access important holistic life and leadership skills (like empathy, compassion, adaptability, and resilience) that can support them for their entire life. Mental health issues have been rising among our youth since the pandemic, so our programs provide a safe space for students to learn more about themselves, what they want, and how to show up as authentic as leaders, while also taking care of their mental health.
Our programs also focus on building genuine relationships and connections to others in order to combat feelings of loneliness or isolation. Through our partnerships with several California State Universities, we have been able to successfully execute our mission and positively impact our community.
Stephanie Long
Founder & CEO of Mrs. SEO, a woman-owned boutique firm offering SEO services, team training, and consulting to businesses of all types.
As an SEO expert, I’ve worked with clients all over the world to help them raise their business profile and be found online. I see my work as not only helping small businesses thrive and scale but also helping people and communities connect to the resources they seek quickly and easily. Recently, I was able to help a California-based fertility doctor do just that. She wanted to help local women facing fertility challenges get the care they need to fulfill their dream of being parents, but her SEO was nonexistent and returned irrelevant leads. By helping her optimize her website to specifically reach women in her geographic area, we were able to boost the signal on her important work and share it with those who needed it most.
Callie Y. Kim
Founder & CEO of Waban Impact LLC, dedicated to translating United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into actionable strategies and supporting organizations in solving pressing global issues with local relevance and measurable impact.
Waban Impact played a key role in launching Chicago’s first-ever Taste of Asia event during the Democratic National Convention week, in partnership with various ethnic business chambers and the DNC AAPI Caucus. This event celebrated AAPI culture and cuisine, drawing nearly 1,000 participants and offering significant exposure to minority-owned businesses. By fostering collaboration across diverse community organizations, Waban Impact helped drive economic empowerment and visibility for AAPI-owned businesses within a national spotlight.
Rachel Kanarowski
Founder of Year of Living Better, an award-winning consultancy disrupting how organizations, leaders, and teams build equitable resilience with practical, science-backed development.
Just as I was launching my company in early 2020, the Chicago Department of Public Health reached out about supporting a new virtual weekly wellness meeting for their staff—and purely by chance, our first session landed the day before lockdown. As the city’s public health workers poured themselves into keeping services running, we designed space each week for them to pause, breathe, and reconnect. Through mindfulness and insights tailored to their unique stressors, we built a small but powerful community of resilience right in the heart of the storm. Too many organizations overthink supporting staff mental health, but sometimes it’s that first step—the simple, intentional act of creating space—that makes the biggest difference.
Caitlin Kawaguchi
Co-Founder & COO of Parkes Philanthropy, an award-winning consultancy helping nonprofits scale their impact through customized teams and on-demand experts.
As a nonprofit consulting firm with extensive experience supporting underrepresented leaders, we’ve seen the unique challenges faced by Black and LGBTQ+ founders. In 2023, we launched The Giving Black Fund to support programs led by the experiences of Black and LGBTQ+ leaders who intimately understood the challenges and opportunities in their communities and are historically underinvested in by traditional philanthropy. We’re excited to continue our work to level the playing field for all impact leaders.
Liane Agbi
Founder & CEO of BAUCE Magazine, a digital platform and lifestyle brand dedicated to empowering multicultural women entrepreneurs through authentic storytelling, business education, and career development resources.
BAUCE Magazine is a pivotal connector within the Black female entrepreneurial ecosystem, facilitating meaningful professional relationships and talent acquisition for women-led ventures. Our editorial impact is exemplified by our feature on a former music executive who transitioned from a major label to launch her own independent music label and marketing agency. The story catalyzed unprecedented engagement, with readers actively seeking opportunities to contribute to her venture’s growth. As a digital publication, we’ve consistently demonstrated our ability to drive tangible business outcomes, forge strategic partnerships, and create advancement opportunities within the Black professional community. Our mission-driven approach ensures that every story we publish serves to elevate and strengthen the communities we represent.
Emma Tessler
Founder & CEO of Ninety Five Media, a woman owned and operated digital marketing agency specializing in creating high converting content that 3Xs our clients growth.
Over the years, one of my favorite ways to make an impact with my business is to speak with people who are just getting started in their career. I’ve been a presenter/guest speaker at The New School, The Fashion Institute of Technology, and the Savannah School of Art and Design. I’ve received messages months, and even years, after speaking at a college where a now-professional tells me they were a part of the class I spoke in and were able to take the material I shared into their career. Being that social media marketing is such a new industry, the younger generations are going right to the future of this space. Being able to make an impact on their journey and then see the ripple effect of their own impact is truly such an honor.
Ariana Rodriguez
Founder & CEO of CORXLY, an inclusive project management platform that empowers neurodivergent entrepreneurs by transforming voice-to-task inputs into organized, actionable plans, helping users reduce cognitive overload and increase productivity.
One of CORXLY’s proudest impacts is creating a supportive, empowering platform for neurodivergent entrepreneurs worldwide, offering a project management tool that accommodates different cognitive styles. Through our online community and feedback loops, we ensure that user voices drive product updates, resulting in features that genuinely meet neurodivergent needs. This inclusive approach not only improves productivity for neurodivergent users but also fosters a sense of belonging and understanding, as users feel recognized and supported in their unique workflows.
Ingrid Zapata Read
Founder & CEO of Grow With Community, a consulting agency empowering businesses and creatives to transform their audience into communities through proven growth strategy.
Helping businesses turn their audience into a community is my passion, especially online. But as of late, I’ve been focused on making a local impact as I grow my business. I believe the best approach combines online and in-person connection—there’s something powerful about bringing an online community to life.
Recently, I co-hosted an event for local founders in New Jersey, giving them resources and tools to connect with their customers in ways that go beyond social media. The feedback was incredibly positive, and I’m energized to host more gatherings to inspire founders to see the power of community for their businesses and the communities around them, both online and offline. You can have a positive impact on the communities around you simply by bringing people together over a shared purpose—find what that is and then lean into it to find your people.
Ashley Chang
Co-Founder & CEO of Sundays, an executive assistant service to accelerate parents in their careers while creating more quality time with family.
My favorite way Sundays makes a positive impact is by helping more moms to stay in the workforce while maintaining the family lives that they want. We help our clients balance family and work by managing the ‘life ops’ that it takes to keep a family running. But we also provide flexible, remote opportunities for the people on our team. This lets them be able to pick their kids up from school or go to sports games but still be able to contribute at work. Many members of our team have said they wouldn’t be able to have a job without the career opportunities we create.
All individuals featured in this article are members of Dreamers & Doers, an award-winning community amplifying extraordinary entrepreneurial women through PR opportunities, authentic connection, and trajectory-shifting resources.