She's A Boss: 11 Women 30 and Under Taking Charge
These female CEOs and entrepreneurs keep us motivated.
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The Other 'B' Word - Ever dream of being CEO of a company or starting one of your own? These young women are doing just that, and all before the age of 30. Some used their celebrity status to build their empires, while others established their business before garnering fame. The end result, however, remains the same: these women are bosses! Read on to see why these ladies are our #SHEroes. By Jazmine A. Ortiz (Photo: Radius Images/Corbis)
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Carly Cushnie - In Carly Cushnie’s case, her love of fashion took her to the White House. This former design student has the honor of playing stylist to First Lady Michelle Obama. Carly, along with partner Michelle Ochs, also launched boutique label Cushnie et Ochs after college, and now its distributors include Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. If you want to see the 28 year old's work, you can catch her designs on the likes of Jessica Alba and Rihanna, to name a few. (Photo: Mireya Acierto/Getty Images)
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Lana Ector - This girl is “fit” to be a boss. Lana is a former college athlete, personal trainer, nutritionist and is co-founder of Gymnetics Fitness. Along with her mom, Ellen Ector, she created the Black Girls Workout, Too! fitness DVD series. Dubbed the “fitness vixen,” she is the perfect example of using what you know to become successful. The 25-year-old garners support from the everyday women to celebrities, including Nicole Ari Parker, La La Anthony and Kandi Burruss. (Photo: Lana Ector via Instagram)
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Hannah Bronfman - This New York socialite is definitely one to watch. Her well-rounded boss status includes being a DJ, model, restaurant investor and co-founder of the mobile app Beautified. She's also the founder of GreenOwl, an environmentally sustainable record label and multimedia company. Catch Hannah spinning in the club or in a meeting for her latest venture — either way, the 27-year-old is doing big things. (Photo: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for OMEGA)
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Draya Michelle - The Basketball Wives LA star has come a long way from her humble beginnings as an exotic dancer. She’s used her reality TV fame to jump-start her Fine Ass Girls clothing line and bathing suit collection, Mint Swim. As Draya’s entrepreneurial status continues to develop, the 30-year-old proves she isn’t just another pretty face. (Photo: achel Murray/Getty Images for OK! Magazine)
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Keyshia Ka'oir - The hip hop video vixen decided to bank off her bold look by creating her own line of cosmetics called KA'OIR. Intense lip colors were a staple for the 30-year-old back in her modeling days, so instead of sporting someone else’s lippies, she decided to start her own line, in which she is now CEO. KA'OIR Cosmetics is now an established beauty brand with celebrity endorsers like Teyana Taylor and Trina. (Photo: Charles Eshelman/Getty Images)
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Jasmine Lawrence - Founder of Eden BodyWorks hair care line, Jasmine started her company at age 13, motivated by the lack of naturally-derived products for chemically damaged hair. Under her leadership, the company has experienced rapid growth and now Eden BodyWorks is sold in national retailers, including Walmart, Walgreens and CVS. The 23-year-old hair care entrepreneur is currently working on new products to meet the needs of her multicultural customer base. (Photo: Courtesy Berman Fenelus)
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Karen Civil - Watch out, Oprah! This young media maven may be the next billionaire on the block. Starting as a blogger, Karen learned early on how to use the power of the Internet to her advantage. Now at the age of 30, her credentials include a successful YouTube channel, CivilTV, multimillion-dollar ad campaigns and digital direction for Beats by Dre. She’s also a consultant to hip hop power players looking to expand their companies. (Photo: Gary Gershoff/Getty Images for Target)
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Issa Rae - Issa saw that her voice as a young African-American woman was missing in Hollywood. Thus, she created the YouTube workplace comedy series Awkward Black Girl in 2011, and it instantly became a hit. Since then, the 30-year-old writer/producer/director has created Ratchet Piece Theater, The "F" Word andThe Choir, garnering her over 20 million views and more than 194,000 subscribers. She’s currently developing a comedy series for HBO. (Photo: Roger Kisby/Getty Images for Say Media/xoJane)
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Keke Palmer - We first saw Keke in Akeelah and the Bee, and she hasn’t stopped popping up on screens, big and small, ever since. The actress has a pretty impressive resume, so it wasn’t a surprise when she added “youngest daytime talk show host ever” to her credits. Last summer, BET Networks debuted the pilot season of Just Keke, where the 21 year-old was dubbed the voice of the millennial generation. Stay tuned for more. (Photo: BET)
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Angela Simmons - When you’re the daughter of Rev Run and the niece of Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee Simmons, you’re bound to pick up a thing or two about becoming a mogul. Starting out on her father’s reality series, Run’s House, the 27-year-old has found success as a TV host, lifestyle blogger, sneaker entrepreneur and has a thriving clothing line, AngelaIAm. Most recently, she launched a Kickstarter campaign to expand on her visual platform, AngelaIAmTV. (Photo: Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Batiste Dry Shampoo)