Denise Woodward credits her daughter with inspiring her to create Partake Foods.
Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2024 8:16 am
4. Partake Foods
When Denise Woodward discovered her daughter's severe food allergies, she struggled to find allergen-free baked goods that tasted as good as regular ones.
So, she did what any mother would do: she experimented with recipes until she found one that met her daughter's approval.
And so Partake Foods was born , a small business selling gluten-free, vegan and non-GMO cookies free of major allergens. But it wasn't a bed of roses, with more than 80 rejections from investors before landing a multi-million dollar deal with Jay-Z.
She also struggled to balance her caregiving responsibilities with her business duties during the pandemic.
When asked what motivates her, Denise credits her 5-year-old daughter for her inspiration: “Looking her in the eyes and telling her that I started this company because I loved her and I wanted the best for her, and then quitting just because investors turned me down… I just couldn’t do it.”
5. Relieves
Jovana Mullins launched a line of pajamas during the pandemic.
Jovana Mullins was a fashion designer who volunteered and did social work after work. By becoming an ecommerce entrepreneur , she discovered a way to merge both worlds.
While volunteering to teach art to students with autism,canada phone numbers list she marveled at their bold, expressive art and visualized her works on clothing. And that’s exactly what she sells through her small brand, Alivia .
Alivia gives a voice to people with disabilities, sharing their work and stories on every piece of clothing the brand sells. “There is a QR code on the hang tag and inside the garment,” says Jovana. “You can scan it to find out more about the artists and see their original works.”
Alivia pays artists for their work and 10% of each sale is donated to the organization that supports them.
When the pandemic hit and most people swapped dresses for sweatpants, Jovana quickly created a line of pajamas. She has been through ups and downs over the past few years, but thanks to her social initiative, Alivia thrived in 2020.
6. Phenomenal
Meena Harris, founder of Phenomenal.
Meena Harris was a successful lawyer when one T-shirt changed the course of her life. It was 2016, and Meena wanted to make a statement about her fellow women, despite the retrograde rhetoric of the time. Inspired by her favorite Maya Angelou poem, she printed simple, vibrant T-shirts that read “Phenomenal Woman.”
The rest is history: Her t-shirts went viral on social media, were worn by numerous celebrities, and Meena quit her job to start her social impact company, Phenomenal . In the years since, she has launched apparel for social causes, such as “Phenomenally Black” and “Pro-Vaxxer,” and donated the proceeds to related nonprofits.
This year, Meena is expanding her product offering, channeling her powerful messages through children’s books and collaborations with Netflix.
On a topic she is passionate about, supporting other female entrepreneurs, Meena urges for more cultural and systemic changes to support this emerging group.
“The best ecommerce entrepreneurs are problem solvers and people who can fail, learn, improve and innovate from there,” says Meena.
When Denise Woodward discovered her daughter's severe food allergies, she struggled to find allergen-free baked goods that tasted as good as regular ones.
So, she did what any mother would do: she experimented with recipes until she found one that met her daughter's approval.
And so Partake Foods was born , a small business selling gluten-free, vegan and non-GMO cookies free of major allergens. But it wasn't a bed of roses, with more than 80 rejections from investors before landing a multi-million dollar deal with Jay-Z.
She also struggled to balance her caregiving responsibilities with her business duties during the pandemic.
When asked what motivates her, Denise credits her 5-year-old daughter for her inspiration: “Looking her in the eyes and telling her that I started this company because I loved her and I wanted the best for her, and then quitting just because investors turned me down… I just couldn’t do it.”
5. Relieves
Jovana Mullins launched a line of pajamas during the pandemic.
Jovana Mullins was a fashion designer who volunteered and did social work after work. By becoming an ecommerce entrepreneur , she discovered a way to merge both worlds.
While volunteering to teach art to students with autism,canada phone numbers list she marveled at their bold, expressive art and visualized her works on clothing. And that’s exactly what she sells through her small brand, Alivia .
Alivia gives a voice to people with disabilities, sharing their work and stories on every piece of clothing the brand sells. “There is a QR code on the hang tag and inside the garment,” says Jovana. “You can scan it to find out more about the artists and see their original works.”
Alivia pays artists for their work and 10% of each sale is donated to the organization that supports them.
When the pandemic hit and most people swapped dresses for sweatpants, Jovana quickly created a line of pajamas. She has been through ups and downs over the past few years, but thanks to her social initiative, Alivia thrived in 2020.
6. Phenomenal
Meena Harris, founder of Phenomenal.
Meena Harris was a successful lawyer when one T-shirt changed the course of her life. It was 2016, and Meena wanted to make a statement about her fellow women, despite the retrograde rhetoric of the time. Inspired by her favorite Maya Angelou poem, she printed simple, vibrant T-shirts that read “Phenomenal Woman.”
The rest is history: Her t-shirts went viral on social media, were worn by numerous celebrities, and Meena quit her job to start her social impact company, Phenomenal . In the years since, she has launched apparel for social causes, such as “Phenomenally Black” and “Pro-Vaxxer,” and donated the proceeds to related nonprofits.
This year, Meena is expanding her product offering, channeling her powerful messages through children’s books and collaborations with Netflix.
On a topic she is passionate about, supporting other female entrepreneurs, Meena urges for more cultural and systemic changes to support this emerging group.
“The best ecommerce entrepreneurs are problem solvers and people who can fail, learn, improve and innovate from there,” says Meena.