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SmallBizDaily.com’s 21 Groundbreaking Women Entrepreneurs to Inspire You

16. Emily Weiss, Glossier

Emily Weiss spent years in the beauty and fashion industry but disliked the “elitist” tone of most cosmetics content and advertising. In 2010, she launched a blog, Into the Gloss, spotlighting celebrities’ beauty routines and favorite products. The blog gained a passionate millennial following, and in 2014, Weiss tapped into those followers to launch Glossier, a cosmetics line with a “no-makeup makeup” aesthetic.

Using what she’d learned from her blog readers, she launched with four products marketed via Instagram. Eleven venture capitalists turned her down before Weiss got backing from a woman-led VC fund. Today, Glossier boasts two stores, over $100 million in annual revenue and long waiting lists for its products.