Women in Business

I LOVE that today, we live in the era of the GIRL BOSS. We support women-run platforms like never before, thus supporting ourselves. Personally, I’ve been gawking over female founding Boss Ladies like Aurora James of Brother Vellies, Morgan Debaun of Blavity, Michelle Phan of Em Cosmetics, Tricia Clarke-Stone of WP Narrative_, Jamie Kern Lima of IT Cosmetics, and Jessica Alba of the Honest Company, just to name a handful. All of these women are entrepreneurs that I admire because they’ve harnessed the power of their own creativity despite the numerous odds against them to meet the needs of their target consumers.

Now, more than ever, girls and women have so many positive images of Girl Bosses across almost every sector. Could you imagine the next wave of startups? I’m super excited to see what girls will be inspired to create next.

Fortunately for the Queen Feet community, those women mentioned above are not the only entrepreneurs making Major Moves right now. I wanted to use this platform to just briefly highlight some AMAZING women entrepreneurs and industry leaders who are paving the way for more opportunities for Queen Feet women globally. Most of these are actually rocking Queen Feet themselves.

The best way to continue to see this kind of positive representation is to support these businesses that are making a difference with your resources. Women can and should definitely support each other without tearing each other down, so let’s jump right into this list!

Ashlie Davis, Founder of SMASH Shoes

Ashlie is the founder of SMASH Shoes, the popular extended size women’s footwear brand that offers contemporary, affordable styles in U.S. sizes 10-15.

April Therton, Marketing at Verge Creative in NYC

If ever you’re in need of grade A marketing services to take your business to the next level, see April at Verge Creative.

Gustavia Lui, Founder & Creative Director of Staavias

This Queen Feet entrepreneur and Mom got really fed up with her growing Queen Feet before and after pregancy, so she decided to do something about it in her home-front, New Zealand. Her footwear company is called Saatvias, and they make shoes from sizes 10-14.

Jada Willis, Founder of Tailor St. Claire (US 12)

When you need a little more help defining your style or organizing your closet, you might want to call Mrs. Jada Willis. This West coast based stylist and wardrobe expert is dedicated to dressing you with confidence. You can definitely get more of a feel of her style if you check out my previous conversation with her on a recent trend. You can see that link here.

Jamela Acheampong, Founder of Kahmune

Jamela is the founder of another private label footwear brand, Kahmune. This Ghanian-American founder launched a collection of varying Italian footwear styles that offer inclusive nude shades. Rivaling a similar Christian Louboutin collection, Kahmune brand offers 10 nude shade, inspired by the various places around the globe. Check out my interview of Jamela on her Kahmune brand here.

Jamela was actually inspired by her sister, who also helps run the business, to include a few extended sizes in their collection.

Jessica Kane (11W), Founder of SocietyPlus.com/ YouTuber

Jessica is the founder of the online retail store SocietyPlus.com, which specializes in plus size fashions, including a few shoes styles in wider widths.

Kilee Hughes, Founder of Six One Agency (US12)

So, are any of you Scandal Gladiators? If so, just think of Kilee Hughes as the Olivia Pope (Public Relations Guru) for modern brand P.R.

She also has a killer Instagram account where she documents her travels, so if you’re looking for inspiration for you destination, be sure to follow her.

Monika Kusinska-Paez, Founder of Autograf New York

Since 2014, Monika has been bringing “high-quality, Italian leather shoes stateside” for hard-to-fit-feet. Autograf New York offers their quality shoes in sizes up to 14.

Vivien van Wissen, Founder of Zivaano

Vivien is the 34 year old owner of European brand Zivaano, a plus size shoe company located in the Netherlands. Be sure to stop by if ever you’re in the Haarlem area. You can also shop online or in store for sizes up to UK 12/ EU 46.

Zaiga, Founder of Apavia 40+

8 years ago, Zaiga launched her shop, Apavia 40+, in Riga, Latvia. Since 2010, her company has specialized in extended shoe sizes for both men and women and customer service. For more information, please visit their Instagram @lielakurpe.

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If I’m missing anyone that should definitely be on this list, please let me know.

Featured Photo in the Feature Image//Fortune.com/ Getty Images