Successful Women-Owned Businesses to Support
BY ARIANA TAVAKKOLI
More and more women-owned businesses are taking center stage. Here are a few to take a look at!
cafe lola
Lin Jerome and Alexandra Lourdes. Cafe Lola
Cafe Lola, founded by Alexandra Lourdes and Lin Jerome, serves delicious snacks and drinks in Nevada. Lourdes and Jerome are both working moms who’ve established a marketing company, The Refined Agency. Through this agency, they have “created one of the largest female empowerment events in Las Vegas, called Women Who Slay,” an annual conference celebrating female small business owners.
At the start of their collaboration, they would often hold online meetings and complete their work at local coffee shops. They found that these coffee shops were often dull, and they struggled to find any offering healthy food options. This encouraged them to open up a coffee shop of their own, something with a bright atmosphere and uplifting vibe where someone could sit comfortably and enjoy a nutritious meal or a tasty drink.
Their first shop was a success, and they went on to open three more locations. One of the themes they’ve worked hard to showcase in these cafes is love. As they’ve said about opening these cafes, “Love made us do it.” After Cafe Lola, they founded Saint Honore Donuts and Beignets, Pizza Anonymous, 3 Little Chicks, and Lola XO. Lourdes is also an influencer on Youtube, TikTok, and Instagram, where she shares about her restaurants as well as her personal life.
OUAI
Jen Atkin. Sephora
OUAI, founded by hairstylist and entrepreneur Jen Atkin, is a “socially connected haircare brand.” This means that products are created based on feedback from customers, family, and friends in order to create something Atkin feels people can relate to. A lot of times in the beauty industry, women-targeted brands are founded by men, but OUAI is a brand for women, by women. With OUAI, women’s haircare feels customized so that each person gets what they need. One of OUAI’s bestsellers is the OUAI Leave In Conditioner. It hydrates, detangles, and reduces frizz for every hair type.
Atkin also holds a big presence on social media. We’ve seen her collaborate numerous times with the Kardashian-Jenner family, doing their hair for many occasions.
Supergoop!
Holly Thaggard. The Head West Guide
Supergoop!, founded by Holly Thaggard, is a skincare brand with products containing SPF. Thaggard’s mission was to stop the spread of skin cancer after a close friend of hers was unfortunately diagnosed with melanoma, a type of cancer. She knew that a lot of people disliked wearing sunscreen because of how it felt on their skin and the white cast it left, so she did her best to promote the use of sunscreen by creating one-of-a-kind SPF products.
One example is her Unseen Sunscreen, colorless sunscreen that feels good and doubles as a foundation gripping primer. Many people not only use her products as sunscreen but as beauty essentials with products such as the Shimmershade, a shimmery cream to powder eyeshadow, and Glowscreen, a hydrating tinted sunscreen that leaves your skin feeling glowy. These products come in multiple different shades to ensure a look for everyone, making Supergoop! a favorite for many.
