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Did you know that at Shopify, more than half our customers are women? In this roundup, we shed a light on some of the most inspiring, women-owned business stories from the past year. 

Meena Harris launched Phenomenal in 2017 when her Maya Angelou-inspired shirt—Phenomenal Woman—went viral on International Women's Day. But it's 2021, and times have changed in many (but not all) ways. How is she evolving her brand?

Julie Clarke wanted to find a natural solution for her eczema, so she invested time into learning about holistic health and natural ingredients. What began as an experiment with home remedies grew into a fan-favorite skincare brand. In this special episode of the Shopify Masters podcast, we chat with Julie about how she landed high-profile media coverage, the challenges of becoming a mom while running her business, and the dramatic ways COVID-19 changed her business.

Jovana Mullins launched her social impact brand in a pandemic, selling dresses to a market that wanted sweatpants. But through strength of community and a clear mission to positively impact the lives of those with disabilities, Alivia conquered 2020. And, at its helm, Jovana stuck to her values and made clever early pivots—thanks to saved scrap fabric from the cutting room floor.

From bypassing discounts to driving social change, learn how three small businesses are adapting their Black Friday Cyber Monday campaigns to these unconventional times. In the latest episode of Shopify Masters we talk to the founders of a makeup subscription service, a mattress company, and an organic skin care line.

Beyond meeting customer needs or filling a market gap, socially responsible founders are creating movements through their businesses. Learn how nine socially responsible businesses and social enterprises are striving to create employment opportunities, reduce carbon emissions, share knowledge, and more. 

They say it takes 10 years to become an overnight success, but for Zakia Torres, founder of Quartz & Rainbows, it felt like it only took her two. Find out how Shopify Capital helped Zakia grow her self-care and spirituality brand based on her sales—not her credit score.

In honor of Women’s Equality Day, we’re highlighting women founders who continue the fight—100 years later. Rebecca Lee Funk prepared to launch her brand, The Outrage, just as the first woman president was expected to be announced. “There was a bit of a plot twist,” she says. Find out how Rebecca reacted and how a viral t-shirt campaign became an activist movement.

Husband-and-wife duo, Helena Price Hambrecht and Woody Hambrecht, founded Haus in their living room with a bucket of chardonnay, and lemons and elderflower from their yard. Find out how they used Shopify Capital to ramp up their digital marketing efforts and grow their business by 500% during the pandemic. 

Now more than ever, we look to stories of resiliency to inspire us. In this series, successful business owners share their deeply personal financial struggles and lessons learned on their way back to black. (Melony’s story was originally published in October, 2019.)

Thom and James Elliot are the brothers and owners behind Pizza Pilgrims, a chain pizzerias in London and Oxford, United Kingdom. From road tripping and learning throughout Italy for a summer to hustling at street markets to operating 13 locations, The Elliot brothers had to pivot quickly when the impacts of COVID-19 closed their restaurants’ doors. In this episode of Shopify Masters, we chat with Thom Elliot on how they created mailable pizza kits, established employee retention programs, and are planning for the future. 

There are over one million businesses that make up Shopify. We are lucky to have the chance to share their stories and inspire others to follow their passions and create change through commerce. Here, to offer some inspiration, we’ve compiled a list of 50 inspirational stores that are making a difference in different industries and communities.