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20 Powerful Business Women of the 80s

Who are the powerful businesswomen of the 80s? As you make your guesses let鈥檚 remember the fashion statements of this era such as the “big hair”. Coming to the music, it鈥檚 our modern-day “old school” collection yet at the time, it saw the entry of punk rock, funk, and even rap genres.

Lest we forget, this is when the “yuppie” stereotype came up. Thus with the yuppies’ obsession with material objects and financial success, there was an explosion in the film industry. This led to blockbuster movies, cable networks like CNN and MTV as well as the introduction of the music video which launched careers for many iconic artists.

Better yet, at the center of these activities were the entrepreneurs. The movers and shakers of the business world. For the interest of this article, we focus on the powerful businesswomen of the 80s.

Furthermore, according to the Internal Revenue Service data reports, there was an increase in the number of women-owned businesses by over 34% from 1977 to 1980. Thus increasing women-owned businesses from 1.9 million to 2.5 million ventures within this period. Join us as we name the powerful businesswomen of the 80s below.

Here are the 20 Powerful Business Women of the 80s.

1. Oprah Winfrey

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Her influence goes beyond The Oprah Winfrey Show to include a media empire that she has established throughout her career. Born in Mississippi on January 29, 1954, she was raised in Milwaukee in a humble background. By 19 years, she was already in pursuit of her journalism career on radio.

Winfrey鈥檚 power on the business front started to be appreciated in the 80s when she started her own production company. Thus her TV show became national syndication and aired for about 25 years from 1986 to 2011.

Moreover, by 2007 the businesswoman had been featured on several platforms among the richest African-Americans of the 20th century. She was also listed as one of the world鈥檚 top influential women and among the few black billionaires at the time.

Oprah鈥檚 other successful business ventures are the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) which she started in 2008. She prides herself in many accolades including a National Women’s Hall of Fame admission in 1994. Also, a Presidential Medal of Freedom, several Primetime Emmy Awards, an Academy Award, and more. 

We’ve barely scratched the surface of Oprah Winfrey’s story, so catch up with her here.

2. Est茅e Lauder

A powerful businesswoman of the 80s who was a game changer in the cosmetic industry. She is best described by the 1985 TV documentary, Est茅e Lauder: The Sweet Smell of Success. The film detailed her journey to triumph as an entrepreneur.

Better still, together with her husband Joseph Lauder, they founded the Est茅e Lauder Companies. This businesswoman was born in Queens on July 1, 1908. She joined her family’s hardware store when she was a teenager. After high school, she joined her uncle鈥檚 business. It was a chemist and they were involved in making beauty products like creams, lotions, rouge, and fragrances.

Subsequently, her passion for cosmetic products was birthed and in 1953 she launched her first fragrance known as Youth-Dew. The product served as a bath oil and doubled as a perfume. Within the first year of introducing it, she sold 50,000 bottles. By the mid-1980s she had over 150 million pieces sold.

Lauder appeared on Time magazine’s ranking of the most influential business geniuses of the 20th century in 1998. She is also a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Also, a receiver of the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame induction. She passed on aged 95 years in Manhattan on April 24, 2004.

3. Madonna

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She is more than a pop icon. Thus she is a prominent businesswoman of the 80s celebrated for her record label and cloth line. Her music pushed her to stardom in the 1980s. The star was born in Michigan on August 16, 1958.

Furthermore, she moved to New York City to follow her dream of music in 1978. She started as a drummer, guitarist cum vocalist in rock bands and made her solo project in 1983 with her first album Madonna. The other albums that propelled her to the spotlight in the 80s were Like a Virgin (1984), and True Blue (1986).

Following her initial successes, she has continued to cement herself as the “Queen of Pop” throughout her music career. In 2010 she launched the Material Girl teens fashion range fronted by her daughter. In 2012 she introduced the Truth or Dare cloth line which is for women’s footwear, handbags, and underwear.

4. Barbara Corcoran

This real estate mogul cum “Shark Tank” investor is a respected businesswoman of the 80s. Her early career years were in the real estate industry which inspired her to start The Corcoran Group in 1973.

Additionally, during the 70s era, she began publishing The Corcoran Report, which explored the New York City real estate situation. This increased her company鈥檚 trust in the real estate space henceforth. She sold the company to NRT for $66 million in 2001.

As a Shark Tank investor, she has seen successful returns. One of her $50,000 investments in 2017 cashed her over $468 million. She has appeared on all seasons of the show since it began to the present day. She was born in New Jersey on March 10, 1949.

5. Mary Kay Ash

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She is remembered as the founder of the network marketing company, Mary Kay Cosmetics. She began the Texas-based company in 1963. In 1968, the company was turned into a public entity but later became a private company in 1985.

More to it, at the time Mary Kay died in 2001, the company was present in over 37 countries with more than 800,000 representatives. While the annual sales stood at over $200 million.

As per 2018 reports, the company was among the top 10 multi-level marketing companies in the world. Its wholesale volume amounted to at least $3.25 billion. Kay Ash came from Hot Wells, Texas where she was born on May 12, 1918. Her demise took place in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 2001, aged 83 years.

6. Donna Karan

The renowned fashion designer is a significant businesswoman of the 80s. As the founder of the Donna Karan label, she started her venture in 1984. She was born in New York on October 2, 1948. She proceeded to Parsons School of Design after her high school graduation in 1966.

On top of that, she worked under Anne Klein after completing her college studies. By 1971, she had become an associate designer making her Klein鈥檚 assistant. She left the company in 1984 and exhibited her women’s clothing collection for the first time in 1985.

Her brand has continued to grow and includes the less expensive clothing line, DKNY for both women and men. She launched it in the 1990s. In 2007, she began the lifestyle brand, Urban Zen which solidified her place in the business world.

For a feel of what the 80s fashion trends looked like, go here.

7. Anita Roddick

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She is famed for revolutionizing the cosmetics industry with ethical products promoted with truth rather than hype. She founded The Body Shop cosmetic, skincare, and perfume company in 1976. Within six months, she opened a second outlet.

What鈥檚 more, the company grew fast and she became a household name as a businesswoman in the 80s. By the early 1990s, her company had grown to over 700 outlets. The British female entrepreneur was born in the UK on 23 October 1942. She passed away aged 64 years in the UK on 10 September 2007.

8. Katharine Graham

Graham is respected for her resilience in the print media industry. She was born to a wealthy family in New York City on June 16, 1917. She receives recognition as one of the powerful businesswomen of the 80s because she led her family鈥檚 newspaper, The Washington Post, from 1963 up to 1991.

Over and above that, she was at the helm of power as a publisher during the Watergate scandal, which her newspaper reported. This saga was crucial to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

Her achievements earned her the privilege to pioneer as a female publisher in the American major newspapers. She also became the first woman to be elected to the country鈥檚 board of the Associated Press. She also wrote her memoir, Personal History in 1997 and it won the Pulitzer Prize in 1998. She died in Idaho on July 17, 2001, at 84 years.

9. Diane von F眉rstenberg

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A serial entrepreneur who took the world of fashion by storm cementing her place as one of the powerful businesswomen of the 80s. She introduced the wrap dress in 1974 and by 1976, she had over one million dresses sold.

Over and above that, she is also acknowledged for starting her cosmetic line and a home-shopping business. Yet her Manhattan-based fashion company, Diane von Furstenberg (DvF) has an operational presence in over 70 countries.

Diane had the chance to chair the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) from 2006 up to 2019. She appeared on Forbes 2014 listing of the world鈥檚 most powerful women. Time magazine also ranked her among its 2015 list of top 100 icons. She was born in Belgium on 31 December 1946.

10. Jane Fonda

The actress is famous for her Academy Awards-winning roles in the films Klute (1971), Coming Home (1978), and many more. Better yet, she is appreciated for her workout tape released in 1982. This increased her acclaim as a powerful businesswoman of the 80s.

To boot, she kept on sharing her aerobic moves on VHS tapes which became best sellers around the world. While speaking to ELLE magazine in January 2023, the businesswoman disclosed that she still practices her aerobic workout moves in moderation at 85 years because they are relevant up to this date.

Fonda in an ELLE magazine interview, 鈥淚鈥檓 85 now and I can鈥檛 do the full workout per se, but I do the same moves only slower and with less weight, every day. It鈥檚 still relevant today because it really works.鈥�

11. Suze Orman

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This financial advisor started the Suze Orman Financial Group in 1987. Her company gained traction as she centered on personal financial matters especially relating to women.

Besides, she began The Suze Orman Show in 2002 which aired on CNBC up to 2015. This earned her praise as an expert in personal financial subjects. She is also an author of bestseller books in the finance industry.

Further, she hosts the Suze Orman Women & Money Podcast. This businesswoman of the 80s hails from Chicago where she was born on June 5, 1951.

12. Coco Chanel

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The French fashion designer who gained fame as one of the powerful businesswomen of the 80s is remembered for her Chanel brand. Though she started the business in 1910, it continued to thrive through the 80s and beyond.

The entrepreneur centered on couture clothing but later introduced jewelry, handbags, and fragrance to the brand. She is also credited for designing the interlocked-CC monogram that the brand identifies with today. She was born in France on 19 August 1883. She met her demise in her country aged 87 years on 10 January 1971.

Did you know Chanel grew up in an orphanage? Check out more little-known fun facts about Coco Chanel.

13. Linda Wachner

She is noted for transforming the Warnaco Group Inc. into a fashion powerhouse during the 80s. She was at the top most ranking leadership position in the company making her among the few female CEOs of a Fortune 500 industrial company then. She led the company from 1986 up to 2001.

Furthermore, the clothing organization was involved in designing, sourcing, marketing, and distributing underwear, sportswear, and swimwear items around the world. These products were sold under various big brand names like Calvin Klein, Speedo, Chaps, and more. She was born in New York City on February 3, 1946.

14. Martha Stewart

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This female entrepreneur has built her image as a lifestyle icon in the home and hospitality arena since the 80s. Thus she has enjoyed successful ventures in publishing, broadcasting, merchandising, and e-commerce spheres.

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia is one of her well-known establishments that was bought by Marquee Brands LLC in 2019. She grew up in New Jersey the same area she was born on August 3, 1941.

15. Mary Wells Lawrence

She founded the Wells Rich Greene advertising agency which brought in high creativity in the space of advertising in the 80s. They introduced snappy phrases in advertising such as the 鈥淧lop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz鈥� for Alka Seltzer.

In 1990 Lawrence stepped down as CEO thus selling the company to Boulet Dru Dupuy Petit. In 1998, the company shut operations and donated its archive of print and television ads to the advertising and marketing department of Duke University. Wells was born in Ohio on May 25, 1928.

16. Ann Winblad

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A businesswoman who gained prominence in software and web-focused capital ventures in the 80s. She alongside three colleagues quit working for the Federal Reserve to start their accounting software company. It was called Open Systems Inc. and they sold the company in 1983.

On top of that, in 1989 she co-founded the Hummer Winblad Venture Partners. This venture capital firm helped launch over 16 startups in its early years and has since been growing.

Winblad鈥檚 efforts were honored with a Fortune Small Business Hall of Fame induction in 2000. She comes from Minnesota where she was born on November 1, 1950.

17. Liz Claiborne

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She is among the A-list businesswomen of the 80s because she brought in stylish yet affordable apparel for career women at the time. She also introduced colorfully tailored separates that could be mixed and matched to ensure a stylish look.

The female entrepreneur started Liz Claiborne Inc. and it rose to the Fortune 500 status in 1986. The company enjoyed success until Claiborne died in 2007. Claiborne was born in Belgium on March 31, 1929. She passed on in New York City at 78 years on June 26, 2007.

After her death, the company has changed ownership several times since 2012. It is currently owned by Tapestry, Inc. and goes by the name Kate Spade & Company.

18. Sandy Lerner

This businesswoman is celebrated for co-founding Cisco Systems in 1984. She later sold this multinational digital communications technology corporation located in San Jose, California. Hence she used the proceeds to invest in other business opportunities including a venture capital firm. She was born in California in 1955.

19. Diana Ross

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She is one of the most powerful businesswomen of the 80s because of her successful career as a singer and actress. She started singing in The Supremes vocal group as the lead singer in the 60s. In 1970, she went on to a solo career, and by the 80s she had become a significant name in the music industry.

Furthermore, her music career celebrated commercial success through the 80s and 90s. With hit singles like I’m Coming Out, Why Do Fools Fall in Love, All of You, Chain Reaction, and more selling millions of records worldwide.

Her accolades include Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Presidential Medal of Freedom among others. She was born in Michigan on March 26, 1944.

With the likes of Ross and others, the 80s female singers were full of talent. You bet!

20. Doris Fisher

The co-founder of The Gap together with her husband Donald Fisher in 1969. In the 80s this worldwide clothing and accessories retailer established itself as a brand leader in the textile space expanding to a wider reach around the world.

The growth of her company over time has led her to billionaire status and among the most powerful businesswomen of the 80s. She was born in San Francisco on August 23, 1931.

These powerful businesswomen of the 80s are celebrated for their lasting influence in different industries. From technology, cosmetics, clothing, entertainment, and more. These female entrepreneurs helped shape the business world in the 1980s and their investments are still relevant to the present day.