We are going to transform urban transportation," Robin Chase told Inc. in 2001, shortly after co-founding Zipcar, the car-sharing company that disrupted the auto rental business. Since then, Inc. has tracked the growth of a class of entrepreneurs who aren't white men as they spawned entire industries and busted glass ceilings. These five leaders joined us to discuss the unique and continuing hurdles facing women founders, and to share their passion for the opportunities that await those willing to discard the concept of failure.
In a conversation with Kris Frieswick.
I'm thrilled to be surrounded by so many people who invented entire industries. Kay, you came up with the model for original content on cable. How did you do that?
Kay Koplovitz: I worked in the satellite business. I worked in the cable business. I wrote a master's thesis on satellite technology in the late '60s, but we had to wait seven years to get approval to use satellites in our industry. I was a television producer during college. I put together the skills that I needed, but more important even than that, I worked to be introduced to and know, on a working basis, the key players in those industries. It was really important to know the people whom you had to know before you needed to do business with them.
Jennifer Hyman: I agree, especially in my industry, where we've had to persuade designers to sell us inventory, and have it be rented at the exact same time that it's sold at department stores. That's all based on relationships. There is no data that I was able to give them beforehand to say, "I'm not going to ruin your company." They had to trust me. They had to like me. The almost 300 designers we've brought on--every single one has been about lunches and dinners and drinks and relationships.