From Frustration to Fortune: 3 Steps to Building Your Empire

Building an empire doesn’t have to be just a dream—it's a reality for many female entrepreneurs- and behind every thriving female business is a founder who once had a curious idea and the determination to bring it to life.  These ideas are molded into products, services, and solutions that fulfill unmet needs, solve pressing problems, or simply make life better. 

Embrace Your Curiosity

Curiosity is the spark that ignites the flame of creation and innovation.  It drives the engine of business. It begins with a simple question—a “what if” or a “why not?”—that challenges the status quo and dares to seek better solutions. When curiosity takes hold, it opens doors to new ideas and unexplored solutions that can potentially change the world.

Sara Blakely, Founder of Spanx

Sara Blakely knew selling fax machines wasn't her true calling and began manifesting a vision of something much bigger early on.  She transformed her curiosity about uncomfortable shapewear into Spanx, becoming the world's youngest self-made female billionaire.

To start, she invested two years and $5,000 of savings to develop her product.  Her breakthrough came through bold action - famously demonstrating Spanx to a Neiman Marcus buyer in the ladies' restroom, securing her first major retail account. Once in the store and without their approval, she strategically moved her products to prominent store locations, aiming for maximum exposure by placing them near checkout areas instead of being hidden in a corner.

Spanx became profitable immediately after its founding in 2000, generating $4 million in sales that year and growing to $250 million by 2012.  Blakely sold a majority stake in Spanx to Blackstone in October 2021 where the deal was valued at $1.2 billion.  Remarkably, ​​the sale was the first time Spanx accepted outside funding since its founding in 2000.

Blakely’s success was fueled not only by her focus on profitability, hands-on involvement, and relentless pursuit of opportunities but also by an insatiable curiosity. From the start, she was driven to understand every detail of her business—from product design and customer needs to market trends and retail strategies. This curiosity led her to question industry norms, challenge conventional practices, and find creative solutions where others saw roadblocks. This genuine desire to learn, adapt, and grow laid the foundation for Spanx’s remarkable success and continued evolution.

Step One: Start a daily Curiosity Journal.  Spend 15 minutes each day documenting a “what if” or “why not” relative to your interests at work or in your day to day life.  Choose one question daily to research deeper.

Solve a Problem

Every great business starts with a moment of frustration—that time you thought, "Why isn't there a better way to do this?" Maybe you've experienced it yourself: struggling with a product that doesn't quite work, dealing with a service that's more complicated than it needs to be, or wishing something existed to make your life easier. That's exactly how successful entrepreneurs begin their journey. They don't just complain about problems—they decide to fix them. 

Tiffany Masterson, Founder of Drunk Elephant

Tiffany Masterson discovered a fundamental problem in the skincare industry while selling a cleansing bar as a stay-at-home mom: despite countless products claiming to help sensitive skin, she couldn't find anything that actually worked. She realized the real issue wasn't sensitive skin—it was the industry's reliance on problematic ingredients.

Through meticulous research, Masterson identified what she called the "suspicious six"—essential oils, chemical sunscreens, silicones, SLS, fragrances, and drying alcohols—as the root cause of many skin issues. Rather than creating another line of "sensitive skin" products, she solved the problem at its source by eliminating these common irritants entirely.

She spent three years researching and developing formulations while raising four children, refusing to launch until each product met her strict standards for both safety and efficacy.

Drunk Elephant launched in 2013 with six core products, each solving specific skincare problems without creating new ones. The brand's problem-solving approach resonated strongly with consumers frustrated by complicated skincare routines and unexplained reactions. By 2019, this clear solution to a widespread problem had built such a loyal following that Shiseido acquired the company for $845 million.

Masterson's success stemmed from solving the real problem—harmful ingredients masquerading as solutions—rather than simply creating another brand claiming to help sensitive skin. Her approach proved that identifying and addressing the root cause of consumer problems, rather than treating symptoms, can lead to both industry transformation and remarkable business success.

Step Two: Based on your Curiosity Journal, investigate existing solutions, understand why current options may fall short, and talk to potential consumers like friends, co-workers, and family. Look for patterns in your observations; these recurring themes often reveal the most promising business opportunities that might have been overlooked.

Stay True to Your Vision

Building an empire is like running a marathon, not a sprint—it takes time, patience, and an unwavering belief in your vision.  Your vision isn't just a starting point—it's your compass through every decision, every setback, and every victory.  It will give you the courage to say "no" to anything that doesn't align with your core purpose. 

Emily Weiss, Founder of Glossier

Emily Weiss's journey from Vogue assistant to beauty empire founder began with a simple yet profound question and vision: "What if beauty brands actually listened to women?" Her vision was to create a beauty brand people would actually love—not just use. Instead of beauty companies telling women what they needed, she wanted to create products based on what women actually wanted, making luxury beauty both affordable and approachable.

With just $700 of her own money in 2010, to bring her vision to life, Weiss launched her blog, Into The Gloss.  She dedicated her early morning hours to writing before heading to her day job at Vogue.  While the blog became successful and self-sustaining through advertising and sponsored content, Weiss's vision extended far beyond digital publishing. She knew she needed significant capital—not just for product development, but to build a complete team across design, technology, and editorial. Taking the venture capital route, she faced rejection from nearly every firm she approached.  She stayed true to her community-first approach though and when Glossier finally launched in 2014 with just four essential products, each one reflected exactly what women told her they wanted.

Her unwavering commitment to her vision paid off dramatically. Glossier grew to a $1.2 billion valuation by 2019, built a cult following among millennials and Gen Z, and created a new model for beauty brand engagement. What started as a blog transformed into a global beauty empire, all because Weiss stayed true to her original vision while allowing her community to guide the brand's evolution.

Weiss's success wasn't built on following industry rules—it came from breaking them. By staying true to her vision while remaining responsive to her customers' needs, she created something truly extraordinary.  Rather than following the traditional beauty playbook, she created her own rules, always keeping her customers at the heart of every decision

Step Three:  In your Curiosity Journal, write down your core vision, your “why”.  This is the problem you're solving and your non-negotiable values. Define what success looks like beyond just financial metrics. Establish a routine of monthly vision check-ins where you review all major decisions against this documented vision, and ask yourself what is and isn’t working towards your vision. 

Take Action

Successful business starts with a simple thought; a moment when someone like you looked at a problem and thought, "There has to be a better way." Maybe you've had that moment too. Perhaps it was struggling to find comfortable work clothes, searching endlessly for the right skincare products, or wondering why certain services are so complicated. That's exactly how many of today's most successful female entrepreneurs began their journeys. Sara Blakely was just trying to find comfortable shapewear. Tiffany Masterson was a mom looking for skincare that wouldn't irritate her skin. Emily Weiss wanted beauty products that actually made sense. They weren't trying to build empires at first—they were just determined to learn and solve problems that frustrated them daily.

Ready to build your own empire? Begin your journey with the three steps above and reach out anytime to gokce@raisingrockefeller.com if you need help or have any questions along the way. We are here to guide you along your path to financial confidence and building your empire!