Breaking Barriers: Lessons from Successful Business Women

Women’s History Month is an annual celebration of the contributions of women to society. Beginning as a weeklong celebration in Santa Rosa, CA that overlapped with March 8th, International Women’s Day, the celebration gained momentum and governmental recognition with a Presidential proclamation to officially become a month-long observation in 1987. 

Every year The National Women’s History Alliance names a theme for the month of March and this year’s theme is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.” We thought this space provided a unique opportunity to tell the stories of women who have had profound impacts on the business world, the gift card and payments industries and raised the standard for women everywhere. 

Deborah Merkin - CEO, GiftCard Partners, INC.

Having founded GiftCard Partners nearly two decades ago, Deborah Merkin possesses extensive knowledge and expertise in the gift card industry. During a recent interview, she shared valuable insights regarding the current trends, challenges, and opportunities that the sector is facing.

What advice would you give to women who aspire to become future business leaders?”

I am so impressed by millennial and Gen Z women today; these women are far more confident and stronger than previous generations. To succeed, you have to believe in yourself, your capabilities, be a team player and be able to work through adversities. Setting ambitious goals and persevering through adversity and setbacks is crucial. Rather than fearing obstacles, it is beneficial to embrace them, learn from them, and grow stronger as a result.

Networking and building long-term relationships with successful women and mentors in the industry can also be incredibly valuable. These connections can provide guidance, support, and opportunities for growth and advancement.

Additionally, I would encourage women to continually learn and develop new skills. The business world is constantly evolving, and staying current and adaptable can be key to achieving success and breaking through barriers.

Finally, it's important to be true to yourself and your values. Don't compromise your principles or sacrifice your well-being for the sake of climbing the corporate ladder. Stay focused on what matters most to you and find ways to make a positive impact in your work and in the world.

Ursula M. Burns- Pioneering Women Leader

Ursula M. Burns is the first woman to lead a Fortune 500 company. She took the role of CEO at Xerox in 2009 (yes, that’s right 2009) and served in that role until 2016. Ursula raised the standard for all women, but particularly women of color to rise to the highest ranks of the corporate world.

When asked in a 2022 interview how she was able to “have it all” as her career grew to uncharted heights, she cited her “village.” She credited the support she had in her marriage and family and the village that helped her maintain both career and family life as she rose through the corporate ranks.

Ursula’s story Ursula’s assent highlights the importance of representation of women of color in the C-suite and in leadership positions at highly visible companies like Xerox. 

Lilly Ledbetter- Pioneer for Equal Pay

Lilly Ledbetter is one of the original pioneers for equal pay for women. She is the titular plaintiff in the U.S. Supreme Court Case Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. She filed the lawsuit after learning that she was getting paid thousands less per year than her male counterparts after nineteen years of service to Goodyear. 

While she did not win her original lawsuit due to a 180 day statute of limitations on pay inequality claims, congress passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 which amended Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to make it easier for people affected by pay inequality to file lawsuits and recover damages from their offending employer. 

Lilly Ledbetter’s persistence through the legal system may not have been conventionally successful but it led to legislation preventing a similar situation from happening in the future.

US Women’s National Soccer Team- The Next Generation Fighting for Equal Pay

The Olympic gold medal winning, World Cup champion women’s national soccer team sued U.S. Soccer in a landmark lawsuit alleging gender discrimination affecting the pay scale of both U.S. national soccer teams. This lawsuit not only led to a win, awarding millions to the players who were chronically underpaid and given unequal treatment in travel and game accommodations compared to their male counterparts, but it raised the conversation about gender bias in the workplace across the country.

Because the U.S. Women’s National Team is highly visible with a huge fanbase, their lawsuit began conversations about gender bias and pay equity in industries across the country. The lawsuit normalized conversations about salary transparency both within organizations and in the job descriptions they post publicly.

While the lawsuit has come and gone, the women of the U.S. National Soccer team have left an indelible mark on business, and pay and gender equity for generations to come.

Payal Kadakia- Revolutionizing How We Work Out

Did you go to the gym or a fitness class today? Over 64 million Americans hold a gym membership and 42% of those people have memberships to boutique fitness studios. If you’re partial to a spin studio or a pilates studio, you may have used ClassPass. ClassPass’ co-founder Payal Kadakia is known for challenging the status quo, and when her first fitness start-up failed, she persisted and created the unicorn firm we know today as Class Pass.

Payal Kadakia is known in the business world for challenging the status quo in everything she does and was the first in a class of young women entrepreneurs to bring their businesses to unicorn status and had peer brands like Bumble, Stitchfix and theSkimm. Payal was noted in Forbes 40 under 40 list in 2016 and their Women Entrepreneurs to Watch in the same year.

Highlighting strong women in business, across industries and across generations proves the importance of continuing to celebrate the women of our past, present and future in business. We need to keep telling their stories so that we can empower the stories of the next generation of pioneering business women. So that young entrepreneurs feel the representation of those that came before and continue innovating in their industries and driving gender equity forward.