It takes one to know one: a powerful women-owned brand. And as a female-owned and led company, Charm School loves supporting women-owned brands—all nearly 13 million of them (in the U.S.). If you’re looking for inspiration for your female founded start-up or small business, look no further than the following companies. They’ll knock your socks off.
The Top Women-Owned Brands We Love
Listen, we know that many fabulous women are out there, making a real difference in the world. That’s why we want to make sure you understand that this is not meant to be a comprehensive list! Or to shame anybody. We’re all about women supporting women here. However, we don’t have the time to cover every single fantastic female led company out there! So, here are some of the women-owned brands we absolutely adore and you can look to for inspiration for social media, branding, and more.
1. Avid Bookshop
We’re suckers for a fabulous bookstore. Add in a female bookstore owner, Janet Geddis, who is “standing up for human rights, equality, and the freedom to read” and labels her bookstore in Athens, Georgia, as a “safe space,” and we’re more than happy to support Avid Bookshop online.
We especially love how they don’t try too hard on social, all while posting authentic and intriguing content by varying the use of Reels, organic static posts, and engaging Stories. Its Insta account is fresh, regularly tended to, and brimming with over 20K followers!
2. Beauty Heros
We love a strong product with a good story as much as the next woman. That’s why we were attracted to Beauty Heros. Jeannie Jarnot, a longtime spa director and healthy beauty expert, founded the skincare company after finding out about all of the toxins used in the spa industry and how they could have contributed to her infertility. She decided it was time to make sure beauty could be healthy and introduce hero products we can all trust.
From a marketing perspective, we love the branding. From hello, you understand what the business is about: aspirational clean beauty that promotes body positivity. Naming your business is so tricky, and this business nailed it.
3. Collettey’s
Cookies and causes are two things we really love. Collette Divitto, a young woman with Down Syndrome, founded Collettey’s Cookies after she couldn’t get paid work elsewhere. Her disability kept her from getting hired, but it didn’t stop her love of baking or her ability to “change the world one cookie at a time.” She now runs a successful business and hires many people with disabilities.
The story to this business is so compelling, it truly sells itself. If you’re working on defining your mission and vision, writing your business plan, or trying to better connect with customers, follow Collettey’s lead in storytelling. It works every time.
4. Spur Jewelry
We’re both customers and marketing fans when it comes to the lady-led Spur Jewelry! This talented team recycles jewelry into modern pieces through a completely concierge design process. They not only reduce waste, but preserve family history and heirlooms—down to baby teeth necklaces!
Spur’s social media does a fantastic job of selling products with the use of before and after photos. Sometimes you don’t need to reinvent the wheel or get too complex with social for it to resonate with customers. High quality images and video and brand story carry you far.
5. Give a Damn Goods
I mean, we give a damn, so why not shop at Give a Damn Goods for ethical, sustainable clothing and gifts? Emily Waddell opened the store to encourage people to shop their values. The store is a spin-off of Emily’s blog, The Honest Consumer, which helps educate people on sustainable fashion and conscious living.
At Charm School, we have a special place in our hearts for brands that do good for the world. We also are a big fan of this business’s website. It’s fresh, easy to navigate, and oozes its polished branding.
6. Gloss Game
Those clear bags you have to take to tons of stadiums and events now aren’t super cute, but they’ve become necessary. Enter Gloss Game. Kristin started the company so that she and all of the other young women out there who loved to attend sporting events didn’t have to carry ugly handbags. Now, you can add this staple into your wardrobe as more than an afterthought.
The branding of this company is so aligned with the demographic. It’s femme and thematic with the sports tie-in. We love it. A win in the branding department, for sure.
7. Lindsay Letters Co.
If you don’t have some artwork from Lindsay Letters Co. in your home, now’s your chance! Lindsay Sherbondy started her online shop in 2009, mostly as a lettering and calligraphy company. However, it’s grown to feature all types of custom pieces. She even recently started selling apparel. There’s something for everyone here.
We love their logo. It goes to show that you don’t always have to focus on illustration or abstract design for logos. Typography can be super successful on its own.
8. Moroccanoil
Curly-haired girls, listen up! Did you know that a woman owns Moroccan Oil? Co-founder Carmen Tal was traveling when she had a treatment and decided more people needed oil-infused hair treatments. Not only can your curls be lush and smell great, but you can support a woman with your purchases. And Carmen and her team work to lift up others through their Inspired By Women video campaign. You know we’re a sucker for well planned video marketing that educates the viewer while building credibility for the company.
9. Scribe Stationer
If you ever find yourself in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, you must visit Scribe Stationer. The stationary store is in historic Hose Co. No. 4 in the NewBo District. The building was built in 1916, and it’s adorable. You just want to go in and take a look. And go in, you should! We could walk around this store all day long. There are so many nerdy fun things to see! Can’t make it to Iowa? No worries. You can shop for some unique gifts at the sister store, Scout of Marion.
This business has wonderful content strategy on its website. The story is front and center along with the essence of the brand. Writing letters is so personal, so Scribe Stationer really drives that home by creating an intimate feeling on their site—and using thematic language throughout to reinforce their branding. Love it!
10. Sweet Water Decor
We want to smell all of the candles and own every funny mug from this store. Melissa Horvath founded Sweet Water Decor in 2014 in her basement. Now, boutiques across the nation sell her products. We could happily burn one of her fragrant candles in our office nonstop. It’s a whole mood. This brand features so much professional imagery and photography which add to its credibility.
So, Why Does Charm School Support Women-Owned Brands?
There was a time when women didn’t own businesses, because we weren’t allowed to. But times are changing, and we’re HERE FOR IT!
As a fellow woman-owned business, we know the unique challenges minority owned businesses face, because we are one, too. We’re able to support women entrepreneurs through business consulting, brand ideation and development, and marketing strategy execution of social media, content, email, and more. There’s so much more room at the table for women-owned brands with big ideas, and we’d love to help you build your empire.
