Every year Forbes releases their annual list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women. After a quick look at The 2016 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report, it is easy to see how many minority women made Forbes’ list. There are a wide variety of nationalities and ethnicities represented on the list. After a careful analysis of the above-referenced list, we concluded that there were 4 minority women in the top 15, and 11 minority women in the top 30.

Many of these successful women have sought to extend their success to other women and young professionals, joining organizations seeking to empower other rising leaders. For example, Dr. Sachiko Kuno, the Co-Founder of Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, was named as one of Forbes Magazine’s Top 50 America’s Richest Self-Made Women in 2015. As a board member and director of several organizations, she has taken her experience and expertise to reach out to aspiring young professionals, providing advice, training, and venture capital. Mei Xu, the Co-Founder, and CEO of Chesapeake Bay Candle attended the 2017 NextGen Awards Gala in Washington D.C. and gave a speech offering advice to rising Asian leaders.

Since 2007, women, and minority women, in particular, have exponentially increased their impact on the world of business and economics. Any time there is an influx of new demographics in leadership, a shift in outcomes follows. Thus far, the rise of women in business has led to tremendously positive effects on factors such as employment rate and GDP, among many others. As you can see, women-owned businesses are successful, innovative, and beneficial to the economy.