Melissa O’Malley, Director of Global Merchant & Cross Border Trade Initiatives, PayPal

 Women business leaders are increasingly driving the e-commerce industry. While only 14 percent of venture capital-backed companies in 2014 were founded by women, that number nearly triples to a whopping 40 percent when it comes to e-commerce.[i] And many of these spirited entrepreneurs leverage PayPal every day to help grow their business – like Denise Cline from The Minky Boutique and Christina Battle of Top Shelf Style.

Denise Cline, The Minky Boutique

In high school, while most teens shopped for clothes at the mall, Denise Cline designed and made most of her wardrobe. In 2009, this 40-something single mother of three turned her passion for sewing into a successful business when she launched The Minky Boutique, an online store for custom handmade blankets and other items. Since then, the business has grown from its original 400 square-foot office to a new 2,000 square-foot location.

The holidays are always Denise’s busiest time of year. To prepare for the holiday rush last year, she secured a $20,000 business loan through PayPal Working Capital just minutes after applying. With the extra capital, she was able to restock inventory for the 2014 holiday season and saw a 10-percent spike in sales over Q4 2014.

Christina Battle, Top Shelf Style

Christina Battle always dreamed of owning her own store.  Instead of waiting to figure out how to get into a very expensive San Francisco storefront, she got the idea to start her business by turning an old 24-foot bread truck into a clothing store on wheels. She was able to enter the market as a mobile retailer, one of the first of its kind in San Francisco, and thanks to PayPal’s mobile payment technology, she was able to accept payments right from her truck.

The rest is history. Christina’s business has grown beyond her fashion truck to include a storefront and online store. This year, she plans to expand her online business to reach customers around the globe.

PayPal continues to work closely with the SBA to recognize female-owned small businesses. We recently hosted a panel on Capitol Hill that focused on opportunities digital payments technology creates for women small business owners and entrepreneurs. From small businesses to government to technology, there is no limit to the growth and leadership that female entrepreneurs can provide.

[i] Financial Times, September 30, 2014. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/c0f49f08-4888-11e4-ad19-00144feab7de.html#axzz3YGXgz575