Million-dollar ideas are few and far between. Most of us wish for just one of those breakthrough moments when a light bulb appears above our heads and starts spewing money like a slot machine.
In fact, it's seldom so simple, coming up with the big idea or scoring the big break or simply deciding you've got what it takes. More often, it's a study in perseverance, creativity, self-confidence and, every now and then, putting a little frustration to good use.
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Here, 10 women who started small and made it big, creating media empires, international beauty conglomerates or companies that Harvard Business School now uses as efficiency case studies.
We'll start the list with a woman who brought us fair trade.