From side hustles to scalable brands: How marketplaces are paving the way for female entrepreneurs

As International Women's Day approaches, a quiet shift is reshaping the way women build businesses. Despite receiving just 5.8% of total investment in 2024, women are launching ventures at record levels - and doing so by bypassing traditional growth routes altogether.

According to Prowess: Women in Business, female early-stage entrepreneurial activity in the UK now stands at 9.2% of the adult population, up from 5.7% in 2015. With traditional funding often out of reach, many female founders are turning to global marketplaces like Temu to test, launch, and scale businesses with far less upfront risk, using its adaptable, user-friendly platform to grow on their own terms and at a pace that fits their goals and schedules.

Scaling without traditional funding

For many women, entrepreneurship is about autonomy as much as growth. The Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship shows that flexibility around caring responsibilities is the number one reason women with children start a business. Platforms like Temu that simplify logistics, payments, and customer access are increasingly helping women overcome these operational challenges.

Operating in more than 90 markets and connecting consumers directly with manufacturers and sellers, Temu gives sellers access to international audiences without the need for warehouses, marketing spend, or complex infrastructure, making it easier to test ideas and scale on their own terms.

Take Sarah Gulfraz, the Stoke-on-Trent–based entrepreneur who runs Peacock Supplies, a supplier of faith-based gifts and partyware. Last year, she turned to Temu as a low-risk way to explore customer demand within the UK. By listing an initial range of 300 products, she was able to monitor buying patterns in real time and expand gradually based on what sold.

"Buying from Temu is all about increasing visibility," Sarah noted. Indeed, as the number of orders grew, access to Temu's broad customer base helped stabilise revenue during traditionally quieter periods, reducing seasonal volatility. Crucially, this growth was achieved without external funding, allowing her to retain control of the business while building a stronger, more resilient domestic operation. 

Creativity meets accessibility

Temu's marketplace model is proving equally valuable in creative industries. In Bradford, fashion designer Ramatallahi Abubakar is building Ramatporsche Design - a brand that fuses African-inspired silhouettes with modern minimalism - by keeping startup costs down.

After transitioning from a science career into fashion, Ramatallahi quickly found that sourcing equipment and materials was one of her biggest barriers. Using Temu to access affordable tools and supplies helped her reduce her start-up costs, making it possible to grow her business without taking on debt or external investment. "Buying through Temu has cut my supply costs by 40 to 50%," she explained. "My mannequin from there was a game-changer - sturdy, reliable, and way more affordable than what I could find locally."

The affordability and breadth of choice available through the platform also enables her to give back to her community. She now runs sewing classes for aspiring designers in Bradford, many of whom rely on Temu to source sketchbooks, tools and materials as they hone their skills.

Lowering barriers and broadening access 

This shift is not isolated. An IPSOS survey commissioned by Temu found that 14% of UK respondents have used the platform to start or grow a business, while 8 in 10 rated it as offering good or excellent value for money. With a growing number of local sellers listing products on Temu, the platform is evolving to offer faster delivery, broader local choice and greater reach for small businesses.

As traditional funding models continue to fall short for female founders, marketplaces are stepping in as a powerful alternative. By lowering financial barriers, supporting experimentation and enabling sellers to scale at their own pace, platforms like Temu are helping more women turn side hustles into sustainable businesses, and helping to level the entrepreneurial playing field.