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Five females in business we want to be when we grow-up

BOSS LADY: Vanessa Williams as scary magazine editor Wilhelmina Slater in Channel 4's 'Ugly Betty'

AS THE British summer threatens to take us by surprise and stay put any day now, making it into the office might feel a bit more difficult.

With the ever-present #TuesdayMotivation posts from people who look like they're actually poolside instead of reposting from Rihanna's Instagram, we may as well turn our attention to some of our favourite real-life ladies who deserve the #GirlBoss hash tag for the real work they do; even if it is via a laptop on the beach:

Sharmadean Reid

Reid is the founder of WAH Nails, a London walk-in destination for all glam girls, which has grown into a nail art brand available in major High Street retailers.

Mona Scott-Young

Scott-Young is the brains behind the lucrative, if mind-numbing Love and Hip-Hop TV series as well as a key figure in many 90s and early noughties music careers, including those of Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes.

Louise Broni-Mensah

North London girl Broni-Mensah created Shoobs, the only website to serve black and urban promotors and party-goers. Taking her business model to the next level with a Silicon Valley funding round in between motivational speaking engagements, Broni-Mensah is one to watch.

Kimora Lee Simmons

Although married to another multi million dollar man, Kimora still holds onto the prestigious surname of her Hip-Hop and fashion mogul ex-husband Russell Simmons. Kimora made her name as the lady who turned around the once failing men's brand Phat Farm, which spawned the female equivalent Baby Phat. Before she racked-up column inches in her own right, Kimora was a teenaged high fashion muse; before capturing later life as a mum and boss on reality TV.

Yvonne Witter

This well-respected, no-nonsense business expert (an actual expert, by the way) was named Southwark Business Woman of the Year 2008 in recognition of her work as a business consultant specialising in start-ups and empowering female entrepreneurs. Published author Witter has travelled to the Caribbean, Africa and Asia to help diverse groups raise micro finance and build capacity.

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