PRESENTING: 13 female founders who self-funded their businesses share their top advice for startup success

Lisa Qu is a Gen Z entrepreneur and fashion designer who was featured on Forbes' "30 Under 30." She bootstrapped her $250,000 women's clothing line from her own savings and her parents' retirement savings.

Read the exact pitch she used to convince her parents to loan her their savings just years before they planned to retire »

Deidre Mathis has won $75,000 in 12 pitch competitions since starting her hostel business, Wanderstay. The hostel is in Houston, Texas, and it offers shared dorms and private rooms for $35 to $60 per night.

She explained how entrepreneurs can nail their business pitches »

Palestinian-American Stephanie Nadi Olson bootstrapped a $5 million platform matching freelancers with brands and agencies.

Here's how she's taking on Accenture, McKinsey, and the biggest marketing companies in the world with independent talent »

Former bank executive Cate Luzio says her business plan was instrumental in growing her bootstrapped collaboration space business, Luminary NYC, to more than 600 individual and over 20 corporate members in one year.

She explains how she transformed her women-focused collaboration space into a viable idea by writing her business plan in one week »

Kristie Nystedt quit her job in healthcare to start a brewery with her husband with $100,000 of their own savings, $150,000 in a small-business loan, and a loan from a friend. Now she is making over $200,000 a year as CEO of Raleigh Brewing Co.

Read how Nystedt created a three-pronged business that paid for itself »

Patrice Banks was was making a six-figure salary as an engineer at DuPont when she left the corporate world to launch Girls Auto Clinic, an auto shop where women can feel comfortable taking their cars.

She gives 6 principles women entrepreneurs can use to disrupt 'boys' club' industries »

Ana Gavia started Pinkcolada, which sells stylish and affordable swimsuits, when she was just 25 and a medical student in Australia.

Here's how she took $200 and launched a $1.7 million swimwear business in a single year and out of her home »

Founder and military spouse Michelle Penczak exclusively hires women and men whose spouses are in the armed forces to become virtual assistants on Squared Away.

Here's how she grew her 6-figure virtual assistant business to over 80 employees and 100 clients in just 2 years »

Jamie Fairman worked in HR for a bourbon company before launching her plant shop, Forage. She opened her first store with $20,000 from her personal savings, and the business is still self-funded today.

Here's how she tapped into the the millennial craze of buying house plants »

Katy Flannery and Gwen Burlingame went from selling their lactose-free ice cream in farmers markets to nationwide availability in 1,000 stores, including Whole Foods.

They shared how their past career experiences in pediatric nursing and marketing help them tackle the challenges of bootstrapping their business »

Carleigh Bodrug used $1,000 of her savings to set up a website and begin offering memberships to paid subscribers to receive weekly meal-prep plans and recipes via email.

Here's how she grew a social media following of nearly 50,000 on Instagram by offering recipe and lifestyle tips for a plant-based diet »