I’m Hannah Hally, and in this episode of Icons of Influence, we’re celebrating someone who rewrote the rules of women’s tennis and then leveraged that success into business, investment, and influence. That’s Serena Williams — 23 Grand Slams, Olympic golds, powerful presence, and a business portfolio that reflects her drive, her identity, and her vision. Let’s walk through how she built her legacy, what makes her business moves so compelling, and what lessons we can learn from her journey.

Segment 1: Tennis greatness & what she changed

Serena announced herself as a force when she won her first Grand Slam singles title at the US Open in 1999. From there, she stacked wins across every surface: hard courts, grass, clay. She holds 23 Grand Slam singles titles — the most by any woman in the Open Era. Alongside her sister Venus, she won 14 major women’s doubles titles, and added mixed doubles too. Her Olympic haul includes multiple golds, in both singles and doubles. These achievements made her not just a champion but a symbol of power, resilience, and consistency.

What stood out was more than wins. Her style changed the game: serv­ing with precision and power, movement, athleticism. She pushed what women's tennis could look like — not just finesse, but strength. She played through injuries, through motherhood, through criticism. Her career win-loss records are among the best ever. Her longevity meant she was winning Grand Slams over more than a decade, still showing up at the top when others had faded. She became a benchmark — what others measured against. Today, even after retirement, her presence reshapes what’s possible for female athletes.

Segment 2: From court to boardroom - her business journey & ethos

When Serena started investing and building businesses, it wasn’t just about capitalizing on fame. She brought her competitive spirit, her sense of identity, and her experience of being underrepresented into how she builds. Early fashion ventures, her clothing lines, were about more than style — she wanted inclusivity, women of all body types, designs that celebrated strength and confidence.

She founded Serena Ventures, which invests in early-stage companies, often those led by women, people of color, and underrepresented founders. Her portfolio has dozens of companies, and some of those have become unicorns. What that shows is belief: believing that investing in those with less exposure isn’t just ethical, it’s smart business.

She also launched Will Perform, a recovery-care brand with products like muscle gels, Epsom salts, etc., geared for athletes and people who train and move. Her focus here is the wellness side: recovery isn’t glamorous, but it’s essential. She built that company from her own experiences — what helped her body, what she believed should be available.

In 2024 she launched Wyn Beauty, a makeup line attuned to deeper skin tones. Too often beauty brands neglect inclusivity; she wanted to change that. She named it “Wyn” to evoke winning, empowerment. A portion of profits go to maternal health causes. So there is both business and purpose.

She also produces film and media through her company Nine Two Six Productions (using her birth date 9/26), which is committed to diverse storytelling. After success with King Richard (as producer), she sees media as another way to influence culture, not just by being a subject, but by creating content.

Serena also stepped into sports ownership: she took an ownership stake in the Toronto Tempo, the WNBA’s first non-U.S. franchise. She’s not just investing, but also helping shape merchandise, designs, visibility. It’s part of her belief that women’s sports are an under-invested, under-seen opportunity — and part of how she uses business to elevate others.

Her ethos in business revolves around inclusion, purpose, authenticity. She doesn’t shy away from risking, from being visible. She wants people who look like her, think like her, other underrepresented founders to have chance. Her business path shows a willingness to build, to fund, to produce, to design — not just endorse.

Segment 3: Influence, impact & critique

Serena’s influence goes beyond numbers and business. She’s impacted the perceptions of what a female athlete can be: strong, outspoken, vulnerable, multifaceted. She’s been vocal about pay equity, about motherhood, about media double standards. Her public image is often scrutinized — some say she exudes ego; others see confidence. It’s true: her competitive fire sometimes led to conflicts on court. But that same fire is part of what made her dominant.

She has faced criticism — injuries, controversies, sometimes backlash for speaking out. But she persisted, which only magnified her impact. She showed that one could both fight for one’s self and for a broader cause. She inspired younger players, especially Black players and women of color, seeing someone who looked like them winning, investing, owning.

Impact also shows in business results: her brands have been taken seriously, her investments producing unicorns, her media ventures getting attention and critical acclaim. Her ownership in women’s sports contributes to visibility, financial power for leagues and teams that historically struggled. Her businesses aren’t side projects; many are full-time operations with real consumer impact.

Segment 4: Lessons, risk & legacy thinking
 

From Serena’s journey we can draw lessons. First: leverage your core schtick — your best arena — and build outward. She used tennis as the platform, then extended into beauty, wellness, media, ownership. Second: align values with ventures. Inclusion, authenticity, identity matter. She built business not just for profit, but for meaning.

But risks are real. Business demands attention; sometimes brand ventures fail, or expectations are high. Her fashion lines or beauty brands are in crowded, tough markets. Athlete-entrepreneurs often face skepticism—“she’s selling, not performing.” There’s also the challenge of succession — what happens when the active career ends. Serena’s planning seems thoughtful, but the shift from athlete to businessperson has its own stresses.

Her legacy is already solid. Records in tennis may stand for decades. But beyond that, she’s influencing sport business, equity, representation. When people talk about what’s possible for women in business or sport, she features in many visions.

Closing

Serena Williams teaches us that greatness isn’t just a measure of wins. It’s how you use those wins — how you bring others forward, how you build when the spotlight dims, how you invest in what doesn’t get easy attention: wellness, inclusion, opportunity.

If this episode inspired you, subscribe, rate, share with someone who admires drive and courage. Think about what your platform is, how you can use it, what values you want to build into your influence. I’m Hannah Hally, and this was Icons of Influence. Until next time — win with purpose, build with meaning, influence without apology.