Forbes released its annual list of powerful women to watch today. From celebrity, royalty, politicians, tech-geeks and social entrepreneurs to space explorers (you read that right), you’ll find an interesting mix of influential women leading business, technology, the arts, and entrepreneurship.

Reading their profiles and bios, they have one thing in common. They got their big break and went for it.

Here’s a quick run-down of my picks from the 2013 Forbes Powerful Women to Watch. (All information and excerpts taken from source Forbes.com)

Sara Blakely, 41, Founder of Spanx

Big Break: Founded Spanx, a women’s shape wear company with $5,000 in savings in 2000. Her Oprah endorsement probably helped too.

The business now makes an estimated $250 million in revenue.

 

Lena Dunham, 26, Writer/Director/Actress, Creator HBO’s Girls

Big Break: Wrote, directed and starred in the 2010 film Tiny Furniture.

Nominated for five Emmy awards for her very own creation, HBO’s Girls, which she also wrote, directed and starred. She is a one-woman show!

 

Caterina Fake, 43, Entrepreneu, Founder, Findery.com

Big Break: Co-founded Flickr in 2002 with Stewart Butterfield. The photo-sharing network was acquired by Yahoo! in 2005 for a rumored $30 million.

Fake’s latest venture, Findery.com is a location-based note service that is still in private beta but anticipates a public launch online and in App stores later this year.

 

Maelle Gavet, 34, CEO, Ozon

Big Break: In 2009, Ozon CEO Bernard Lukey offered Gavet the position of head of marketing and customer relations. If she did well, she would be his successor. Gavet became CEO in 2010.

Now she’s at the helm of an e-commerce giant with soaring revenues: $303 million in 2011 revenues, almost doubling its total in the one year she’s been in charge.

 

Jennifer Lawrence, 21, Actress

Big Break: In 2011 nominated for an Academy Award for her starring role in Winter’s Bones.

After her lucrative starring role in Hunger Games, everyone’s betting she could well be the next highest paid actress.

 

Olivia Lum, 51, President and CEO, Hyflux

Big Break: Founded water-treatment firm Hyflux in 1989 with start-up capital of $15,000.

Lum is one impressive lady. The company she founded is publicly traded in the Singapore stock exchange with revenues of $450 million and employs more than 2,300 people in Southeast Asia, China, India, the Middle East and North Africa.

 

Kate Middleton, 30, Duchess of Cambridge

No need for introductions. Middleton married into the British royal family and the rest is history.

 

Robin Roberts, 51, Co-anchor, Good Morning America

Big Break: Joined ESPN as a sportscaster in 1990 and began reporting for Good Morning America five years later. Named co-anchor in 2005.

Is she next Oprah of news? ABC News president Ben Sherwood calls Roberts the “heart and soul of ABC News” and the “Captain” of GMA.

 

To read the full article, go to Forbes.com

Speaking of big breaks, what was yours? Did you smash it or did you blow it?

If there was an Australian Power Women list, who would you nominate?

*All extracts taken from original source Forbes.com