Listen. I’ve loved Taylor Swift since I was in 10th grade playing “Teardrops on My Guitar” with my friends. “Our Song” is still the only song I can sing entirely on-key (and it’s also the song I associate with my first boyfriend). I was there for “Fearless,” when “Love Story” was on loop on iPods across the school (and yes, I may have sung along with special fervor while thinking of my first long-term boyfriend). “Speak Now” came as I entered college, when high school nostalgia was washed away by “Mean,” and “Red” was released just in time for my 22nd birthday.

I’ve watched Taylor Swift transform from a curly-haired, over-humble, 16-year-old country princess to the sleek, business-savvy pop sensation she is now, and I’ve transformed with her, though I don’t own houses in Nashville, New York, Rhode Island, L.A. and London. Okay, so maybe I’ve done nothing with my life compared to Taylor Swift.

If Swift was successful before, “1989” has brought an entirely new level of popularity. The album became the first single artist’s platinum album of the year, and in just one week, making Swift the first person to have three consecutive albums accomplish the million-in-a-week feat. Taylor is a force to be reckoned with; even if you don’t like her music, you have to appreciate her business sense.

But what’s not to like about Swift? Well, some say (including Swift herself), her music is all about boys, and it is getting to the point where we’re starting to wonder if she’s the problem in all these relationships. Isn’t she married yet? Swift and others have pointed out this argument is rather silly. Male artists constantly write about love lost, and no one calls them out on it. Sixteen-year-old Swift built her empire on young girls’ first heartbreaks, but she had songs with other themes as well. Now, in “1989,” she still writes songs about heartbreak, her own love, her image and other peoples’ loves. While Swift’s musical style has changed and her lyrics have matured, her overall themes remain much the same.

And she continues to make a profit off these men, too. From Harry Styles to Jake Gyllenhall, Swift and her publicist are making a business out of these relationships. Do you remember that time Taylor bought a house in Cape Cod near then-boyfriend Connor Kennedy? She ended up flipping that house for a nearly million dollar profit. Swift knows just how to swing her relationships with men to her advantage. And I guess I can’t help but admire that.

Others take issue with Swift’s cat-lady-dork public persona, saying she’s faking her quirks. Of course she is. And it’s paying off. Swift started off with a MySpace account. Now, she uses Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram to keep up with her fans, participating in memes about herself and simply producing overall quality stuff. Swift has carefully crafted her public persona, but she’s doing it better than just about any other artist out there.

So how does Taylor Swift do it? How has she made an empire at the age of 24, become the popular pick for all the awards shows of the season and made “Rolling Stone” compare her to Prince? By all accounts, pure, old-fashioned hard work and business sense. Yes, she’s calculating. Every step she makes is carefully thought out and executed. And she’s killing it. And if that’s not the mark of a successful woman, I don’t know what is.