I really focused on image images that
were memorable and products that were
memorable sell things online
successfully you have to create a
feeling I really think the people piece
of this business is like my greatest
achievement scariest people the ones who
say like I show up early it’s my biggest
weakness you’re never failing you’re
never making mistakes you’re just
learning yeah I mean I would like to
grow with our customer I think anyone if
they’re smart and resourceful can like
use the Internet
and use the resources that you know that
they have or that they create for
themselves
and I’m the kind of person that’s like
oh my god opportunity cool
the book was successful know what got
kicked off of ebay actually kind of
serendipitously as I launched the
website people like want to keep control
for too long and don’t let other people
do the job she’s the founder of the
women’s fashion company Nasty Gal
her company was named one of the fastest
growing companies in America in 2012
according to ink magazine in 2014 her
book girl boss was published by
portfolio
she’s Sophia Amoruso and here her top
ten rules for success so I was just like
a total freak I think I think the fact
that I started with really memorable
products that were visually compelling I
mean I was on eBay
so I was selling things at auction if I
put something at auction for $9.99 that
was really boring like a white t-shirt
that you could find anywhere and I put
another thing that took me the same
amount of time and effort to buy style
photograph edit described and put online
that was like really cool and sculptural
and weird vintage like avant-garde like
80s art mom stuff and you know like it
was something that was memorable so I
took I really focused on image images
that were memorable and products that
were memorable and that was where nasty
all started and even today that’s what
makes you know for us on social what
makes anything that we do successful so
Nancy L is very much a feeling it’s a
feeling you know to sell things online
successfully you have to create a
feeling so you know when I started
selling on eBay
you know the department stores that were
online the people who are treating their
online stores is just another door and
we’re dumping stuff on a model and
cutting their head off and still are are
missing the point like the opportunity
that we have for storytelling online and
there’s so much context that you can
give a product within a photograph in
with a description that you know I
talked about exalting the details so I
mean I literally turned I guess I like
to say and I it’s not really but I
turned into gold I bought five dollar
things that weren’t designer vintage
that were just vintage that were stylish
that I put in the context of modern
fashion and made something desirable and
I started the auctions at $9.99 nasty
yells not successful because I marked my
prices up and tricked people into buying
stuff that they were eventually
dissatisfied with they fought over it
the prices went crazy that’s how I built
a cash positive you know cashflow
positive business because I told a story
through the photos so it was you know
the girl is always going somewhere she’s
she has intent so it’s not just a model
we have to it’s so much work and it’s
not cheap to find girls who look like
they’re a person but to tell a story
with that photo and for someone to keep
try that product on to look at it and
say oh my god I can see myself wearing
that or it’s why people are interested
in blogs and fashion bloggers it’s I
mean it’s the celebrity but the
paparazzi culture at the same time like
people understand things that are kind
of fed to them in a way that is like
predigested I guess a little bit for
lack of a better word which I always
tried to do with the photography by
putting in the context of like a real
girl which today is very much what we
continue to try to do and has become
much more common what do you consider
the thing you’re most proud of and
having built this company
I think I’m proud of having built this
company
without having any mercenary
relationships and without having to you
know be friends with people that I don’t
like or have investors who I know will
help but actually like I know it out of
me or hire people because I know they’ll
get the job done but I hate being in the
same room with them like I really think
the people piece of this business is
like my greatest achievement and that I
want to be in the same room with people
and that everyone is actually aligned on
doing awesome beyond being a retailer
beyond creating content or beyond buying
stuff for designing stuff or shooting
photos or whatever there is really like
a spirit inside the business and outside
the business with the amazing customer
that we have that is very unspoken that
has some just somehow emerged and and
and just works and and and I and I and I
feel very very proud of that and very
grateful to the people who continue to
make that possible a girl wants to
someone who I guess takes charge of like
her own life so it’s a girl boss or a
guy boss someone who knows their
weaknesses and knows what their
strengths are knows how to play to their
strengths I think there’s a lot of
people out there and I’ve interviewed a
lot of them who my favorite interview
question is name your biggest strengths
and your biggest weakness or what do you
have to work on and the scariest people
the ones who say like I show up early
it’s my biggest weakness or like I work
too much it’s my biggest weakness and
you know everybody has things that they
can improve upon and I think a world
where everybody is more aware of that is
a good one in a place where people can
be empowered to make choices in their
life rather than throw themself into
places that they may not inherently be
successful because the world is sold
them some story of what they should be
doing so I guess a girl boss is someone
who is in choice I think it’s important
that everybody like takes risks and if
if it doesn’t work you don’t do it again
and you try something different and in
that respect like you’re never you’re
never failing you’re never making
mistakes you’re just learning and then I
think you’re totally winning
but girlboss is about being the boss of
your own life I’m not necessarily
listening to the world or what the world
tells you you have to have or the
resources you need to be an entrepreneur
or to run a business you don’t have to
have the pedigreed education I dropped
out of Community College you know and if
you’re confident in yourself other
people will believe in you as well yeah
I mean I would like to grow with our
customer you know I I think you know
protecting the brand is really important
because what’s made us successful I want
to honor at every opportunity in the
future and I think it’s what’s going to
make a successful in the future how we
do that will be different it won’t be is
like half hazard or cute or you know
whatever as it has been in the past but
I think like what’s worked about
building the business to this date you
know in some way we have to find a way
to extend into you know growing the
business in the future and it’s
important that we don’t that we don’t
alienate our customer you know and
that’s a difficult thing you know in
America as a corporation you know to to
continue to stay friends with a customer
which we always have been it’s a very
high priority of mine but it’s really
hard to control all the moving pieces of
a business with you know close to 300
employees
and buying you know fountains of snow –
I don’t even know if it’s tens of
thousands or whatever excuse you know
throughout the year making sure that’s
all right and every person who answers
the phone is you know doing a good job
and no customer feels like they’re
wrapped up in some really big machine
you know and on some level a big company
you know that’s that’s what that’s what
it is
but I think there are ways of humanizing
that at every opportunity and that’s
something that I’m interested in I think
anyone if they’re smart and resourceful
can like use the Internet and use the
resources that you know that they have
or that they create for themselves to do
great things whatever the magnitude of
greatness is for you you know just
because I’m on a stage or because I have
a platform and wrote a book doesn’t mean
that your level of greatness is like any
less than mine we think that’s important
for people to understand because we live
in a culture where celebrities are
idolized and I talking in girlboss about
being your own Idol and competing with
yourself I do my best work when I
compete with myself so okay looking back
what would you tell 22 year old Sofia
who’s just started this store and you
have no idea that it’s gonna become what
it has become what would you tell her to
sort of yeah I mean what what lessons
would you give her I would say focus so
I think there’s I think I enjoy having a
lot of ideas but when you have a
business plan which I never did it it
forces you to say okay this is what
we’re here to do and I’m the kind of
person that’s like oh my god opportunity
cool the book was successful now what
what am I gonna do with you know what am
I going to do with girlboss like there’s
more people coming out for a paperback
than there was when the book originally
you know was published so that means
something so cool is it a conference I
don’t know so that’s like that’s just
what I do but when you have a team
that’s trying to just like accomplish
the task at hand it’s like it’s not
super helpful it’s probably distracting
so it’s I don’t know it’s something that
I don’t know to focus focus know and
then yeah just have that what’s the
center of the universe you know for
Nasty Gal it’s like we could become a
Content business we could we could do
all these things that will probably you
know it’s like just getting the job done
that we have today is a challenge and
so I started an eBay store when I was 22
years old selling vintage clothing out
of like a hut and Walnut Creek and
whatever it was like a one-woman show
and from there
launched nasty Elcom got kind of fed up
with eBay a little bit got kicked off of
ebay actually kind of serendipitously as
I launched the website so I never really
had an option to go back and from there
hired my first employee she did the
things that I didn’t absolutely have to
do and then she trained the first person
to do each of the individual things that
she was doing and I kept doing my thing
and now we are like 300 plus people and
a million in revenue I mean it so far
it’s far from eBay yes I think it’s just
you know no way you’re good at and
higher higher around your weaknesses and
don’t be afraid to trust people don’t be
you know check-in along the way but you
know I think one
what kind of rookie mistake is that
people like want to keep control for too
long and don’t let other people do the
job so that they can do a different job
I think it’s really important the
beginning to do the job and know how
everything is done I mean I can talk
about shipping zones and UPS
negotiations because like in the
beginning I did that and I did never did
it to the extent that our VP of supply
chain is doing today but it’s not
something that I’m completely like
stupid to so I think just having like a
general grasp on every part of the
business is something that anyone who’s
starting a business should do thank you
so much for watching I made this video
because Sue Chitra asked me to so
there’s a famous entrepreneur that you
want me to profile next leave in the
comments below and I’ll see what I can
do I’d also love to know which of
Sofia’s top ten rules meant the most to
you leave it in the comments I’ll Jordan
the discussion thank you so much for
watching continue to believe and I’ll
see you soon
were memorable and products that were
memorable sell things online
successfully you have to create a
feeling I really think the people piece
of this business is like my greatest
achievement scariest people the ones who
say like I show up early it’s my biggest
weakness you’re never failing you’re
never making mistakes you’re just
learning yeah I mean I would like to
grow with our customer I think anyone if
they’re smart and resourceful can like
use the Internet
and use the resources that you know that
they have or that they create for
themselves
and I’m the kind of person that’s like
oh my god opportunity cool
the book was successful know what got
kicked off of ebay actually kind of
serendipitously as I launched the
website people like want to keep control
for too long and don’t let other people
do the job she’s the founder of the
women’s fashion company Nasty Gal
her company was named one of the fastest
growing companies in America in 2012
according to ink magazine in 2014 her
book girl boss was published by
portfolio
she’s Sophia Amoruso and here her top
ten rules for success so I was just like
a total freak I think I think the fact
that I started with really memorable
products that were visually compelling I
mean I was on eBay
so I was selling things at auction if I
put something at auction for $9.99 that
was really boring like a white t-shirt
that you could find anywhere and I put
another thing that took me the same
amount of time and effort to buy style
photograph edit described and put online
that was like really cool and sculptural
and weird vintage like avant-garde like
80s art mom stuff and you know like it
was something that was memorable so I
took I really focused on image images
that were memorable and products that
were memorable and that was where nasty
all started and even today that’s what
makes you know for us on social what
makes anything that we do successful so
Nancy L is very much a feeling it’s a
feeling you know to sell things online
successfully you have to create a
feeling so you know when I started
selling on eBay
you know the department stores that were
online the people who are treating their
online stores is just another door and
we’re dumping stuff on a model and
cutting their head off and still are are
missing the point like the opportunity
that we have for storytelling online and
there’s so much context that you can
give a product within a photograph in
with a description that you know I
talked about exalting the details so I
mean I literally turned I guess I like
to say and I it’s not really but I
turned into gold I bought five dollar
things that weren’t designer vintage
that were just vintage that were stylish
that I put in the context of modern
fashion and made something desirable and
I started the auctions at $9.99 nasty
yells not successful because I marked my
prices up and tricked people into buying
stuff that they were eventually
dissatisfied with they fought over it
the prices went crazy that’s how I built
a cash positive you know cashflow
positive business because I told a story
through the photos so it was you know
the girl is always going somewhere she’s
she has intent so it’s not just a model
we have to it’s so much work and it’s
not cheap to find girls who look like
they’re a person but to tell a story
with that photo and for someone to keep
try that product on to look at it and
say oh my god I can see myself wearing
that or it’s why people are interested
in blogs and fashion bloggers it’s I
mean it’s the celebrity but the
paparazzi culture at the same time like
people understand things that are kind
of fed to them in a way that is like
predigested I guess a little bit for
lack of a better word which I always
tried to do with the photography by
putting in the context of like a real
girl which today is very much what we
continue to try to do and has become
much more common what do you consider
the thing you’re most proud of and
having built this company
I think I’m proud of having built this
company
without having any mercenary
relationships and without having to you
know be friends with people that I don’t
like or have investors who I know will
help but actually like I know it out of
me or hire people because I know they’ll
get the job done but I hate being in the
same room with them like I really think
the people piece of this business is
like my greatest achievement and that I
want to be in the same room with people
and that everyone is actually aligned on
doing awesome beyond being a retailer
beyond creating content or beyond buying
stuff for designing stuff or shooting
photos or whatever there is really like
a spirit inside the business and outside
the business with the amazing customer
that we have that is very unspoken that
has some just somehow emerged and and
and just works and and and I and I and I
feel very very proud of that and very
grateful to the people who continue to
make that possible a girl wants to
someone who I guess takes charge of like
her own life so it’s a girl boss or a
guy boss someone who knows their
weaknesses and knows what their
strengths are knows how to play to their
strengths I think there’s a lot of
people out there and I’ve interviewed a
lot of them who my favorite interview
question is name your biggest strengths
and your biggest weakness or what do you
have to work on and the scariest people
the ones who say like I show up early
it’s my biggest weakness or like I work
too much it’s my biggest weakness and
you know everybody has things that they
can improve upon and I think a world
where everybody is more aware of that is
a good one in a place where people can
be empowered to make choices in their
life rather than throw themself into
places that they may not inherently be
successful because the world is sold
them some story of what they should be
doing so I guess a girl boss is someone
who is in choice I think it’s important
that everybody like takes risks and if
if it doesn’t work you don’t do it again
and you try something different and in
that respect like you’re never you’re
never failing you’re never making
mistakes you’re just learning and then I
think you’re totally winning
but girlboss is about being the boss of
your own life I’m not necessarily
listening to the world or what the world
tells you you have to have or the
resources you need to be an entrepreneur
or to run a business you don’t have to
have the pedigreed education I dropped
out of Community College you know and if
you’re confident in yourself other
people will believe in you as well yeah
I mean I would like to grow with our
customer you know I I think you know
protecting the brand is really important
because what’s made us successful I want
to honor at every opportunity in the
future and I think it’s what’s going to
make a successful in the future how we
do that will be different it won’t be is
like half hazard or cute or you know
whatever as it has been in the past but
I think like what’s worked about
building the business to this date you
know in some way we have to find a way
to extend into you know growing the
business in the future and it’s
important that we don’t that we don’t
alienate our customer you know and
that’s a difficult thing you know in
America as a corporation you know to to
continue to stay friends with a customer
which we always have been it’s a very
high priority of mine but it’s really
hard to control all the moving pieces of
a business with you know close to 300
employees
and buying you know fountains of snow –
I don’t even know if it’s tens of
thousands or whatever excuse you know
throughout the year making sure that’s
all right and every person who answers
the phone is you know doing a good job
and no customer feels like they’re
wrapped up in some really big machine
you know and on some level a big company
you know that’s that’s what that’s what
it is
but I think there are ways of humanizing
that at every opportunity and that’s
something that I’m interested in I think
anyone if they’re smart and resourceful
can like use the Internet and use the
resources that you know that they have
or that they create for themselves to do
great things whatever the magnitude of
greatness is for you you know just
because I’m on a stage or because I have
a platform and wrote a book doesn’t mean
that your level of greatness is like any
less than mine we think that’s important
for people to understand because we live
in a culture where celebrities are
idolized and I talking in girlboss about
being your own Idol and competing with
yourself I do my best work when I
compete with myself so okay looking back
what would you tell 22 year old Sofia
who’s just started this store and you
have no idea that it’s gonna become what
it has become what would you tell her to
sort of yeah I mean what what lessons
would you give her I would say focus so
I think there’s I think I enjoy having a
lot of ideas but when you have a
business plan which I never did it it
forces you to say okay this is what
we’re here to do and I’m the kind of
person that’s like oh my god opportunity
cool the book was successful now what
what am I gonna do with you know what am
I going to do with girlboss like there’s
more people coming out for a paperback
than there was when the book originally
you know was published so that means
something so cool is it a conference I
don’t know so that’s like that’s just
what I do but when you have a team
that’s trying to just like accomplish
the task at hand it’s like it’s not
super helpful it’s probably distracting
so it’s I don’t know it’s something that
I don’t know to focus focus know and
then yeah just have that what’s the
center of the universe you know for
Nasty Gal it’s like we could become a
Content business we could we could do
all these things that will probably you
know it’s like just getting the job done
that we have today is a challenge and
so I started an eBay store when I was 22
years old selling vintage clothing out
of like a hut and Walnut Creek and
whatever it was like a one-woman show
and from there
launched nasty Elcom got kind of fed up
with eBay a little bit got kicked off of
ebay actually kind of serendipitously as
I launched the website so I never really
had an option to go back and from there
hired my first employee she did the
things that I didn’t absolutely have to
do and then she trained the first person
to do each of the individual things that
she was doing and I kept doing my thing
and now we are like 300 plus people and
a million in revenue I mean it so far
it’s far from eBay yes I think it’s just
you know no way you’re good at and
higher higher around your weaknesses and
don’t be afraid to trust people don’t be
you know check-in along the way but you
know I think one
what kind of rookie mistake is that
people like want to keep control for too
long and don’t let other people do the
job so that they can do a different job
I think it’s really important the
beginning to do the job and know how
everything is done I mean I can talk
about shipping zones and UPS
negotiations because like in the
beginning I did that and I did never did
it to the extent that our VP of supply
chain is doing today but it’s not
something that I’m completely like
stupid to so I think just having like a
general grasp on every part of the
business is something that anyone who’s
starting a business should do thank you
so much for watching I made this video
because Sue Chitra asked me to so
there’s a famous entrepreneur that you
want me to profile next leave in the
comments below and I’ll see what I can
do I’d also love to know which of
Sofia’s top ten rules meant the most to
you leave it in the comments I’ll Jordan
the discussion thank you so much for
watching continue to believe and I’ll
see you soon
Please follow and like us: