How To Be A #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso

Sophia Amoruso has got being a #GIRLBOSS sussed. She is the founder, creative director and CEO of Nasty Gal, a multi-million dollar online fashion retailer, with over 350 employees, which started out as an eBay shop. Sophia’s path to success was by no means a straight route; she confesses to spending her teens hitchhiking, shoplifting and working a long list of disposable jobs. She describes Nasty Gal as the only job she has ever stuck with, and it’s just as well she did.

#GIRLBOSS is the story of Sophia’s unconventional route to business success but also a guide for aspiring girl bosses. It includes tips on everything from hiring and firing to attracting investors, all spelled out in Sophia’s straight-talking, quick-witted humour. To give you a taste of what you can expect from this book (and you really must read it) below are some of my favourite #GIRLBOSS quotes.

Sophia wants you to remember three things whilst reading the book:

Don’t ever grow up. Don’t become a bore. Don’t ever let the man get to you.

My favourite tip:

Life is short. Don’t be lazy.

On what is a #GIRLBOSS:

A #GIRLBOSS is someone who’s in charge of her own life. She gets what she wants because she works for it.

On self-belief:

If I, and this book, have anything to prove, it’s that when you believe in yourself, other people will believe in you, too.

On building an online business:

I responded to every single comment that anyone left on my page. It just seemed like the polite thing to do. Many companies were spending millions of dollars trying to nail social media, but I just went with my instincts and treated my customers like friends.

On ‘Shitty Jobs Saved My Life’:

What all of these jobs taught me is that you have to be willing to tolerate some shit you don’t like – at least for a while. This is what my parents’ generation would call ‘character building’ but I prefer to call it ‘#GIRLBOSS training.

On money (Sophia’s history meant she had a poor credit score and couldn’t loan a single cent):

As I had no financial cushion to support me while the business ramped up, I had to bust my ass and make it profitable from day one. In the end, this meant that I grew Nasty Gal to $28 million in revenue without borrowing a dime.

(Sophia has a great attitude to not spending money you don’t have. When the business was doing well enough she bought herself a Porsche outright in cash. *Virtual high-five to that*).

On the power of magical thinking:

I treat my internet passwords as modern-day sigils, embedding them with wishes or promises to me, or even financial goals for the company.

(Love this idea.)

These snippets are just a taste of the inspiration found in the #GIRLBOSS book. So go read it!

Have you read #GIRLBOSS? What were your top takeaways?