#GIRLBOSS

#GIRLBOSS shows that even an unconventional life can lead to success when you discover your passions and improve your skills in unusual and unpredictable ways.

Going to university, getting good grades, and having the support of others can make it easier to start your own business. But through unique adventures, you can learn a lot about yourself, your passions, and your strengths.

Until age 22, Sophia Amoruso was an anarchist and freegan, living mostly without money. She used to hitchhike up and down the West Coast and get food by “dumpster diving and petty thievery,” only working when she really needed to.

Then, she was diagnosed with a hernia and started looking for an easy job to get health insurance. She found the perfect one to fit her lifestyle: checking IDs in the lobby of a high school.

She had so much time to kill that she decided to start her Nasty Gal Vintage shop on eBay. Working on the shop for up to twelve hours without watching the clock once, she quickly grew the business and her following. What began as a hobby would be the start of a multi-million dollar business.

Sometimes, the strangest situations might get you closer to doing what you like and are talented at, even when you feel you are wasting your time. You don’t know until you are ahead enough to see the bigger picture.

When you’ve found what you love to do, what happens next? Get to know your business inside and out and stay focused on it. Creating her company from scratch, Amoruso had to do everything herself. This gave her invaluable insights into her customers’ tastes and the chance to make adjustments along the way. First, she combed charity shops and thrift stores for clothing to sell. Amoruso was an expert in vintage clothes and where to find the best deals. Having been broke most of her life, she was also great at negotiating discounts. Amoruso chose beautiful but real-looking girls as models, styled them by combining the cheap thrift clothes in trendy ways, and took the pictures herself. She once invested in a photography course and knew that she had a good eye. After selling an item quickly, she immediately looked for similar pieces. If her customers didn’t show appreciation for something, Amoruso tried marketing it with different images, texts, and fonts. If that didn’t go well, she stopped selling the clothing. It’s essential to stay focused on what makes the most difference for your business. You shouldn’t lose energy and time caring about what people think of you. Even if someone does something awful to you, continue to dedicate yourself to your products and clients, instead of planning…