2018 has been the rise of the feminists in my eyes and it makes me happy to see so many women powering through their careers more than ever, whilst empowering other women to do the same.Sophia Amoruso, the founder of Nasty Gal, a fashion brand worth $millions and also the CEO of a women empowerment initiative #GirlBoss, is a role model for many young females looking to take their careers to the next level. In her first book #GirlBoss she shared her unique yet inspiring life journey in the bluntest, raw and realest way to inspire women to become #GirlBosses themselves. If you're looking to advance in your career, start your own business or feel like you need some general life inspo, continue reading to find 10 key lessons I took away from her book!

1. Do more of what you love so that you can love what you do for a living.

Investing time and effort into her passion for vintage clothing is something we can all learn from. Starting off as the average Myspace user, Sophia was receiving lots of messages off vintage clothes sellers on eBay promoting their brand. Sophia then realised that this was the perfect opportunity for her to express her love for vintage clothes AND make money from it. At the time, Sophia didn't know she would become the owner of one of the biggest online fashion retailers in the world, but she did believe that she could make money from thrifting through vintage shops and selling items on for profit using eBay. She did what she loved, people loved what she loved, opportunities to pursue her hobby developed, and she managed to do what she loved for a living! (Tongue twister of the day).

2. Drive and determination get you where you need to be more than anything else.

Sophia didn't particularly love school and didn't get the best of school reports either so a college degree isn't exactly what lead her to grow her Nasty Gal empire. The two qualities she didn't lack however were drive and determination. Staying driven enough to give your ideas a shot and being determined enough to see the hard work pay off are two qualities we can all implement to reach our goals. Of course, college/university degrees are favourable in many careers, however, without drive and determination, you will find it hard to excel as much as you deserve to!

3. Think ahead - are the seeds you're planting in the present going to bore fruit in the future?

Growing the Nasty Gal empire required her to focus her time and energy on selling, retaining excellent customer service, staying on top of her finances, learning how to grow her business further and compete with other growing online fashion brands. Had Sophia spent more time focusing on what her competitors were saying, choosing to chill and socialise instead of investing more time into her business, Nasty Gal may not have got to what it is today. Choose where you plant your seeds wisely - it will determine which fruits will grow in your future!

4. Networking is KEY.

Teamwork makes the dream work and there is nothing more helpful than a good network of people who want to see your vision come to life. It can be hard to find the right tribe and genuine people with an interest in your business, but the best way to find them is by networking, and then networking some more! If you don't get out there, it's hard to get your brand heard. Word-of-mouth is always the best marketing tool and is available to all of us, so let's use it! Not only will you be able to find people that can help you out, but you will be able to offer your skills and expertise to someone else. #SharingIsCaring

5. Creativity pays the best return on your investment.

Access to talented and creative people is to modern business what access to coal and iron ore was to steelmaking. - Richard Florida *as quoted in #GirlBoss

There is no art or profit in copying someone's idea and saying it is your own. Get creative! Social media has ignited the idea of finding what works and doing the exact. same. thing. But that's not fun or challenging and is more likely to be a short-term endeavour than anything else. The liberating feeling of creating something of your own should be enough inspiration to get creative and find your niche. Whether you are communicating your company culture to your interviewees or launching your own brand - don't forget to add your personal creative touch to it.

6. Learn how to manage your own money - Get your credit in check!

Money is still a 'taboo' topic in our generation but is one of the most important topics of conversations to have. Sophia missed out on opportunities because she simply did not know anything about building a healthy credit score. (But she also did build Nasty Gal to a worth of $100mil without borrowing any money - read #GirlBoss to find out more). Learning how to manage your personal finances is something everyone should take the time out to do. Having enough money in the bank is okay for now but knowing how you can grow your money through investments, opening the right accounts for you and building a better credit score is handy later down the line.

7. What makes you different is what will make you money.

Similar to #5, standing out from the crowd is what will pay off in the long term. Not only do you get to be yourself, but you'll be making money by doing so! Often people will laugh at you for being different...until they see you rise from it and then they will ask you how you did it. 🤔 What makes you different is your Unique Selling Point (USP) so use it your advantage! Don't know what makes you different from everyone else? Making a list of your strengths and weaknesses is a great way to see what you're good at. Use this to brainstorm ideas of how these skills/qualities can help you achieve your long-term goals.

8. It's okay to fail.

Cliché, but your failure is just a lesson on how to succeed next time. Sophia explained how she failed many times in her life when she thought she never would - including the time she got caught shoplifting after numerous successful shoplifting sprees. Getting caught was a blessing in disguise for her as it was a motivation for her to move on to actually making a living whilst abiding the law. *Please note: I do not support shoplifting as a career option - or even a side gig.* Use failures as a chance to reflect on the situation and recognise what you can do next time to avoid the same mistake.

9. Control your mind, don't let your mind control you.

Sophia discussed how she doesn't think "luck is real" as it devoids the value hard work and responsibility carries when making your dreams come true. She explained her idea of magic and the power of our thoughts - "We control our thoughts and our thoughts control our lives." Thinking positively and not limiting your beliefs can make all the difference to get you to where you want to be. Visualise your goals and take action to get yourself there. Every small decision you make determines your success!

10. You gotta be your own number 1 fan!

You're the only one who knows exactly what's going through your head and so you're the only one who understands yourself the best...meaning you will have to be your #1 fan all the time. You know how much your dreams mean to you and you also know your capabilities better than anyone else. So, you have to make sure that your internal cheerleader and mentor are switched on, even if no-one quite understands your ideas.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post and GOOD LUCK with your ventures as a #GirlBoss! I can't recommend reading #GirlBoss enough! Sophia Amoruso is so motivating is an example of how anyone has the potential to be a #GirlBoss if we are willing to work for it! Buy the book on Amazon or read more #GirlBoss articles here.

Kavita K xo

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