#GirlBoss by Sophia Amoruso is still one of the most popular books right now. There is a lot to learn about adulting and entrepreneurship. Sophia’s storytelling is entertaining, honest and relatable. Up front, I want to clear up some common misconceptions about that famous book. First, #GirlBoss doesn’t teach you how to build your own empire. Sophia Amoruso shares her personal story and what worked for her. Yes, she shares some advice here and there, but everybody is different. Following along all her steps would contradict the whole message of the book. Given that, here are the 10 lessons Sophia’s book taught me:
Number 1 : There is not just one right way to succeed in life
When you read #GirlBoss, the first thing you notice about Sophia is, that she doesn’t care for the “conventional” way to do pretty much anything. School is not really her thing: No room for personality. Social conventions? Not her thing. Rules? Rules are made to be broken. Quitting school might sound extreme to some people, I included and I’ll be the last person to tell you to quit school. School is important, especially if you want to find decent employment. If you want to be your own boss, though, there are a lot of niches where no one really cares about degrees. They care about the quality of your work. For example, if you are good at coding, freelance web design just might be the job for you. You will obviously need some of the basic skills, that they teach you in school. But when it comes to coding itself, you don’t need a degree. There is a lot you can teach yourself or you can simply ask your friends. Chances are, that they all have different talents and knowledge in different fields. Sophia, for example, had a lot to learn about marketing and so she taught herself. Skillshare is a great way to learn some new skills from the comfort of your home.
Number 2 : Hard work really pays off
Something that becomes very evident when reading Amoruso’s story, is that the more you work the more success you have. You probably have been told that before. It is common sense. If you don’t work enough you can’t get ahead in your career. It might be hard to see sometimes, especially if you have a fixed wage, but in the long run, your hard work and dedication will pay off. You might be promoted or you might just get a raise. Either way, you will be reimbursed for your efforts. If not, you might want to consider a career change.
Number 3 : Everybody has a talent
Sophia discovered that she was good at selling vintage clothes because she had a talent for detail and costumer experience. Maybe you can cook a delightful three-course menu, or you are great at creating content for social media posts. Whatever your talent is, chances are you can monetize it or even make a career out of it. What is it you enjoy doing? Which of your hobbies or skills have the highest potential? Furthermore, it is always a good idea to cultivate a new hobby or skill. Maybe you discover a hidden talent. Websites like Skillshare or Udemy are the perfect place to learn something new. Even free resources like Youtube, blogs and social media posts offer a large variety of helpful tutorials and courses. If you invest some time, you might find valuable advice, especially for creative skills.
Number 4 : Success takes time
A common mistake when starting a new business is to expect instant success. It took Amoruso eight years to grow her company and that is quite fast. Success doesn’t come overnight. It takes time, a lot of effort and strategizing to build up a successful business. It will most certainly be frustrating at some points on your journey. Find out what works for you. Do your research: If you are lost when confronted with all the marketing and business lingo, hire a business coach to help you with those aspects of your business; look up websites of businesses already established in your field and consider the advice of others, so you don’t repeat their mistakes. Chances are you’re not the first person trying to build a business in your field.
Number 5 : Use everything you have, even when it’s not much
If you read #GirlBoss you already know that Sophia was broke when she started her eBay shop NastyGal. However, she somehow found a way to use the little she had and invest it all in building her shop. There are a lot of online businesses you can start with little to no budget. Social Media can be used for free marketing with the right strategy. Maybe you already have some of the equipment needed to excel in your field. When you are thinking of becoming a graphic designer you can start out with free alternatives to expensive software like Photoshop, Lightroom or good Video Editing Software. Just google it. There is Freeware out there that is in most aspects just as good as the premium versions, especially if you are just starting out.
Number 6 : Think outside the box & Number : 7 stand out
This might be the most important lesson for me personally. As an introvert I always dreaded confrontation. I followed the rules: How to behave, what to do, even what to look like. Obviously, this is no way to stand out, just doing what everybody does. In the adult world and often even as kids we are constantly competing with our peers. So, to stand out you must be different in some way. For NastyGal it was the attention to detail and the connection with the costumers that made it special. That might sound pretty basic, but apparently, it worked, otherwise it wouldn’t have been this successful. Think of your business or career. What can make you stand out? Is there something special I can offer? Don’t copy everything. Get inspired and then do your own thing.
Number 8 : Stand up for yourself
Sophia Amoroso is incredibly independent. She doesn’t rely on others to get her what she wants or to figure out how to be successful. You shouldn’t either. The internet gives you so many resources to teach you almost anything yourself. Especially in entrepreneurship. But keep in mind, everything you get taught is theories or what worked for others. There is no guarantee that it will work for you. It is up to you to strategize and work to achieve your goals. Don’t get intimidated by established professionals. They started small once, too.
Number 9 : Teach yourself
Things change fast nowadays. To be able to compete you have to be constantly educating yourself. Take classes, read books and attend conventions and events. Developing certain skillsets will give you a huge advantage, especially as a founder of a startup. In the beginning, you might have to do most of the work yourself anyway, but even if you delegated some tasks to an employee, knowing the basics will help you manage everyone efficiently.
Number 10 : Being successful is not easy
After reading all these #GIRLBOSS lessons you probably already figured that one out. BEING SUCCESSFUL IS NOT EASY. It takes hard work, dedication, and a good strategy. Don’t let that discourage you, though. If you love what you do, most of the work won’t feel much like work. Still, you can’t expect every part to be fun. Just keep in mind, that it is all part of your journey.
All pictures but the first are from pexels and Unsplash.
