When I learned that Nasty Gal’s CEO Sophia Amoruso was releasing a book, to say I was excited would be putting it mildly. I can’t tell you how many nights I spent researching interviews and watching videos of her talk about her brand. I mean, this is a woman that built a multi-million dollar company from the ground up not because she was particularly ambitious, but because she literally had no choice. You can’t NOT be intrigued by her. In my eyes, Sophia created a small business blueprint, so I was ecstatic to hear more from her and to learn how her mind ticked.

#GIRLBOSS (Portfolio/Penguin) does NOT disappoint.

Let me start off by saying, if you’re looking for a step-by-step, how-to guide on how to start your-ebay/etsy/big cartel store, this isn’t that. There’s no point in Sophia writing that. You can buy a ” _________ for dummies” book for tips on that. In all actuality, Sophia has been pretty transparent about her brand’s success since the beginning: hard work (staying up all night, tagging, shipping, writing product details, etc), niche branding, and financial acumen is what allowed Nasty Gal to grow in ways no other company ever has. People keep expecting there to be some secret sauce but there’s not. She seriously just worked REALLY, REALLY hard. The simplicity in her approach to business is what’s so refreshing. Knowing how hard she worked and the road(s) it took her to get to where she is now is what being a #GIRLBOSS is all about.

#GIRLBOSS is for the woman (or man! You can be a #DUDEBOSS) who’s smart, and has dreams, but isn’t sure if they’re practical enough for a career. For the person that switched jobs and may be a jack/jill of all trades, not because they can’t commit to anything, but because they don’t want to live a stereotypical life, so they’re still searching for something that makes sense. For the person that’s hardworking and a badass and may need a little reassurance that it’s okay to be that way.

I’m by no means an outcast, but it resonated with me on a deeper level because after high-school, I WAS that girl that jumped from job to job. I liked whatever I did (and always excelled) but it was just a job. In my early 20s I switched gears and got a “good job”, and winded up working and living a life for other people-on paper it was perfect and I wouldn’t change what I learned, but I was miserable. I’m finally in a place where I enjoy what I do and am making strides to eventually work 100% for myself. It’s HARD, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Reading #GIRLBOSS reaffirmed what I needed to do, and for that, I say thank you to Sophia for sharing her story and honest career advice. Whether you have entrepreneurial dreams or just want to stop working a job you hate, ##GIRLBOSS is definitely a must-read for anyone that’s pushing to live their most authentic life.

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