Book Review Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso
I cannot tell you how long it has been since I’ve written a book review. So when Darren Rowse of ProBlogger.net issued today’s challenge of writing a review post then I immediately knew which book I was going to choose to get back into my blogging groove. I chose Sophia Amoruso’s book #Girlboss because I feel as though the universe has finally set into motion a series of events that are smiling favorably down on me at the moment.
For those of you who don’t know who Sophia is then do a Google search for Nastygal and you’ll immediately find what you need. But wait! Maybe the name Nastygal has already struck a memory chord. I’ve known about the vintage fashion based company, Nastygal, for years now. However, I didn’t have a clue about the owner’s identity.
What I loved:
1. Sophia is super cool. At least she was in my humble opinion, anyway. She gave insight into the facets of her childhood that have made her into the successful businesswoman she was destined to become today. I love that she didn’t back down or give up when things started to look a bit rough in the beginning. And I swear that I could not have found her wonderful book at a better time. I’m in the process of starting/maintaining/restarting many ventures myself and her words came at the perfect moment.
2. Sophia describes the steps she took to get her vintage fashion biz started on eBay. Hint: she didn’t start with a business plan. That came later. I’ve read several reviews that complained about this aspect of the book. Folks say that they came into the #Girlboss journey hoping to learn detailed steps to setting up your fashion biz. Well… I knew right away that a detailed business guide wasn’t going to be the style in this book. Sophia makes it clear in several places throughout the book that she doesn’t do well with things like business plans, even though eventually she did finally get around to writing one. And she had help from a professional when she reached that stage.
Having said that, the way #Girlboss lays out the story of Nastygal’s creation works for me. You get snippets of the things she did to start her empire. Mind you, some of those things won’t work in today’s fashion arena (everybody and their kid is creating Ebay/Etsy/Poshmark boutiques these days). But I could totally understand how Sophia worked her way up to become one of the most successful women in fashion today. I guess scattered minds do think alike. LOL
3. This book gave me a much-needed kick in the ass, and that nudge/kick/hit was so effective that I launched StraightUpEve shortly after recovering from the shock. I had toyed around with the idea of starting a boutique for many years. I wanted to wait until LiWBF was firmly rooted in its niche (lifestyle) and running on a set schedule. #Girlboss indicates in several places throughout the book that waiting only serves to decrease the amount of time we have to truly enjoy the fruits of our labor. The message here? Get up. Get Started. Work your plan!
4. The b
ook tells you how to run a business without feeling like you’re reading a business manual. The tone is super casual and that truly worked out for me. Otherwise, this read would’ve turned into a snooze fest, as I do not enjoy reading text books or business books that read like one either. So kudos to Sophia for keeping it both real and interesting throughout the book.
ook tells you how to run a business without feeling like you’re reading a business manual. The tone is super casual and that truly worked out for me. Otherwise, this read would’ve turned into a snooze fest, as I do not enjoy reading text books or business books that read like one either. So kudos to Sophia for keeping it both real and interesting throughout the book.
5. She gives great personal examples for some pretty sticky situations. For example, Sophia had to fire an employee who was older than she and her faithful assistant at the time of Nastygal’s early startup days because this person found it difficult to take such young “girls” seriously. Uh dude, I bet you regret that now. These are the types of things you’ll find towards the middle to end of the book… scenarios that explain how to handle interviews, being interviewed, finding assistants and handling personnel issues.
6. The book is an excellent resource for young girls who need a confidence boost. Again, several reviewers thought the book catered to young girls. I disagree. While there are many passages strewn throughout that talks about the way to develop self-confidence beyond your college years, the book provided a universal tone that would work for anyone who needs that extra push in the right direction. It most certainly did for me.
What I Didn’t Love
There wasn’t a lot I didn’t like about the book. The only thing that raised an eyebrow or two was the length of a few passages/chapters containing snippets about Sophia’s backstory. Some of those sections got a bit lengthy, and although I had an idea that this book was a biography, I kinda thought I’d be reading more about the inner workings of the Nastygal company today than the biographical parts. But as I said, those weren’t enough to receive a rating decrease. Sophia has a new book coming out called Nastygalaxy that will detail all the various aspects of her business. I cannot wait!
I would recommend this book to all ages and for those who aren’t looking for a highly structured business plan in a book. Sure, folks complained about the lack of startup related details in this book, however, for me, a person who’s very much like Sophia, then this type of explanation worked wonders for my creative soul.
Take a chance and read it! I did and can honestly say that doing so has changed my life.
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Sophia inspired many women to strive and be the best that they can be! Her story is about how women could move out from their traditional containment, do something that are seen to be extraordinary for them and be the boss of their lives.
We can learn a lot from her personal story and uplift ourselves to become something that we dreamed of as we trust our true potential!
This book review is really interesting!
So very true Sam! I’m glad you enjoyed the review and were able to take something special away from what Sophia wrote. Hugs!
This review is the best with clearly written and fully explanatory details. The book totally cool and interesting.. I have ordered the book” girlboss” by Sophia Amoruso you’ve done a great job! The book is truly an excellent resource for young girls who need a confidence boost. I must commend you for the great work you are doing. . Thanks a lot
So glad to hear you enjoyed it hun! Thanks so much for all your encouraging support!