Sophia Amoruso has made a name -- as well as millions of dollars -- for herself through e-commerce as the founder of fashion retailer Nasty Gal. But in a conversation with HuffPost Live on Tuesday, the entrepreneur recounted how business success wasn't on the radar growing up -- and, in fact, was something she actively shunned.
"I grew up in the suburbs and at a certain point, I was like, 'Capitalism isn't for me. I'm gonna be a teenage anarchist,'" the #Girlboss author told host Zerlina Maxwell.
Amoruso is "glad that didn't last very long," she said, as she went on to start a small eBay shop selling vintage clothes at age 22, an experience that taught her the significance of "perceived value."
"I was taking things out of thrift stores that had no real inherent value and was kind of, like, styling, and makeup, and hair, and posing, and everything transformed it into something completely different," she explained. "That made it really desirable. It was such a lesson."
Aside from a knowledge of how to best present her merchandise, Amoruso's savvy eye was also integral for the brand as it transitioned from eBay store to the standalone operation NastyGal.com is today.
"I found a Chanel jacket for $8 at a thrift store," she recalled. "He had no idea what it was. I put it on eBay for $999 and by the end of the 10 days I had made over $1,000. Yeah, it was just like, 'Wow, this is like complete magic.'"
Watch more from Sophia Amoruso's conversation with HuffPost Live here.
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