Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Having been Nasty Gal's first intern during the early days in Berkeley when it was just Sophia and Christina (the first full-time employee who is now Buying Director), my rating may be a little biased so feel free to take everything from this point forward with a grain of salt.

I won't bother with a short summary as this book has gotten enough press and reviews from readers alike that that just seems redundant. What I will say is that having worked with Sophia firsthand and having accompanied her on what was Nasty Gal's second buying trip ever, her work ethic is a cut above the rest; she eats, sleeps and breathes Nasty Gal (always has and probably always will). There are parts in the book where she may come across a bit lofty, but she's just telling it like it is and not making any excuses. She briefly touches on the subject of extroverts and introverts, mentioning "psychologists now believe that social media is a really valuable tool for introverts, because it allows them to communicate and even network on their own terms." Being an introvert herself, #Girlboss is the creative outlet through which Sophia speaks, on her own terms.

What makes Sophia such an icon to girls around the world (partly) is her relatability. Her story is one with a "Cinderella-esque" theme in a male-run tech start-up world, and it's easy to think / feel like something similar could happen to any of us so long as you just follow Sophia's magic formula. But she is one in 400 trillion (if you read the book, you'll get what I mean). And what she doesn't reveal directly in #Girlboss - though hints of it are given along the way - is that she is a voracious learner, an avid reader and a (hyper)critical thinker with killer business gumption. Not all of us innately are or possess these qualities, though this is something that is absolutely within our power to change, adopt and/or improve upon. In my opinion, these are just some of the most common characteristics I've seen across-the-board of successful entrepreneurs, and just above-average humans in general.

All in all, the book is a quick and entertaining read with snippets of slightly outrageous (and hilarious) stories from Sophia's past, wisdoms imparted by many other #Girlbosses (including fashion designer Norma Kamali, Christene Barberich, editor of Refinery 29 and Leandra Medine of Manrepeller.com), and learnings from Sophia's arsenal of books (including of course, the Harvard Business Review).