Girlboss rally nyc 2018 — #GIRLBOSSRALLY

What I Took Away, What You Should Know

So I’m a dude and I was at the New York #GirlBossRally… Confused? Me too frankly. When my mom couldn’t make the trip to New York for Nasty Gal Founder Sophia Amoruso’s conference, I ended up going in her place. As a business student and the child of two badass entrepreneurs and business owners, I have an obsession with these kind of business events. While I was excited to go, I honestly wasn’t sure I could even get in since it is a GIRLboss conference.

When Trisha, Couleur Nature and Caravan Marketing Director, called customer service they said “there will be some guys at the event.” Let me tell you that the only guys at this thing were the tech team and the photographers. Even though I kept getting those shocked “why are you here?” looks, I actually ended up having an amazing time learning about market trends, entrepreneurship, and life skills from some of the female trailblazers in business.

Here are some of the key points that ANYONE can take away from the conference.

1. MONEY MONEY MONEY

One of the first talks of day one was from Sallie Krawvcheck, one of Fast Companies “100 Most Creative People” and founder of investment platform Ellevest. The talk covered investment and how it is NEVER too early to start planning for the future. So often we look at the short term and are not focused on our 60, 70, or even 80 year old self. Krawvcheck says that we should all use this philosophy as it relates to money: 50% allocated toward need, 30% towards fun, and 20% towards “future you.”

2. HAVING COURAGEOUS CREATIVITY

Refinery29 has changed the media landscape in so many ways. With honest, raw, and creative stories that follow real world people. Co-Founder and Executive Creative Director Piera Gelardi took time to talk about finding and expanding our creative power.

Don’t be afraid to play. Play creates trust with those around us and gets us out of our minds and bodies.
Be the most YOU in your creative environment and create conditions in your surroundings to support that.
Friction creates sparks, meaning when finding creative inspiration don’t be afraid of conflict.
Remember you are never done growing and creativity is a renewable resource.

Trisha, Caravan/Couleur Nature Marketing Director, and I playing in the J. Crew photo booth

3. STARTING YOUR OWN BUSINESS

So many people in the room where successful entrepreneurs, side hustlers, or people who had dreams of starting their own business (like myself). Even the people who worked for large corporations could take away valuable tips from the weekends speakers.

Small Girls PR Co-Founder and CEO Mallory Blair, Fearless CEO Arian Simone, and AZIONE Co-Founder Leland Drummond had these insights…

Talk to people who are smarter than you and can reinforce or contradict what you are planning on doing.
Stay the course! There will be an abundance of “no’s,” sleepless nights, and feelings of failure.
Have resilience and grit in your actions and don’t make decision out of desperation.
Authentically believe in yourself and what you are doing.
Storytelling is KEY. The story’s we tell are unique to us and are the emotional drivers of business.
Don’t underestimate the power of no. If you know you may under deliver on a project or it does not align with your brand it is smart to reject the opportunity at that time. Make sure to use these no’s as future opportunities, and not cut ties automatically.
Business relationship equation is 1+1=3. When partnering with another person or business the value of the partnership must be greater than the two individual parties involved.

Sophia Amoruso, Nasty Gal and Girlboss founder, moderated a panel with Museum of Ice Cream CEO Maryellis Bunn, Senior Director of Creative Collaborations and Influencer Marketing at Target Noria Morales, and Global Head of Brand Relevance at Uber Erika Decker Wykes-Sneyd. This is what they had to say…

Stand for something bigger than what your business serves.
Get out there! Be in the world and ask questions in order to stay culturally relevant.
Get rid of any “should’s” in your life.
Be fearless and don’t go into things with trepidation. Failure is just a stepping stone to success.
Fail all the time, but don’t make the same mistake twice.

“Live life like everything is in your favor”

— Arianna Huffington

4. HOW TO THRIVE IN A BURNT OUT SOCIETY

Huffington Post and Thrive Global Founder Arianna Huffington, one of my favorite speakers, took the time to talk to Sophia Amoruso about the importance of self-care, unplugging and recharging, and her personal experiences with stress. Here were some of the great words she had to share to with the group.

There is no need to wear exhaustion as a badge of honor. It is possible to achieve incredible success while still enjoying your life.
Learn to prioritize and be ok will incompletion. The end of the day should be looked at with gratitude for what you have achieved, rather than stress over what you did not.
Unplug at the end of the day and mentally mark when your day has officially ended. This means stop responding to email and text, working on projects, or planning for what is to come in the days ahead.
When you wake up, take a minute before rushing to your phone. When looking at our phones it shows us “what the world wants from me” but when we take time to reflect we can ask “what I want from the world.”
Live life like everything is in your favor.

5. COOPERATION NOT COMPETITION

So often we think we must be in competition with others in order to get ahead. The reality is that cooperative relationships often lead to the best returns. Writer Marjon Carlos, Teach and Transform Founder Liz Kleinrock, and designer Madeline Poole said this…

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. The most successful people will use who and what they have around them.
Be honest. It is ok to be transparent when you make a mistake and in most cases it will strengthen the relationship.
Healthy competition is good, but just like competitive swimming you should listen and feel the waves of your opponent. Don’t lose sight of your lane or you will fall behind.

There were hundreds of incredible speakers throughout the two days. While the mixed gender bathroom experience was a bit awkward in the beginning, I had such an incredible time at the #GirlbossRally and learned so much about business and life.

Thanks Sophia and the entire Girlboss team for putting on such a great event.

Can you find me? HINT: I’m the only guy @girlboss

What I Learned From The 2018 NYC Girlboss Rally

Here are some of the key points that ANYONE can take away from the conference.

There were hundreds of incredible speakers throughout the two days. While the mixed gender bathroom experience was a bit awkward in the beginning, I had such an incredible time at the #GirlbossRally and learned so much about business and life.

Thanks Sophia and the entire Girlboss team for putting on such a great event.