#GirlBoss by Sophia Amoruso was one of the books I purchased in a massive buy up ages ago. I started to read it and got distracted, I never really got into it. Almost two years later I picked it up again for a day at the beach. That day I managed to read the whole thing in one sitting. I loved it. It got me excited about things. I was keen to get home and get working.

This post is a sort of summary of what I took away a lot from this book. The first lesson was about what it means to work hard in business. A lot of people will tell you to work smarter, not harder. But in the end, a great business or brand will take work. Hours and hours of work. Work that no one sees or even cares about.

And that’s okay. 

It reminded me that when it’s taking too long to get somewhere to be patient. #GirlBoss reminded me that overnight successes are built on hours and hours, weeks and weeks that no one sees. I took away lessons in patience, trusting your intuition and decision-making for your brand or business.

Most surprisingly of all, the thing number one I took away from #GirlBoss was to live within my means. This was a company built on the back of nothing really. A small idea that piece by piece started to grow into a mega business. A business that despite all the money in the bank (later, obviously) puts expensive office chairs up for sale because they’d been purchased by someone having a brain fart. Too extravagant. Too new! Toooooo expensive.

#GirlBoss reminded me that living within your means is cool.

Too often it can be easy to get dragged into this world of expensive things and the newest, biggest, bestest thing. But that’s not living, especially not when it’s purchased on credit. It has never been that way for me and I never want it to be. This book gave me the kick in the pants I needed to reassess what really mattered to me, my business and what makes me happy.

Ironically, only a day or two after my blitzing of the book, at a Business Chicks event in Australia Sophia took the stage. It was only hours after her company filed for bankruptcy. Nasty Girl was finished or finished as far as the first incarnation goes. Sophia was applauded for taking the stage and for her honesty when she got there.

Now I don’t know about you, but it takes something to do that. To be able to separate your feelings about failing and failing and do so in a way that empowers women. It takes guts to stand there and say yes, this happened, the business has failed. So much so that that was my last takeaway from the book.

My final lesson was that the story is never finished, in life and in business. That you never know what is around the corner for you. But most of all, if it happens to come to an end, be proud of what you’ve achieved, learn from your mistakes and keep moving forward.

After all, that’s what #girlbosses do!

Melissa Walker Horn

Hi! I’m Melissa Walker Horn. Around here, they call me Suger. I’m the Chief Blogger and doer of all the things here at Suger Coat It. Blogging since 1901; I love a casual ootd, taking photos, and writing about things that irk or inspire me. I love wine and cheese, long days at the beach and spending time with my family. I make stuff for the internet over at Chalkboard Digital. You know, living the sweet life.