“I love this episode!! Sophia is such an unapologetic HSR girl!” - HSR Angel
Happy podcast day angels!! Today I am sitting down with the woman who helped me bring Hot Smart Rich into existence (listen to the story at 9:41 seconds in the episode). She is someone who built one of the most iconic e-commerce brands of our generation and has completely reinvented herself as an investor…my friend, Sophia Amoruso!!
Sophia is the founder of Nasty Gal, Girlboss and now venture capital firm Trust Fund. She bootstrapped Nasty Gal to $30 million in revenue and has since gone from building companies to betting on the next generation of founders by picking winners.
I have always been fascinated by Sophia’s story because she has experienced everything that comes with entrepreneurship. Massive success, public criticism, bankruptcy, rebuilding and figuring out how to turn all of those lessons into her next chapter.
We talk about how she built a network that survived every version of her career, what she actually looks for when investing in founders and why being what she calls a “cockroach founder” might be one of the biggest advantages you can have.
We get deep into the world of investing for both venture capital and personal angel investing. Sophia is a prolific investor and has most notably backed Eight Sleep (also one of my favorites and use every night), Superhuman, Public, Liquid Death, and Lovable.
And obviously we talk about AI! Sophia is obsessed with using AI tools to work smarter and believes they are one of the biggest opportunities for female founders right now. We get into the tools she actually uses, how they give her a competitive edge and why every entrepreneur should be paying attention.
We also talk about Girlboss culture, navigating criticism as a successful woman, her rules for networking and even the naming trick she has used across her companies.
If you are one of the angels who wants to build, invest and reinvent yourself without being afraid of what people think, this is the episode you have to listen to.
At the beginning of this conversation I made a promise to you that if you listen in full, you will walk away understanding how to:
use AI to give yourself a competitive advantage
build a network that survives every chapter of your career
reinvent yourself without starting from zero
So angels, are you ready to get hot smart rich?!
Maggie xxx
Sophia’s Top 10
her top 10 to live a hot, smart, rich life
01. Lumify Eye Drops make me look rested even when I’m not, so I stock up every time I’m in the States.
02. La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume is meant for irritated skin, but it’s so incredible I use it every day.
03. Wispr Flow puts Siri to shame and has genuinely 10xed my efficiency.
04. Lovable lets me build a website or app just by chatting with it. Sorry, Squarespace, but your days are over.
05. OLLY Sleep Gummies taste like candy and, most importantly, melatonin works.
06. My Sid Mashburn Navy Leather Card Case is so small, so sleek, and exactly what I want to carry.
07. My Ossa Phone Strap gets more compliments than almost anything else I own.
08. Spinelli Kilcollin is my favorite jewelry brand. I sold my house, bought myself their most expensive ring, and wear it every day.
09. Walking in nature is how I get my steps in, preferably as far from other people as I can.
10. My 16-inch MacBook Pro is heavy as hell, but the battery lasts forever and it actually feels like working on a real computer.
Hot, Smart, Rich Tips
Hot Hack: Apply mascara only at the base of your eyelashes, then smudge it toward the ends with your finger. It gives you the most natural-looking lashes.
Smart Hack: When you’re flying with someone, book the window and aisle seats instead of sitting next to each other. If the flight isn’t full, there’s a good chance you’ll end up with the whole row because no one wants the middle seat :)
Rich Hack: Set up a trust early to take advantage of Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS) and potentially save millions in taxes when your company sells. I used Dynasty to set mine up.
Favourite Part of The Conversation
Hearing Maggie tell me how pivotal it was when I DMed her. You don’t always realize the impact you can have on someone’s journey in the moment, so hearing how much that meant to her felt really special. I also loved talking about venture capital, startups, and Trust Fund because that’s where so much of my energy is going now. It felt like a full-circle conversation, getting to reflect on the impact of my past while talking about what I’m most excited to build next.
Something That People Don’t Know About You
I eat Haribo gummy bears several days a week and usually have a few bags on standby.
