Sophia bỏ nhà đi bụi từ năm 17 tuổi vì chán học. Để có tiền sinh hoạt, cô vào các cửa hàng thời trang để trộm đồ cho đến một ngày bị bắt.
Sophia Amoruso giờ là triệu phú ở tuổi 30. Ảnh: ADW
Sophia hiện là CEO Nasty Gal - công ty thương mại điện tử tăng trưởng nhanh nhất nước Mỹ.
"Tôi đã có một bài học đắt giá, nhận ra rằng sẽ không có cuộc sống rảnh rang thực sự nếu lựa chọn con đường tắt và mong muốn mọi thứ đều miễn phí ", Sophia chia sẻ.
Sau khi bị bắt vì tội trộm cắp vào năm 2003, Sophia đã rời từ thành phố Olympia (Washington, Mỹ) tới San Francisco (California). Tại đây, cô làm nghề soát mã số sinh viên cho một trường nghệ thuật, công việc mang lại tấm thẻ bảo hiểm y tế. Rồi chẳng mấy chốc chán nản, Sophia quyết định mở một gian bán quần áo cũ mang tên Nasty Gal Vintage trên chợ trực tuyến eBay sau khi đọc một cuốn sách hướng dẫn.
Cô chủ cửa hàng nhanh chóng nhận ra eBay là nền tảng quan trọng bởi tại đây, cô học được cách trả lời tất cả bình luận của mọi người, hiểu họ mua gì và muốn gì. Chính điều này đã giúp Sophia vượt lên trên những người bán khác. Sophia thuê những người trẻ tuổi làm mẫu để chụp hình sản phẩm với mức lương chỉ bằng vài chiếc bánh mỳ kẹp.
Giữa Sophia và những người bán khác đã xảy ra cãi vã và cô bị đuổi khỏi eBay, bước ngoặt để cô tự mở một trang web kinh doanh cho riêng mình, lấy tên miền NastyGalVintage.com, liên hệ với khách hàng thông qua mạng xã hội. "Tôi cho rằng đây là lý do số một tạo nên sự khác biệt bởi chúng tôi dùng truyền thông xã hội để nói chuyện với các khách hàng của mình", Sophia tâm sự. Trong khi đó, nhiều đối thủ của Nasty Gal lại dùng mạng xã hội chỉ để thúc đẩy việc kinh doanh.
Hiện cửa hàng của cô đang có hơn 1,2 triệu người theo dõi trên ứng dụng Instagram và vài triệu thành viên trên Facebook, một yếu tố "không thể tìm thấy tại các trung tâm thương mại". Cô khởi nguồn cho ý tưởng pha trộn thời trang giữa mới và cũ, đắt với rẻ và luôn muốn Nasty Gal không chỉ là website bán lẻ mà còn tạo phong cách sống cho phụ nữ hiện tại.
Điều này giúp tạo nên lượng khách hàng trung thành và hầu hết phụ nữ ở lứa tuổi 20-30 đều quay trở lại trang và 93% hàng mua không cần trả giá. Một nửa lượng sản phẩm bán ra của công ty do khách hàng quen mua.
Công ty của Sophia là một trong những đơn vị hiếm hoi trong lĩnh vực công nghệ có lại trong những năm đầu hoạt động. Điều này cho phép Nasty Gal trông đợi vào các nhà đầu tư trong tương lai. Sophia lên kế hoạch mở một cửa hàng bán lẻ vào cuối 2014.
Năm nay mới 30 tuổi, cô sở hữu tài sản trị giá nhiều triệu USD. Sophia cho biết những sai lầm tuổi trẻ rất quan trọng trong việc giúp cô gây dựng Nasty Gal từ một cửa hàng đơn lẻ trên eBay năm 2006 thành công ty 350 nhân viên, doanh thu 100 triệu USD và có hàng triệu khách hàng là phụ nữ trên thế giới
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FOUR years ago Matt and Amanda Clarkson were broke. He was a jobbing carpenter, she sold pies from a rusty white van.
Buttoday they live a life of yachts, luxury cars and designer clothes... aftermaking s8MILLION selling goods on eBay.
The couple who both left school at 16 with few qualifications started their business in the spare room of their two-bedroom flat, and now make s750,000 on average a year.
Amanda,44, says: The eBay site definitely changed our lives. Ours is very much a rags to riches tale. eBay has given us a lifestyle that we only dreamed of.
Matt and Amanda Clarkson's warehouse (Pic:SM)
It's a world away from just a few years ago when Matt was sweating it out onbuilding sites and I was serving builders food in my van called the Pie Princess.
It was an absolute nightmare and after three years I was really worn down. But we both had a dream of doing something more with our lives.
Theyare now one of the auction websites biggest success stories and have beendubbed The eBay Magicians for the business, which has bought them abeach-front home on Australia's Gold Coast, a yacht, luxury cars and {expensiveclothes. Last week Australians Matt and Amanda flew to London for a two-day event to teach would-be entrepreneurs how to set up an eBay business.
Their rise to riches began four-and-a-half years ago when Matt, 38, was working as a carpenter on a millionaires mansion.
Hesays: I was eating my peanut butter {sandwiches when a huge yacht moored rightin front of this beautiful mansion that was in the process of being built. Ican remember it vividly.
The owner came down the gangplank and I {decided there and then I was going to ask this man how he made his money. He told me, I created software for the internet. I didn't even own a computer but I was inspired.
The couple quit their jobs and began selling on eBay in February 2006 using a s400laptop bought with cash from Matt selling the tools of his old trade.
Matt says: Financially we had nothing. It was humble beginnings and with literally no outlay at all. But we went from broke to eBay millionaires in just 24months.
The first item they listed was appropriately a DVD box set called How to Make Money on the Internet.
Matt says: We misspelt the heading and left the r out of internet, which means a lot of people wouldn't have found it. Even so, we still managed to make s77.50.That gave us the belief it could actually work. We went on to sell other DVDs, books, CDs everything we had on the shelf at home. We were making s400-a-week profit just selling things that we no longer wanted. We learned quickly not to assume what people would buy.
We made s500 from a large cardboard box of old movies, even though you couldn't buy a VHS video player in the shops any more. One of the most surprising items I sold was a tatty old book that was barely held together which I sold for s15.I emailed the buyer and said: Why would you want it?. He said, I had this book in college 20 years ago. It had an emotional significance for him. He'd been looking for this edition for years.
Amanda adds: One of our first most popular and unexpected items was a pair of ugly,old-fashioned black pumps I bought for 50p that someone snapped up for s8. When we started to work out what was selling for us, we went and got a credit card and used that to buy stock.
They found that among the bestsellers were {camping cool boxes so they looked up suppliers on the internet until they found a company in China they could buy from directly.
Mattsays: We placed an order with the supplier and bought a container full ofcamping equipment, including camping fridges and cool boxes, all unbranded.It cost s5,000 to buy and ship the stock to our little flat and we made s4,000profit. Our initial goal was to make s1,000 a month but it kept spiralling higher and higher. As the business began to expand, they {reinvested all themoney they made to buy new products and spent thousands attending courses to learn how to improve their skills.
Amanda says: We really worked hard and our social life was non-existent. We were putting in 15-hour days, seven days a week. It was a huge risk. We kept reinvesting our money into more and more stock, importing from China and hired some space in a warehouse. From a standing start, within eight months we were selling a minimum of s24,000 a month. Today most of their {business is selling homeware such as pots, pans and {cutlery. But amazingly they say they spend less than 10 hours a week managing the business, because each time an items sells, eBay automatically puts up a posting for a new one.
That leaves them time to enjoy their wealth. Their stunning mansion boasts a pool,gym and sun room. Matt wears an expensive Breitling watch while Amanda, whose passion is shoes, admits she once bought 14 designer pairs in a shopping spree on a trip to New York. They have a 50ft yacht, a new Mercedes is on order for Amanda and Matt has a top of the range Toyota Land Cruiser.
And now they are spending s2million building their dream home next to the beach.It is built across 80m of sand with a four-car garage, home theatre, heated pool, three suites and a gazebo, beams Amanda. It means I can be close to my family and have them stay at weekends. I come from an ordinary family and mum and dad did the best they could.
My dream was {being able to look after them in retirement and that is what this business was all about for me from the start. Anything worthwhile takes effort and dedication but it is possible to live your dreams.
Ebay facts
1.Start off by selling everything that isn't nailed down in your home, then ask your friends and family to give you stuff to sell so you can get an idea of what sells before you spend your cash. Don't assume what people want.
Small and slow is the best way to get your feet wet. If you're going to make any mistakes its best to make them at an early stage so you don't end up losing money or blemishing your vital feedback rating. We call it the magic 100 as if you have more than 100 positive feedbacks you get more credibility from potential bidders and ultimately more money.
2.Find a niche product. We went round to local flea markets and auctions to get a feel for what people were spending their money on. It was a great way to get information for free. We started with camping cool boxes and then expanded into household items.
3.Use the Internet and other resources to research suppliers both locally around the world to get the best price. Look around you if there are hot, new items in your local department store they'll probably sell on eBay. Look on the back of the packaging and in most cases therell be the manufacturers details. Get on the phone to them.
Were searched suppliers on the Internet and initially emailed firms in China and India with our interest and then purchased a cheap phone card and rang them.
The golden rule when buying stock to sell on eBay is you make your money when you buy, not when you sell.
4.Build relationships with suppliers and customers to ensure a reliable stream of product. Just like the corner shop you use, we all do business with those we know, like and trust. We found it is better to meet face to face with your supplier at first. Once you have built a relationship you dont need to keep flying back constantly.
5.When you advertise your product, take clear, uncluttered photos on a plain background and end your auction at a time when more buyers are looking. The best time is 8pm to 9pmwhen people are at home, relaxing after dinner. If there are flaws, take a close up picture and honestly point it out. People will feel better about trusting you.
6.List your products in the correct category, using key words. There are more than 50,000 categories on eBay so this is a potential minefield. Lets say I wanted to sell womens maternity jeans. Don't list them in womens clothing. We would place it in womens maternity wear. If you have something really weird there is a category called everything else.
7.Describe your products in a way that will make people want to buy them --people shop on eBay for pleasure, not for need. This is one of the main reasons why we make so much money there is massive power in the choice of words we use.Instead of blue jeans wed say: Boot cut, slim fit, flattering jeans.
8.Give outstanding customer service. We decided to automate our business,something that is available as part of eBay. We've made templates of commonly asked questions so we just need to cut and paste. If your service is good you will get great feedback. People want to know that other people have bought your product first, and that they've lived to tell the tale!
9.Build up a data base of customers and email them teasers. With our kitchenalia category we send out recipe ideas and tips monthly. For example with what types of herbs you can use, and then suggest a new blender.
10.Don't ever let go of the end vision of what you would like success to do for you. Matt says: One of the biggest dreams I started out with was I wanted one day to be able to travel business class on flights and that spurred me on.
Tricks of the trade
HERE are Matt and Amanda's top tips for making a mint online...
START off by selling {everything that isnt nailed down in your home, then ask your friends and family to give you stuff to sell so you can get an idea of what sells before you spend your cash.
Don't assume what people want. Small and slow is the best way to get your feet wet.If you're going to make any mistakes its best to make them at an early stage so you don't end up losing money or blemishing your vital feedback rating.
We call it the magic 100 because if you have more than 100 positive feedbacks you get more credibility from {potential bidders and {ultimately more money.
FIND a niche product. We went round to local flea markets and auctions to get a feel for what people were spending their money on. It was a great way to get information for free. We started with camping cool boxes and then expanded into household items.
Use the internet and other resources to research suppliers both locally and around the world to get the best price. Look around you if there are hot new items in your local department store they'll probably sell on eBay.
Look on the back of the packaging and in most cases there'll be the manufacturers details. Get on the phone to them. We researched {suppliers on the Internet and initially emailed firms in China and India with our interest and then bought a cheap phonecard and rang them.
The golden rule when buying stock to sell on eBay is that you make your money when you buy the goods, not when you sell them.
BUILD relationships with suppliers and {customers to ensure a reliable stream of product. Just like the corner shop you use, we all do {business with those we know, like and trust. We found it is better to meet face to face with your supplier at first. Once we built a relationship with ours, we didn't need to keep flying back constantly.
WHEN you advertise your product, take clear, {uncluttered photos on a plain background and end your auction at a time when more buyers look.
The best time is 8pm to 9pmwhen people are relaxing after dinner.
If there are flaws, take a close-up and point it out honestly. People will feel better about trusting you.
LIST your products in the correct category, using key words. There are more than50,000 categories on eBay so this can be a minefield. To sell womens maternity jeans, don't list them in womens clothing. We would place it in womens maternity wear. If you have something really weird theres a section called everything else.
DESCRIBE your products in a way that will make {people want to buy them people shop one Bay for pleasure, not for need. This is one of the reasons we make so much {money there is massive power in the choice of words we use. Instead of blue jeans wed say: Boot cut, slim fit, {flattering jeans.
MAKE sure you give outstanding customer service.We have made templates of commonly asked questions so we just need to cut and paste them to reply to potential buyers. If your service is good you will get great feedback. People want to know others have bought your product and lived to tell the tale!
BUILD up a database of customers and email them teasers. With our kitchenalia category we send out recipe ideas and tips every month. For example we tell them what types of herbs you can use, and then suggest a new {blender.
DON'T ever let go of the end vision of what you would like success to do for you. Matt says: One of the biggest dreams I started out with was I wanted one day to be able to travel business class on flights and that spurred me on.
Khóa học miễn phí: Ứng dụng HTML và CSS trong thiết kế giao diện Website
Địa điểm: Tầng 7 tòa nhà Intracom, đường Dịch Vọng Hậu, Cầu Giấy, Hà Nội (Ngõ 72 đường Trần Thái Tông) Thời gian:14h00 đến 17h00 sáng ngày 28 và 30/08/2013 Thời lượng: 2 buổi Số lượng chỗ ngồi: 30 người Phí tham dự:Miễn phí
Giới thiệu khóa học:
Trong chuỗi quá trình thiết kế web, chúng ta có các công đoạn như phân tích và thiết kế chức năng, thiết kế hệ thống, thiết kế giao diện và lập trình website. Hầu như các bạn có khả năng lập trình với các ngôn ngữ nhưng lại yếu về thiết kế giao diện sử dụng HTML và CSS. Khi làm trong môi trường doanh nghiệp thực tế, các bạn là những lập trình viên website, các bạn được nhận bản vẽ từ các designer, tuy nhiên làm sao có thể biến nó thành template HTML để code đây? Khóa học này sẽ giúp các bạn giải quyết vấn đề đó. Những kỹ năng các bạn sẽ được trang bị trong khóa học này là: kỹ năng làm việc với Adobe Photoshop, kỹ năng làm việc với HTML và CSS
Giảng viên hướng dẫn: Anh Trần Quang Huy – Giám đốc thiết kế của ESVN. Người có nhiều năm kinh nghiệm thực tế trong việc thiết kế giao diện website và sử dụng HTML, CSS. Anh sẽ chia sẻ và hướng dẫn các bạn những bước từ cơ bản đến nâng cao trong dựng giao diện để mục đích cuối cùng là ra một sản phẩm hoàn chỉnh theo đúng chuẩn HTML và tối ưu hóa về SEO, đồng thời cũng dễ dàng cho việc chỉnh sửa và bảo trì sau này.
Nội dung khóa học: - Cơ bản về HTML - Kiến thức về CSS. - Cơ bản về Jquery và cách làm việc - Cách cắt ảnh từ Photoshop - Dựng giao diện web hoàn chỉnh với HTML 5 và CSS 3
Yêu cầu học viên: - Có kiến thức cơ bản về HTML và CSS. - Có kiến thức về làm việc với Javascript - Có kiến thức cơ bản về lập trình - Có máy máy tính cài Adobe Photoshop và Dreamweaver CS5
Trước tiên bạn tạo 1 trang web dành cho điện thoại với đường dẫn là http://domain.com/mobile/ sau đó bạn sử dụng đoạn script đó trong trang web chính. Đoạn script đó ý nghĩ thế này, nó sẽ thực thi 1 lệnh là chuyển hướng người dùng đến đường dẫn http://domain.com/mobile/ nếu người dùng đó truy cập bằng thiết bị có độ phân giải nhỏ hơn 800(thường là thiết bị di động).
