Julie Wainwright - The RealReal Founder | How She Rebuilt After Pets.com Failed and Built a Billion-Dollar Empire
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Julie Wainwright is the visionary entrepreneur who transformed one of Silicon Valley’s most public failures into a billion-dollar empire. After leading Pets.com through the dot-com crash, she came back stronger, founding The RealReal in 2011 and scaling it into the world’s largest online luxury consignment marketplace with over $1 billion in annual revenue, 33 million members, and a successful IPO on Nasdaq. Under her leadership, the company processed millions of authenticated luxury items, disrupted a $200+ billion resale market, and redefined sustainable fashion. Her story is proof that with resilience, bold vision, and relentless execution, even the biggest setbacks can become the launchpad for extraordinary success.
➡️ Show Links
https://www.instagram.com/realrealjulie/
➡️ Books
https://www.amazon.com/Time-Get-Real-Billion-Dollar-Business/dp/1637746865
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➡️ Talking Points
00:00 – Intro
01:31 – Julie’s Career in Her Own Words
02:40 – Why Training Shapes Entrepreneurs
08:32 – The Risk of Letting AI Think for You
11:49 – When Julie Was Called “Unemployable”
16:02 – Bouncing Back from a Major Failure
21:43 – Sponsor Break
23:40 – Building Something Completely New
30:29 – Winning in a Crowded Market
43:12 – Sponsor Break
45:07 – Success vs. Billion-Dollar Success
51:27 – Why Every Founder Needs an Exit Plan
1:06:49 – Julie’s Biggest Life Lesson