Founder Stories
Founding My Company Killed My Consumerism and Saved My Soul
I went from Balenciaga to broke but found fulfillment in making my bootstrapped business my focus in life
What do you do when you’re not feeling fulfilled? You buy things.
I was the chief marketing officer of a national brand, making six figures with disposable income to burn. But even though I had money, I was broke. Not literally, but in the sense that nothing was ever “enough.”
I was living the Sex and the City dream, with Louboutins to boot, and not a clue of what I was working toward. I was working to sustain the lifestyle I was handcuffed to. And because I wasn’t fulfilled by what I was doing, I’d shop my uncomfortable feelings away.
When I left my corporate job to bootstrap my business, I had a three-month runway — just enough money in my checking account for rent and food. To say I had to adjust my spending habits quickly is an understatement.
Goodbye, Uber. Hello, subway. Goodbye, eating out. Hello, home cooking. Goodbye, luxury possessions. Hello, renting out my Chanel on StyleLend and selling my Gucci on Poshmark.
