From dumpster diving to the Forbes rich list: How high school dropout Sophia Amoruso amassed a net worth of $280 million

  • Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso, 32, has a net worth of $280 million
  • But as a young woman she would dumpster dive to make ends meet
  • She started an eBay store selling vintage clothes as a 22-year-old 
  • In 2008 she launched an e-store, which now has a revenue of $300 million
  • Ms Amoruso, who is from the U.S, is currently in Australia on tour

By Lauren Grounsell For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 21:58 EST, 7 November 2016 | Updated: 23:15 EST, 7 November 2016

Sophia Amoruso's story goes from rags to riches... and couture.

The founder of the hugely successful online store Nasty Gal has a net worth of $280 million, a figure that saw her become the only Millennial newcomer to the 2016 Forbes Richest Self Made Women list.

But while might rank higher than Beyonce it has not always been the case, with the 32-year-old #GirlBoss author telling Perth Now she once resorted to dumpster diving to support herself.

Success story: Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso has a rags to riches story

Rags to riches: She once used to dumper dive and steal to support herself, but is now worth $280 million after founding an online clothing store Nasty Gal

Leaving home at 17,  after her parents went bankrupt, she was employed in a number of menial jobs.

At one stage she resorted to dumpster diving and stealing to support herself, before buying the book: Starting an eBay Business for Dummies.

'I didn’t have any grand aspirations,' she told Perth Now.

Humble beginnings: She started her business as a 22-year-old selling vintage clothes on eBay 

'I wanted to make some money doing something I thought was fun.' 

She launched an eBay store, Nasty Gal Vintage, as a 22-year-old, and the rest was history.

Ms Amoruso would source vintage pieces for her eBay store, starting bidding wars that saw her pieces sell for thousands of dollars more than she bought them for.

In 2008 she launched her stand-alone e-store, and her entire collection sold out in one day.

'Growth has been explosive': Since 2012 her business revenue is estimated to have gone up from $100 million to $300 million 

Business move: In 2015, she stepped down as CEO of her company Nasty Gal, naming the online retailer's current president, Sheree Waterson, as her successor

Forbes estimated her store's revenue had gone up from $100 million in 2012 to $300 million.

'Growth has been explosive, Ms Amoruso told the publication.

In 2015, she stepped down as CEO of her company Nasty Gal, naming the online retailer's current president, Sheree Waterson, as her successor. 

Ms Amoruso told Re/Code that she made the decision on her own, noting that she would continue to serve as Nasty Gal's executive chairman and oversee the company's creative and brand marketing teams. 

Business woman: 'You have to be ready to sort through all of the crap in order to find the useful stuff,' she said

As well as her store Ms Amoruso is a successful author of the book #GirlBoss.

She advises sticking to your vision when it comes to business.  

'Advice and input starts coming at you by the bucketful,' she told Perth Now.

'You have to be ready to sort through all of the crap in order to find the useful stuff, even from the most experienced advisers, investors and executives.'

For more on her Australian tour, Visit Business Chicks. 

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