Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin
Julie Wainwright (Founder, The RealReal) on Facing the Competition and Taking Companies Public
05 Dec 2024
This week, Money Rehab is guest-hosted by investor and entrepreneur Tracy DiNunzio, who built and sold the peer to peer luxury resale company Tradesy. Today, Tracy talks to her former competitor Julie Wainwright, who founded the luxury resale marketplace The RealReal. Tracy and Julie reflect on what it was like competing against each other, and share advice for any entrepreneurs building in a high-growth category. Plus, Julie talks about the pro’s and con’s of taking a company public and her newest venture, Ahara, a personalized nutrition company. Keep up with Julie here, and learn more about Ahara here.
Full Episode
I'm Nicole Lappin, the only financial expert you don't need a dictionary to understand. It's time for some money rehab.
Hi, it's Tracy DiNunzio. I'm an entrepreneur and investor, and I'm also guest hosting Money Rehab this week while Nicole is on maternity leave, sort of. Today, I'm talking to Julie Wainwright, who's one of the most accomplished female tech founders of our generation. She's been on all the lists. Inc's Female Founders 100, Fast Company's Most Creative People, Forbes 40 Over 40.
Her amazing career included stints at Clorox, Real.com, and a rollercoaster ride as the CEO of Pets.com during the dot-com crash. After that, she started The RealReal, a luxury resale marketplace where you probably buy discounted Louis Vuitton and hopefully also sell things from your closet. And you're probably thinking, wow, that's an impressive resume.
I'd hate to have to be the guy who goes up against her. And well, I was that guy. My company, Tradesy, was in the exact same category and was a competitor to The RealReal. So today, Julie and I have some real talk about what it was like competing in a high growth category. We give advice for entrepreneurs starting companies and building in a competitive space.
Julie talks about the pros and cons of taking a company public and the future of fashion. And we get a very special guest appearance from Nicole at the very end, making sure that money rehabbers get all their questions answered. So you'll hear that at the end, but let's start at the beginning. Julie Wainwright, welcome to Money Rehab.
Oh, hi, Tracy. It's good to see you.
It's fun being here. So, Julie, you've had an incredible career with many acts, and we're going to talk about all of them, including your latest business, Ahara Med. But I want to start by saying you're one of the most successful women in tech. Full stop.
I don't know if that's true. I think so. It depends on how you measure it. But yes, I've had success.
You have had a lot of success. You've run multiple public companies. You've been a founder, not just a CEO, but a founder. What do you think makes a great entrepreneur great?
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