If social media is any measure of success, then Showpo is bigger than Myer and David Jones. The online fast fashion retailer has 700,000 followers, compared to the two fashion giants who both have less than 500,000 followers each.
However success doesn’t come without roadblocks along the way. It was during the Global Financial Crisis when Jane left her stable corporate finance job at EY to follow her entrepreneurial dreams. Jane was too afraid to tell her parents.
“Coming from an immigrant background, I definitely felt a lot of pressures because my parents sacrificed so much to get me here. So it wasn’t just taking a risk for myself, but for them as well.”
“I had to pretend to put on my suit for the first six months and get up early, have breakfast with them. Let me tell you, there’s nothing worse than being unemployed and actually having to get up early when you’re unemployed.”
Jane with her parents. Source: Supplied
Instead of going to work, she used the NSW State Library WiFi to kickstart her first business venture. However, she couldn’t keep the secret for long. When Jane found the courage to open up about her business plans, she was ridiculed by friends and family alike.
“They all thought I was an idiot. They thought it was the dumbest decision ever, and I think they were all waiting to laugh at me once I failed.”
And she did fail. Her first business was poorly executed and eventually fell flat. At the time, she was about $50,000 in debt. “I had no other option but to start another business because I couldn’t go back and ask for my job [at EY] back.” And that’s when she started Showpo out of her parent’s garage, with a simply coded website she built herself.
Jane's first Showpo office. Source: Supplied
At the time, social media wasn’t a common platform for many businesses. Jane flooded social media accounts with images of their clothing items, which eventually paid off. Her social media grew, and so did her customer base. Today, at 29, Jane’s company Showpo turns over $10 million annually and employs 19 staff.
So what are her tips for aspiring entrepreneurs? “I just think the best way is to do it, do it fast, learn quickly and adapt quickly.”
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