587: She Built a $1 Billion Brand Selling Other Peoples Clothes | Julie Wainwright

587: She Built a $1 Billion Brand Selling Other Peoples Clothes | Julie Wainwright

Julie Wainwright, founder of The RealReal, reveals how she built a billion-dollar resale marketplace that transformed luxury fashion. In this exclusive Foundr Podcast interview, Julie shares how she scaled The RealReal to over $1B in revenue, reached 38 million members, and took the company public on the Nasdaq. From her early lessons at Pets.com to reinventing resale as “cool” and breaking into the luxury market, Julie unpacks the strategies, risks, and mindset shifts that fuelled her success. Whether you’re building an eCommerce brand, launching a marketplace, or navigating setbacks as a founder, this interview delivers invaluable lessons on execution, resilience, and scaling big ideas. What you’ll learn from this interview: • How Julie identified an opportunity Amazon couldn’t replicate and turned it into The RealReal • The strategies she used to seed supply and build a two-sided marketplace • Why values-driven hiring and culture were critical to scaling past $1B in revenue • Lessons from shutting down Pets.com and how it shaped her next venture • How she navigated taking The RealReal public and the realities of IPO wealth • The impact of COVID on The RealReal and what it taught her about resilience • Why values alignment and integrity are the most important traits in your team and board By the end of this interview, you’ll walk away with proven insights from one of the most experienced entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley—so you can build, scale, and sustain your own eCommerce or marketplace business with clarity and confidence. SAVE 50% ON OMNISEND FOR 3 MONTHS Get 50% off your first 3 months of email and SMS marketing with Omnisend with the code FOUNDR50. Just head to ⁠https://your.omnisend.com/foundr⁠ to get started. HOW WE CAN HELP YOU SCALE YOUR BUSINESS FASTER Learn directly from 7, 8 & 9-figure founders inside Foundr+ Start your $1 trial → ⁠https://www.foundr.com/startdollartrial⁠ PREFER A CUSTOM ROADMAP AND 1-ON-1 COACHING? → Starting from scratch? Apply here → ⁠https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-start-application⁠ → Already have a store? Apply here → ⁠https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-growth-application⁠ CONNECT WITH NATHAN CHAN Instagram → ⁠https://www.instagram.com/nathanchan⁠ LinkedIn → ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanhchan/⁠ CONNECT WITH JULIE WAINWRIGHT Website → https://www.therealreal.com/ Instagram → ⁠https://www.instagram.com/realrealjulie/ FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES YouTube → ⁠https://bit.ly/2uyvzdt⁠ Website → ⁠https://www.foundr.com⁠ Instagram → ⁠https://www.instagram.com/foundr/⁠ Facebook → ⁠https://www.facebook.com/foundr⁠ Twitter → ⁠https://www.twitter.com/foundr⁠ LinkedIn → ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/foundr/⁠ Podcast → ⁠https://www.foundr.com/podcast

Episoder(582)

627: How Lia Georgantis Built an Iconic Aussie Fashion Brand in Just 5 Years

627: How Lia Georgantis Built an Iconic Aussie Fashion Brand in Just 5 Years

Lia Georgantis took over a multi-brand fashion boutique with no business experience, lost most of her suppliers overnight, then rebuilt it into one of Australia’s most recognisable fashion brands by...

29 Jan 56min

626: (Solo) Work Life Balance Is an Illusion. Here’s What Works Instead

626: (Solo) Work Life Balance Is an Illusion. Here’s What Works Instead

Most founders won’t say this out loud… work-life balance doesn’t really exist. At least not in the early years. I didn’t want balance — I was obsessed. I worked until 5 a.m., skipped sleep, skipped ho...

27 Jan 10min

625: From $70M in Debt to $1B Amazon Deal in 45 Days | Jamie Siminoff

625: From $70M in Debt to $1B Amazon Deal in 45 Days | Jamie Siminoff

One billion dollars. That’s what today’s guest built — after being rejected on Shark Tank, nearly going bankrupt multiple times, and spending millions before making a single sale. In this video, Jam...

22 Jan 53min

624: (Solo) How to Create More Than You Consume (Without Burning Out)

624: (Solo) How to Create More Than You Consume (Without Burning Out)

Most founders drown in content — YouTube, TikTok, newsletters, podcasts — but they rarely create anything themselves. And here’s the problem: consumption doesn’t build businesses; creation does. In...

20 Jan 9min

623: $500K in Debt, 5 Maxed Credit Cards — How Jordan Harper Built an 8-Figure Brand in Year One

623: $500K in Debt, 5 Maxed Credit Cards — How Jordan Harper Built an 8-Figure Brand in Year One

Jordan Harper built an eight-figure skincare brand in its first year by maxing out five credit cards while already $500,000 in debt — and never raised a single dollar from investors. In this inter...

15 Jan 53min

622: (Solo) The Truth About Founder-Led Content in 2026

622: (Solo) The Truth About Founder-Led Content in 2026

Founder-led branding isn’t dead — but it is evolving fast. Showing your face and posting “day in the life” content is no longer enough to stand out. The bar has risen, audiences have matured, and what...

13 Jan 8min

621: We Bet $200K on Bras Before Making a Single Sale — Sold 400,000 in 2 Years | Nala

621: We Bet $200K on Bras Before Making a Single Sale — Sold 400,000 in 2 Years | Nala

Nala was built by two founders with no fashion background who invested $200,000 before making a single sale and went on to sell over 400,000 pieces in just two years. In this interview, Chloe and ...

8 Jan 49min

620: (Solo) The Secret to Making Bold Business Moves With Confidence

620: (Solo) The Secret to Making Bold Business Moves With Confidence

One of the biggest challenges founders face — especially at the end of the year — is knowing what to do next and feeling confident that the move you're about to make is the right one. Certainty feels ...

6 Jan 11min

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