Founder of Sporty & Rich: How To Build A $50 Million Empire At 26 (Emily Oberg)

Founder, creative director, and cultural icon Emily Oberg has built one of the most recognizable lifestyle brands of our generation: Sporty & Rich.

In this episode of The Burnouts, Emily Oberg sits down with Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni to unpack her journey from Complex producer to fashion entrepreneur, building a multimillion-dollar business rooted in wellness, design, and timeless style, without ever taking a dollar of outside funding.

Emily opens up about turning a Tumblr moodboard into a global brand, growing from $5K in savings to $40M in annual revenue, and the realities of running a company after a public breakup with her business partner. She shares what it’s really like to scale quickly, navigate burnout, and stay creatively fulfilled while leading a 40-person team.

Plus: how she built Sporty & Rich without investors, why preorders fueled her early success, what she’s learned about leadership (and ego), and the importance of building a world. (not just a brand).

Whether you’re dreaming of launching your own label, staying independent as a founder, or defining success on your own terms, this conversation is a masterclass in creative control, discipline, and staying true to your vision.

Chapters
00:00 – From retail in Canada to Complex Media
02:00 – Leaving corporate life to build her own path
03:00 – The Tumblr that became Sporty & Rich
06:00 – Bootstrapping a brand: preorders, savings & hustle
07:00 – Meeting her business partner and early growth
12:00 – Going from $100K to $30M in sales
14:00 – Covid and the sweatsuit boom
15:00 – Scaling challenges and factory chaos
17:00 – Knowing your strengths & hiring smart
18:00 – Opening the first Sporty & Rich store
19:00 – Expanding into wellness with Central Sport
22:00 – Lessons from mistakes & customer mishaps
23:00 – Facing scrutiny as a female founder
27:00 – Emily’s leadership philosophy & advice for women
29:00 – Sporty & Rich today: $40M in sales, still 100% owned

🔗 FOLLOW US
Phoebe Gates
Sophia Kianni
Emily Oberg

🔥 FOLLOW THE BURNOUTS
Instagram
TikTok
LinkedIn

📲 Support What We’re Building
Phoebe and Sophia aren’t just your hosts—they’re the founders of Phia, a new fashion-tech app helping shoppers find the best prices across retail and resale. Download Phia for free in the App Store.

About The Burnouts
The Burnouts brings you raw, unfiltered conversations with today’s top founders, creators, and culture-shaping entrepreneurs. Hosted by Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, the show goes beyond the headlines to share the real stories, lessons, and mindsets that define your 20s.

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and other visionaries redefining the brands—and the blueprints—of our time.

Subscribe now for the insider playbook to build your dream career.