Rating: 4.5⭐️
Pub Date: June 10, 2025
How I Read It: 🎧

Synopsis
At 52, Julie Wainwright was told she was unemployable after being the CEO of the failed Pets.com. So she held her head high and started a company, The RealReal, the world’s largest “pawn shop” for authenticated luxury resale items. Her company changed the world of fashion, making luxury items more accessible and sustainable. This is her story on her entrepreneurial journey, including all the lessons learned, as well as mistakes made along the way, to turn her company into a billion-dollar brand.

My Thoughts
Things certainly got real for Julie Wainwright! She’s one tough cookie, I’ll give her that. I don’t know how I would have felt after having a business close as a CEO, then facing all the rejection after when trying to find a job. I would have tried having my own business too. I didn’t know what The RealReal was, but as a small business owner, I love reading books about other people’s success in business. I was not prepared for what read. Julie built a successful business, but I didn’t realize all that comes with growing; how rude and ruthless some people and companies can be in the fashion industry and the risks you take by making your company public. And I can’t imagine working so hard for something, only to be let go from it in the end. It seems so crazy to me. This book is an honest account of all the highs and lows of building a business. It’s definitely eye-opening, so if you’re an entrepreneur looking to grow, you should add this book to your collection.

Themes
Business

Ratings
Pace: 4.5 ⭐️
Enjoyability: 4.5 ⭐️

Thank you Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

4.5 stars

This book was fascinating! I had heard of The Real Real, but only had a surface-level knowledge of the company. This was a deep dive into Julie Wainwright's journey from conceptualizing the idea to making it into a billion-dollar company. She did not shy away from describing her failures alongside her great success, and how she could have done things differently when she made mistakes.

I loved the conversational tone, yet it was super informative. As an MBA, I loved the depth in which she described each part of getting a business off the ground, and I felt like I was back in my business classes doing a case study. Another highlight was her desire to make The Real Real a sustainability-driven business. Its core mission was to recirculate luxury garments and accessories and this has a tremendous positive environmental impact by keeping items out of the landfill. Wainright describes the severe environmental and social harm that textile production has, and she took real steps to make The Real Real into a company that could reverse those impacts while maintaining profitability. The peek into luxury fashion was also fascinating. There was no shortage of drama there!

I appreciated the personal stories woven throughout, and in the audiobook the author becomes emotional at various parts of her story. Overall, I enjoyed the audiobook version, though a few transitions were slightly awkward.

This was a wonderful read, it had so much to offer - business advice, a behind-the-scenes look at entrepreneurship, biases in business, and personal sacrifices needed to make a business successful. I recommend this to anyone interested in entrepreneurship, sustainability, fashion, business, finance and memoirs.

I like Time to Get Real because it’s honest, raw, and incredibly empowering. I like how Julie Wainwright doesn’t sugarcoat her failures—instead, she shares them boldly to show how growth often comes through pain. I like that she talks about grief, divorce, bankruptcy, and betrayal, but still manages to make you feel like rising again is always possible.

I like how this book makes you feel like you’re having a heart-to-heart with a wise friend who’s been through the fire and came out stronger. I like that she weaves her story with life lessons for anyone trying to rebuild and rediscover their worth. I like how real it is—and how much strength and self-belief it inspires in every chapter.