Julie Wainwright - The RealReal Founder | How She Rebuilt After Pets.com Failed and Built a Billion-Dollar Empire

Success Story with Scott D. Clary

Julie Wainwright - The RealReal Founder | How She Rebuilt After Pets.com Failed and Built a Billion-Dollar Empire

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Published on Aug 8, 2025, 7:08:51 PM
Total time: 01:08:52

Episode Description

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Julie Wainwright is the visionary entrepreneur who transformed one of Silicon Valley’s most public failures into a billion-dollar empire. After leading Pets.com through the dot-com crash, she came back stronger, founding The RealReal in 2011 and scaling it into the world’s largest online luxury consignment marketplace with over $1 billion in annual revenue, 33 million members, and a successful IPO on Nasdaq. Under her leadership, the company processed millions of authenticated luxury items, disrupted a $200+ billion resale market, and redefined sustainable fashion. Her story is proof that with resilience, bold vision, and relentless execution, even the biggest setbacks can become the launchpad for extraordinary success.

 

➡️ Show Links

https://www.instagram.com/realrealjulie/

 

➡️ Books

https://www.amazon.com/Time-Get-Real-Billion-Dollar-Business/dp/1637746865 

 

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➡️ Talking Points

00:00 – Intro

01:31 – Julie’s Career in Her Own Words

02:40 – Why Training Shapes Entrepreneurs

08:32 – The Risk of Letting AI Think for You

11:49 – When Julie Was Called “Unemployable”

16:02 – Bouncing Back from a Major Failure

21:43 – Sponsor Break

23:40 – Building Something Completely New

30:29 – Winning in a Crowded Market

43:12 – Sponsor Break

45:07 – Success vs. Billion-Dollar Success

51:27 – Why Every Founder Needs an Exit Plan

1:06:49 – Julie’s Biggest Life Lesson

More about Success Story with Scott D. Clary

Welcome to the Success Story Podcast, hosted by entrepreneur, business executive, author, educator & speaker, Scott D. Clary (@scottdclary). On this podcast, you'll find interviews, Q&A, keynote presentations & conversations on sales, marketing, business, startups and entrepreneurship. Scott will discuss some of the lessons he's learned over his own career, as well as have candid interviews with execs, celebrities, notable figures and politicians. All who have achieved success through both wins and losses, to learn more about their life, their ideas and insights. He sits down with leaders and mentors and unpacks their story to help pass those lessons onto others through both experiences and tactical strategy for business professionals, entrepreneurs and everyone in between. To get more of the Success Story podcast, go to www.successstorypodcast.com.