We sat down with entrepreneur Betty Liu to learn more about her journey and what it takes to lead and inspire people. This is what she had to say.
Tell us about yourself!
I’m so happy to be a part of your Q&A spotlight. I’m a big believer that people should never feel boxed into “one thing.” I am a business journalist, entrepreneur, mother, and now part of the team at the NYSE. I am eternally curious and I love asking questions.
Tell us about your journey to becoming an entrepreneur. What led you to create Radiate? Did you have any other strong women or mentors that helped guide you?
I have had a lot of strong women guide me in many aspects of my life, not just as an entrepreneur. Others helped me tremendously by giving me entrepreneurial advice while I was starting Radiate. I have always wanted to build a business and be my own boss since I graduated college, but I didn’t have the guts until the middle of my life. Finally, I said to myself if not now, it will never be.
Being an entrepreneur, how do you resonate with the Poshmark community?
Your Poshmark members are pretty savvy entrepreneurs. They’re creative and they know how to hustle, all while looking fabulous. That’s pretty inspiring to me!
You were recently acquired by the New York Stock Exchange — Congratulations! What advice would you give to anyone wanting to start their own business?
Building your own business is not for the faint of heart. It is gut wrenching. The lows can be extremely low but the highs are limitless. The worst thing that can happen is your company goes bankrupt. Conversely, the best thing is completely unknown and could be bigger than you could ever imagine.
You’ve been a supporter of Posh since the early days, what do you love most about Poshmark?
I LOVE your community. You know your audience so well and you have a great cult-like following that other companies would die for. Plus you have a really wonderful corporate culture. I got to see this up close at Radiate. Much of that comes from your CEO, Manish Chandra, who is very authentic and makes people feel at home by giving them permission to “embrace their weirdness.”
What was the first thing you sold on Poshmark?
A Salvatore Ferragamo black Italian leather tote.
What’s one item you’ve been eyeing to buy on Poshmark?
The Chanel classic 2.55 vintage black bag.
We love that you have chosen to donate your closet earnings to a great cause. Why is the Lupus Foundation so important to you?
My mother had lupus and struggled with it for many years. Treatment was pretty rudimentary and she suffered from unfortunate side effects. I would really like to see more funding put into Lupus and other autoimmune disease research and treatments that often do not get a lot of attention.
How do you find inspiration to empower others?
I empower others by being an example. I know I have a unique style. Some of the things I’ve done make people scratch their heads, like taking six months off once to just travel the American South and write. But that’s okay because it also inspires others to follow a different path. You can do anything and I really believe that.
Lastly, what are the 3 things you must do every day?
Outside of being with my family, I have 3 things I do everyday:
- Spend a half hour thinking and processing the day
- Ask someone how their life is
- And of course, drink coffee
Want to shop for a cause? Check out Betty’s closet here!
To learn more about Betty and her company Radiate, check out their website here!