We did it! After months of planning our second Girlboss Rally NYC 2018—not to mention our first weekend-long program—we can rest easy knowing this conference was unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. We’re proud to say it was nothing like your typical conference, because this year’s Girlboss Rally NYC was designed to do so much more than simply link you with people in your industry.
It’s meant to inspire, empower, and connect you with some of the most amazing women around the world. It’s meant to leave you feeling like you’ve just walked into a room full of bright, ambitious, and talented women. Because you have.
In fact, more than 1,100 women gathered at the 2018 Girlboss Rally NYC. The fun all began on November 17, at the Knockdown Center in Queens, New York. The multi-purpose venue was just the right size for us to have four different stages, a VIP lounge, the Collective shopping bazaar, meetups, Boss Shot photo sessions, and more.
All in all, it was a magical two days filled with inspiring conversations onstage, skill-building workshops, and enough connections to help kick off your next venture. Above all, though, what we heard most from attendees was that this weekend left them feeling inspired and motivated to take that next step in their career, to launch their venture and share their vision.
If you didn’t get a chance to attend this Girlboss Rally, don’t worry. We plan on being back next year and will spend the next months planning Girlboss Rally LA. In the meantime, here’s everything that went down at the 2018 Girlboss Rally NYC.
The weekend kicked off with some real talk about money and some words from our original Girlboss
Everyone was up bright and early on Saturday morning on Day 1 of the rally. All in all, the crowd represented 430 cities, 40 states and 31 countries. Think: Australia, Netherlands, Brazil, Peru, Italy, Switzerland, South Africa, Russia, Colombia, Ukraine, Trinidad. Guests enjoyed a healthy and hearty complimentary breakfast from Egg Shop. To officially kick off the jam-packed schedule of events, Sophia Amoruso, the OG Girlboss who started it all, took the stage for some introductory remarks.
And because we wanted everyone to get up and out of their seats for a good stretch, we partnered with smartwater to have fitness expert Kirsty Godso lead a short movement break. Then, entrepreneurs took to the stage throughout the Knockdown Center to share their wisdom and advice with audience members. First up was Sallie Krawcheck, co-founder and CEO, of Ellevest, who took the stage in the Ballerroom to share the financial truths we all need to know.
Later, at our bookstore, attendees lined up to get their copy of the book that started it all, #Girlboss,signed by none other than Sophia Amoruso. She introduced the audience (and kinda, the world) to the Girlboss Community platform, currently in Beta, saying “This is for you. Not a hundred of you, not a thousand of you, but a hundred thousand. A million million. The Girlboss Community is a member-based platform where people can take their work, but not themselves, seriously.
“Where you can share more than just a resume … not just what you do, but who you are. Connect, even possibly network, with the most interesting women in the world.”
Meanwhile, over at the Collective, our shopping and experiential space, attendees had a range of women-owned stores to browse and shop. And, because we’re always hearing how you want more Girlboss merchandise (we got you!), our team designed some special items for this rally. Cute and cozy sweaters, sweatpants, water bottles, keychains, notebooks, and even lighters. Setting up our pop-up shopping experience was made all the more easier thanks to our friends over at Shopify.
The Collective experience was part shopping, part networking, and pure fun
But in case you needed a break from all the shopping, you also had a lot more to do in the Collective. You could get a tattoo done (because why not mark the occasion?), get a 10-minute tarot reading, or a resume consultation. You could also sign up for a quick 1:1 session with a member of the Girlboss team during our “Ask a Girlboss” sessions for career advices and to learn about what goes on behind the scenes.
And of course, who doesn’t want a good photo to capture the weekend’s good vibes? That’s why our partners at J.Crew made sure you could snap a polaroid picture with your new, powerful crew at our photo booth and share it on social with the hashtag #MeetMyCrew. Because we know you want to show off how awesome your new Girlboss crew is!
And thanks to our J. Crew Conversation Pit, women were able to connect with each other by signing up for our industry-specific meetups. The intimate space made it easy for guests to meet others working in tech, fashion, retail, marketing, or to link up with other entrepreneurs. (BTW, those super cute pink sweaters our helpful volunteers sported? Yep, J. Crew.)
Lunchtime was the perfect moment to refuel with a delicious meal
Thanks to the folks over at Dig Inn, attendees were able to refuel with a hearty bowl of quinoa and salmon, chicken or cauliflower. And because we know there’s no better way to stay hydrated and refreshed, we made sure guests could drink smartwater whenever they needed to. (Because there’s #ASmarterWay to hydrate your mind and body!)
Oh, and did mention that our friends at T-Mobile provided some very handy recharging station. With so many Instagrammable moments, a full battery is completely crucial!
Startup Studio with Uber allowed for intimate workshops on entrepreneurship
This year, we partnered with Uber to conceptualize Startup Studio so each of the six sessions tackled an issue specific to entrepreneurs. Our intimate space allowed for a more casual conversation with experts who discussed everything from what it takes to hire the right team, to how you can make your voice heard in a room full of mostly-male venture capitalists. When Uber researched how much VC dollars go to female-founded companies, they found it’s a teeny, tiny number: two percent!
That’s why we partnered with Uber to #RethinkTheRatio and ensure Startup Studio gave practical advice that will help entrepreneurs scale their great ideas.
The intimate VIP experience made it easy to pamper yourself.
We amped up our VIP experience this year by partnering with Chillhouse to offer manicures and massages on-site. Attendees could also get their eyebrows done and relax between panel sessions. And because we always love a good fragrance, guests could spritz Calvin Klein‘s latest fragrance, Women, for a quick, refreshing scent.
Let’s not forget the goodies from our partners
Who doesn’t love freebies? And who doesn’t really, really, love freebies that run the gamut from snacks, to makeup, to skincare, and more. Thanks to our partners, Girlboss Rally NYC attendees were able to make off like bandits with products and discount codes from some of our favorite companies, including:
Miss Jones Baking Co., Wylde One, Omorovicza, Shrill Society, Ritual Vitamins, Kitsch, Primal Kitchen, Bohana, Lunya, Dr. Roebuck’s, Briogeo, Patchology, HB Face, Anne Sisteron Jewelry, Skinny Dipped Almonds, Kopari, Wylde One, Omorovicza, Shrill Society, Ritual Vitamins, Kitsch, Primal Kitchen, Bohana, Lunya, Dr. Roebuck’s, Briogeo, Patchology, HB Face, Anne Sisteron Jewelry, Skinny Dipped Almonds, Kopari, Omorovicza, Shrill Society, Ritual Vitamins, Kitsch, Primal Kitchen, Bohana, Lunya, Dr. Roebuck’s, Briogeo, Patchology, HB Face, Anne Sisteron Jewelry, Skinny Dipped Almonds, Kopari, Shrill Society, Ritual Vitamins, Kitsch, Primal Kitchen, Bohana, Lunya, Dr. Roebuck’s, Briogeo, Patchology, HB Face, Anne Sisteron Jewelry, Skinny Dipped Almonds, Kopari, Ritual Vitamins, Kitsch, Primal Kitchen, Bohana, Lunya, Dr. Roebuck’s, Briogeo, Patchology, HB Face, Anne Sisteron Jewelry, Skinny Dipped Almonds, Kopari, Kitsch, Primal Kitchen, Bohana, Lunya, Dr. Roebuck’s, Briogeo, Patchology, HB Face, Anne Sisteron Jewelry, Skinny Dipped Almonds, Kopari, Primal Kitchen, Bohana, Lunya, Dr. Roebuck’s, Briogeo, Patchology, HB Face, Anne Sisteron Jewelry, Skinny Dipped Almonds, Kopari, Bohana, Lunya, Dr. Roebuck’s, Briogeo, Patchology, HB Face, Anne Sisteron Jewelry, Skinny Dipped Almonds, Kopari, Lunya, Dr. Roebuck’s, Briogeo, Patchology, HB Face, Anne Sisteron Jewelry, Skinny Dipped Almonds, Kopari, Dr. Roebuck’s, Briogeo, Patchology, HB Face, Anne Sisteron Jewelry, Skinny Dipped Almonds, Kopari, Briogeo, Patchology, HB Face, Anne Sisteron Jewelry, Skinny Dipped Almonds, Kopari, Patchology, HB Face, Anne Sisteron Jewelry, Skinny Dipped Almonds, Kopari, HB Face, Anne Sisteron Jewelry, Skinny Dipped Almonds, Kopari, Anne Sisteron Jewelry, Skinny Dipped Almonds, Kopari, Skinny Dipped Almonds, Kopari, Kopari, Babe, Lanolips, Artifact Uprising, Charlotte Tilbury, Glacce, COOLA, and Lanolips, Artifact Uprising, Charlotte Tilbury, Glacce, COOLA, and Mignonne Gavigan.
But wait! There’s more. Rally attendees were also in showered in gorgeous gifts from: Colour Pop, OLLY, OLLY, DHC, MakeupDrop, Nature Lab. Tokyo, Go-To, HASK, Sweat Cosmetics, MyTagalongs, Vive Sana, Sweetspot Labs, Dagne Dover, Caudalie, Sustain Natural, MakeupDrop, Nature Lab. Tokyo, Go-To, HASK, Sweat Cosmetics, MyTagalongs, Vive Sana, Sweetspot Labs, Dagne Dover, Caudalie, Sustain Natural, The Book Club Eyewear, and Joanna Vargas.
Then (huge news), on Day Two, we announced the winners of our Uber Pitch competition
In order to help close the gender gap and #RethinkTheRatio, we partnered with Uber and created Uber Pitch to give $200,000 in prize money to three rising-start entrepreneurs. We received more than 2,500 applicants, selected five finalists and gave them a chance to give their final pitch in-person to a panel of judges at the Girlboss Rally on Saturday. The judges were comprised of Jen Rubio, co-founder and chief brand officer of Away, Ali Webb, author and founder of Drybar, Kathryn Finney, founder and managing director of digitalundivided, Ita Ekpoudom, partner at GingerBread Capital and Erika Decker Wykes-Sneyd, global head brand relevance planning and integration for Uber.
On Sunday, we announced our top three winners: Ashley Lamb-Sinclair, founder and CEO, Curio Learning, who got $95K, Bilyana Freye, co-founder and CEO of Hoppin, who received $65K, and Jamela Acheampong, founder of Kahmune, who got $55K. Each of the winners also received $5K in Uber credits for meals and rides. Epic.
We brushed up on our financial know-how
That whole idea that you’re bad with money? Being good with money is all about having the right information. That’s why we partnered with BlackRock, a global investment company, on a special workshop focused on helping us learn how to budget, save and make progress on those financial goals.
And of course, all of the amazing, inspiring words of wisdom from our panelists
Honestly, so, so much! Where do we start? You can browse some of our favorite quotes over here. We’ve designed them so you can easily screen grab them and share our panelists’ advice on social media. Need more inspiring words of wisdom though? Keep reading!
“The guys have more money, the guys have more power. Not investing as much as the guys do, it will cost you a million dollars. If you’re not taking care of Future You, she’s going to be pissed.” — Sallie Krawcheck
“Our newsrooms, production companies, fashion houses, should look like the world around us. By having diversity, the company benefits too.” — Amani Al-Khatahtbeh
“If you’re a girlboss, be slow to hire and be fast to fire.” — Elaine Welteroth
“I want to enjoy my life, ’cause this is it guys. What’s the point of saying “Yes, I achieved a lot in my life,” if you were miserable or your children didn’t talk to you, or you don’t have any close friends?” — Arianna Huffington
“Great storytelling requires emotion. It is the absence of calm.” — Bozoma Saint John
“I was waiting for someone to hand me a road map to my career, and no road map existed.” — Piera Gelardi
“We have to speak up. We have to raise our hand. We have to hold our companies accountable to diversity.“ — Lauren Welsey Wilson
“This is an exhausting time. This is a pivotal moment in history. This moment requires all of us to not get tired.” — Symone D. Sanders
If you didn’t make it this year, we hope you can join us the next time around. We promise it’ll be bigger and better.
