Aspiring Women Who Inspire: Amy Will

This week’s rendition of Aspiring Women Who Inspire, features Amy Will, founder of Girl Gang the Label, podcast host, and serial entrepreneur on a mission to inspire women to reach their highest potential. Will launched her first business at just 24 years old, and has since established four successful and buzzworthy brands. With a Bachelor’s degree from California Lutheran University in marketing and communications, Amy’s expertise lies in SEO strategy, intentional content creation, digital community building, and strategic business partnerships.

Without further adieu, please welcome Amy!

Introduce yourself.

Hi! I’m Amy Will – Founder of Girl Gang the Label and Host of Girl Gang the Podcast.

How did you get into your industry? Was this always where you saw yourself?

I always saw myself in a creative position, something that kept me excited and stimulated on a daily basis. In college – I saw myself in a design or marketing position and over time this evolved into a Founder role. I started my first business 7 years ago with my husband and we have since launched 5 direct-to-consumer brands. Girl Gang was born out of a need I saw for transparent storytelling from my peers and females I looked up to. My goal is to show women you can reach your highest potential through collaboration and honest conversations, I want to lead by example through what we are doing with this brand.

From your experience, what are the three key factors or strategies for starting and establishing a brand?

Have a clear WHY. Why does this need to be created? Why are YOU the person that needs to make this happen? Go through life experiences and find the points where this has been your calling. If you can’t find anything, you need to dig deeper.
Read, watch, listen. Consume as much storytelling, tips, and tools as you can that have to do with what you are about to embark on. I wouldn’t get caught up researching just one person or brand because you are more likely to be influenced by them. I think consuming a wide range of stories and perspectives will help guide you while being able to stay clear on what you want to do.
Put together a timeline. Ideas can stay ideas for far too long. Set a realistic timeline for all tasks. I wrote everything down from “decide name”, “purchase domain”, “get first sale”, “launch collection”, “outsource this role”, etc.

What’s an accomplishment you consider to be the most significant in your career so far?

The first email I received from a podcast listener saying they quit their job to pursue their dream career.

What’s a failure that turned into a blessing?

So many. I look at “failure” as forced redirection.

Morning routine?

I usually wake up between 6:30-7:00 and have my “me” time for the first hour. I make a decaf espresso, journal, and get my energy aligned. Then I like to hit a workout class or go for a morning walk. I review in my planner everything set up for the day and make any final additions or adjustments before I get started. I’m at my computer by 9:30 and try to work for 3-4 hours before we go into meetings, podcast recordings, or whatever the day has in store for us. I think a morning routine is critical in this line of work. It is my anchor and sets the tone for how I am going to handle the day.

Who’s an aspiring woman who inspires you?

Emily Weiss, Founder and CEO of Glossier. She is a pioneer in the D2C space, building community, content marketing, and disrupting an industry. People now even describe their brands as the Glossier of ____ (fill in the industry).

What’s one piece of career advice you’d give a young person looking to follow in your footsteps?

What you don’t do determines what you can do. Get to a place where you welcome in opportunity by moving away from what is keeping you from your goals. Anything that depletes your energy, move away from that as quickly as you can.

When you’re not killin’ it in your career, what can we find you doing?

Hanging out in my apartment with my husband, friends, and dogs. I enjoy cooking, reading, and discovering new local businesses in our neighborhood in my free time.