FLOWER
POWER
Courtesy
Photo Credit: Paige Taylor for Pink Lily
W
hen 31-year-old
entrepreneur Tori Gerbig star-
ting selling designs on eBay,
she never pictured becoming
CEO and Co-founder of her own company. The
Pink Lily Boutique, an online shop that began as a
side-hustle for Gerbig, quickly turned into a full-
fledged business earning over $50 million in four
short years. Although the eBay shop launched in
2011, Gerbig dedicated more of her time while on
maternity leave in 2013. The Pink Lily Boutique
website officially opened for business in 2014 and
generated so much success that both Tori and her
Co-founder and husband Chris decided to focus
on expanding the brand as full-time careers. We
chatted with Tori Gerbig about their success.
Although the eBay shop launched in 2011,
Gerbig dedicated more of her time while on
maternity leave in 2013. The Pink Lily Boutique
website officially opened for business in 2014 and
generated so much success that both Tori and her
husband decided to focus on expanding the brand
as full-time careers. We chatted with Tori
Gerbig about her success. BY NICOLETTE
MURO
42
Cliché: How did you break into the fashion
industry?
Tori Gerbig: I’ve always loved fashion on a
personal level, but prior to Pink Lily I did not have
any experience working in the fashion industry.
Entrepreneurship was how I broke into the
industry! Pink Lily first began as a side hobby of
mine, selling some of my favorite designs locally
and growing an audience through Facebook and
eventually an eBay shop. When I was on mater-
nity leave two years later, I decided to put more
focus into this side hustle and in January 2014, my
husband and co-founder Chris and I launched Pink
Lily’s first official website. The reaction to Pink
Always keep your focus
on achieving your goal
and when you reach it,
keep reaching for the
next milestone!