If The Real Housewives taught us anything, it is that we love train wreck tv. Especially when it comes to entitled women battling it out in their households for neighborhood status. So it is not surprising that we find the same enjoyment watching businesses and their owners, and CEOS fail too. In comes TV shows such as We Crashed, the Woodstock love story gone wrong in a We Work spiral. And Super Pumped, the rise of ride share service Uber and the fall of its CEO Travis Kalanick.
But if you were thinking that creator Shonda Rhimes produced Inventing Anna, the journalistic perspective on Anna Delvey (played by Ozarks Julia Garner,) the Instagram-legendary heiress who conned New York elites and frauded investors was going to give you the same train wreck feels than you may wind up shocked to discover how much empathy you have for her. While Anna Delvey did some illegal things and crossed lines, my takeaways from her story are very sympathetic. Here are some thoughts I had after watching the show. (While avoiding most spoilers).
1.) FYRE with a Y? Is a dumb name. And a dumb idea.
2.) If she were a man, then she could have Ted Talked her way to VC money. Collateral not required.
3.) A business plan is not enough. It takes perseverance and several rounds of investments to make an idea truly happen.
4.) Everyone who claimed she hurt them capitalized on her doing exactly that. Writing books, articles and even her legal team became more famous because of her.
5.) Anna’s story is proof that exploitation makes money.
6.) If Anna had any financial backing…. oh the things she could have done!
7.) Anna was the poster child for chasing the American Dream.
8.) Generosity is not always reciprocal.
9.) Anna pushed the notion -You CAN fake it til you make it.
10.) Anna honestly had the brains and prowess to become a badass entrepreneur. However, she skipped the necessary steps to get there and her gender created added scrutiny.
11.) The most important thing that women can take away from this story is how far we have come. Women are VCs and they are controlling the female narrative now more than ever. Go getters like Anna do not have to hide behind their fathers imaginary trust in order to get ahead.
12.) Being well intentioned is not enough. Integrity in all aspects of life matters. While Anna lied, she also kept her pride in believing in her idea and that she was smart enough. She was absolutely smart enough.
Final Thoughts
Anna eventually watched the Netflix show about her. While she did earn money for the Netflix series she was initially hesitant to watch it. Through the looking glass, this Alice in Wonderland was able to see just how she was perceived and portrayed. She humbly revealed that she did not realize how abrasive she came across. She paid her dues in jail and has a new perspective. Saying as much. After her jail time she revealed that now that she has been through the criminal justice system, her past problems seem ridiculous in comparison. I can only imagine that Anna is pleasantly surprised by how many fans she has.
Check out the show on Netflix– you will not be able to un binge this one.
Image by Netflix