From thrift stores to boardrooms, Maya’s journey is nothing short of legendary.
When Maya Thompson walked out of her corporate job in 2016 with just $100 in her checking account and a dream no one believed in, she had no idea she was about to build a seven-figure empire. Now the founder and CEO of Thrift & Thrive, a lifestyle brand and online retail platform that blends sustainability with luxury, Maya’s story has become a beacon for aspiring entrepreneurs everywhere.
We sat down with Maya in her sunlit Los Angeles studio to talk about hustle, fear, failure—and the moment she almost gave it all up.
“I was broke, unemployed, and scared—but I was more afraid of staying stuck.”
Maya doesn’t sugarcoat it. “Quitting my job felt liberating for about 24 hours,” she laughs. “Then the panic set in. Rent was due, I had no backup plan, and all I had was this weird obsession with thrifted fashion.”
She started small—really small. Armed with her last $100, Maya hit her local Goodwill and began flipping vintage clothing on eBay. “I treated it like a game,” she says. “What could I find, clean up, and resell? I remember making my first $12 profit and thinking, Okay, this could work.”
From Side Hustle to Scalable Brand
Within six months, Maya was netting over $2,000 a month. “I was shipping out of my kitchen and storing inventory in my bathtub,” she says. But it wasn’t until a single Instagram reel showcasing a thrifted transformation went viral that things took off.
“That video hit 1.2 million views overnight. Orders exploded. I stayed up three days straight fulfilling them.”
From there, Thrift & Thrive was born. Today, the company boasts an eco-friendly clothing line, a resale marketplace, and a loyal community of over 700,000 social media followers. Last year, it crossed $1.3 million in revenue.
“People think I got lucky. But I was working 18-hour days behind every ‘lucky break.’”
Maya is refreshingly honest about the grind. “I lost friends. I maxed out my credit cards. I even considered going back to a 9-to-5 when a supplier ghosted me right before launch day.”
But she didn’t give up. Instead, she pivoted. “Every time I hit a wall, I’d ask, What can I learn here? Then I’d apply it—immediately.”
Her Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs? Stop Waiting.
“Everyone’s waiting for permission. Don’t,” she says. “Start with what you have. Sell one thing. Post one video. Make one move. That’s all I did.”
She also emphasizes the importance of consistency over perfection. “I didn’t have a fancy website or a business plan. I just kept showing up, every single day.”
What’s Next for Maya?
Global expansion. A mentorship platform for women entrepreneurs. And possibly a book. “I never wanted to just make money,” she says. “I want to show people that you can build something meaningful—on your own terms.”
As we wrapped up, Maya leaned back and smiled. “I turned $100 into a million. Imagine what someone else could do with just a little belief.”
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