She made $2M in 2 days by building a celebrity cult favorite brand (ft. Danielle Guizio)

May 22, 2025

Danielle Guizio, a fashion founder and designer of the celebrity-loved Guizio brand, shares her inspiring journey of building a viral empire with a mere $400. She talks about the ups and downs of starting a brand with no connections and how she recovered from surgery while managing massive orders. Danielle reveals her $2M Black Friday strategy, the art of negotiating at a young age, and her unique hiring criteria. Plus, she emphasizes the power of social media and personal determination in turning side hustles into global successes.

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ANECDOTE

Starting Guzio With $400

Danielle Guizio started her fashion brand with a $400 tax refund and a tape measure, without design experience or connections.
She managed orders by walking them to the post office due to not having a car, showing her commitment through tough conditions.

ANECDOTE

Turning Dupes Into $2M Success

Guzio faced rampant duplication of their popular payette skirt, especially after Taylor Swift's arena tour popularized the style.
Danielle launched "Micro Mini Day" at Black Friday, pricing competitively to reclaim market share and made nearly $2 million in 48 hours.

ADVICE

Master the Art of Negotiation

Negotiate assertively with factories and providers to lower costs and gain better margins.
Knowing your value and being confident is key to getting better deals for your business.

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What if your first investment was a $400 tax refund and a tape measure? In this episode of The Burnouts, fashion founder Danielle Guizio sits down with Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni to talk about turning side hustles into global brands, learning leadership the hard way, and why your iPhone might be your most powerful marketing tool.

Danielle opens up about recovering from surgery, walking garbage bags of orders to USPS, and getting duped on TikTok. She shares the strategy behind her $2M Black Friday breakthrough, why she still fits every sample herself, and how she built a viral fashion empire with no design experience, no car, and no connections—just a deep belief that she could figure it out.

Also: negotiating in Chinatown at 13, selling out with zero ads, and what she really looks for in a résumé (hint: it’s not your school).

Chapters
1:10 – $400, no car, and a dream

5:45 – Getting duped and going viral anyway

10:12 – Negotiation school and hiring red flags

13:48 – Why she still works the retail floor

16:00 – Instagram as your magazine

21:35 – How she got Kylie Jenner and Dua Lipa in her clothes

24:18 – What she actually looks for in a hire

28:55 – Advice for every girl with a side hustle

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About The Burnouts
As former Stanford roommates turned startup founders, Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni are building more than a business—they’re building a bold new conversation. The Burnouts dives into the chaos of creation, covering everything from VC pitches and product meltdowns to friendship, finance, and fear. With top guests like Danielle Guizio, Kris Jenner, and Whitney Wolfe Herd, this is your behind-the-scenes playbook for building on your own terms.