Showpo founder Jane Lu has opened up about her early fears about being the face of the fashion retailer as an Asian immigrant.
Lu, who moved from Beijing to Australia when she was seven years old, reflected on her initial self-doubts during a recent episode of her podcast, The Lazy CEO Podcast, saying she launched Showpo at a time when the fashion industry was bound by one look.
“As a founder, I was scared of being the face of the brand,” Lu said on the podcast’s new five-part miniseries, How To Build Your Personal Brand in 2026.
“I grew up in the 2000s where the faces of brands were beautiful, blue-eyed blondes paralleling the lives of a Victoria’s Secret model,” she added.
While she had concerns that “being an Asian immigrant might put off customers” and admitted that “maybe it did”, Lu said being the face of Showpo was ultimately worth it.
“It’s opened up the doors to building a brand and community way faster than any staged product pic could.
“I definitely know how hard it is to be like, ‘Oh my god. I’m going to put myself out there. What are people going to think? What if my customers hate me?’” she said.
Lu went on to stress the importance of remaining authentic for any entrepreneurs struggling to put themselves out there.
“Trust me, your customers will love the authenticity and they will love that you’re showing up and it builds trust,” Lu said.
Elsewhere in the podcast, Lu spoke about personal branding as the “biggest differentiator”, saying it is the “most important thing” for securing success in business.
“Your personal brand now, these days, is not a ‘nice to have’, it’s your biggest differentiator. It is the biggest moat you can build around yourself,” Lu said.
Lu left her job in accounting to launch Showpo in 2010. It began as a startup out of her Sydney garage and has since grown to a global fashion retailer.
Episodes of her Lazy CEO Podcast miniseries have dropped throughout this week. You can listen to them here.
Lead images: Instagram
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