Heather Sanders embarked on her path to empowerment with a 26-hour drive in her Ford Fusion. In 2012, at age 19, she took a leap of faith, leaving her Dallas hometown for Los Angeles.
It wasn't about empowerment initially.
"I just wanted to be with my cool boyfriend," she says of rapper King Trell, now her fiancé. "But God knew why I was coming here."
Now 29, Sanders enjoyed touring with Trell, but soon felt compelled to build something of her own. She launched an online store featuring fashion from various designers. Trell provided $500 seed money to buy items at a local swap meet and sell them online.
Enter Brittney Turner, a former Etsy seller of original designs. "We met on social media," Sanders recalls. "Brittney shared her custom denim passion, then moved in with me and became my partner."
In 2012, they founded Sorella—Italian for "sister"—blending their styles into "comfy, flashy, sexy tomboy girl cool, but we can rock a dress or sweats with heels."
With her 1 million Instagram followers, Sanders made social media Sorella's marketing powerhouse. "I was an influencer before influencers existed," she says. "I posted a daily photo for a month, styling Sorella pieces to build the brand."
They quickly grew their online shop into a million-dollar business, complete with an international reputation and a bustling brick-and-mortar boutique on iconic Melrose Avenue.
The strategy paid off immensely. Early on, Sorella operated from a warehouse to handle shipping beyond Sanders' home. Successful pop-up events there paved the way for a permanent store, leading to their prime Melrose location. High-profile fans like Kylie Jenner and Khloé Kardashian boosted their profile.
Transforming her 19-year-old faith journey into a thriving enterprise, Sanders now mentors young women to follow suit.
#GirlsTour
With no fashion industry experience, Sanders and Turner bootstrapped Sorella through sheer determination. Eager to inspire others, they launched #GirlsTour, championing "strong, working, independent women of all ages, colors, and sizes." It empowers women to embrace confidence, vision, style, and excitement.
It began as a T-shirt slogan. Then, "an artist offered to paint our wall, and we chose 'GirlsTour,'" Sanders says. The massive white-on-pink mural drew global selfie-takers to their store.
"I'm still learning and growing. Though successful by most standards, I have much more to achieve."
That mural sparked more. This summer, Sanders selected 10 ambitious girls in their late teens and early 20s as #GirlsTour ambassadors for a mentorship blending business skills and community service. The aim: "Connect girls across cities, spark ideas, and style them up," she explains. "We'll teach entrepreneurship, tools like Shopify and ShipStation, design basics, and connect them to makers."
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Post a two-day Los Angeles workshop, these "Ambassadors of Fashion and Philanthropy" launch hometown businesses and partner with local charities for events like September back-to-school giveaways, Thanksgiving turkey drives, and holiday toy distributions.
While guiding these girls, Sanders stays focused on her goals. "I aim to build one of the world's top women's fashion brands," she says. "I'm still learning and growing. Success means ongoing work."
Consistency drives her. She advises aspiring entrepreneurs: "Define your goal. Want to influence? Post daily on Instagram. Starting a business? Act daily—research, meet, whatever. Just keep moving.
"Work hard. Every day."
