It’s not every day that a 20-year-old (now 22) enters the world of entrepreneurs and starts a clothing brand off the back of her success as an influencer. But nothing about Sophia Begg‘s (AKA Sopha Dopha) rise to becoming one of Australia’s biggest influencers and a successful young businesswomen has been ordinary.
Sophia started posting on TikTok to save herself from the boredom back in 2020 after being diagnosed with glandular fever. Unable to achieve an ATAR and achieve her dreams of going to university and becoming a doctor, she posted videos to the social media platform while she was ordered on bed rest.
It was a simple photo of a blue Glassons corset that sent the internet into an absolute tizzy — and shot Sophia to stardom. Her fans literally crashed the Glassons website trying to get their hands on the restock.
Since moving on from the viral blue corset, Sophia has worked with an endless stream of brands including Dolce & Gabbana, YSL Beauty and Dior Beauty, to name a few. She’s also founded her own clothing brand, All For Mimi, which sells comfortable everyday basics, activewear and sleepwear. The business launched in 2023, and it’s racked up a cult-following — and not just due to her influencer status.
Winning the TikTok Business of the Year Award in 2025, her relatively new brand has become a multi-million dollar business thanks to a killer social strategy and listening to her customers’ needs and feedback.
Running a business is already difficult enough on its own, but things must get pretty murky when you have your own personal brand (and brand deals) to maintain. I sat down with Sophia for Insider Trading to chat all things influencing, All For Mimi, and how to pivot when life doesn’t work out the way you envisioned it to.
All For Mimi recently won the TikTok Business of the Year Award at the 2025 TikTok Awards — congratulations, that’s incredible. What do you think led to AFM receiving that award?
I think just being so chronically online. I spoke on a panel at the AO and they asked ‘what’s your biggest tip to brands?’ because the audience was all brands and I was just saying: be online, be with the trends and just spam post on TikTok and stuff. There’s no shame in getting on there and doing a TikTok dance and just kind of being vulnerable if that’s what’s trending and that’s what’s working.
I think just having that relationship with our followers. We didn’t even really promote the voting that much compared to, you know, other categories and other brands; we didn’t want to really shove it down people’s throats. So, we were quite surprised to win just because we didn’t really go too ham on pushing the votes. But I think the reason why we got the votes is because people feel like we’re best friends because we’re so replying to every comment, posting two TikToks a day and never miss a beat.
You guys have such an engaged audience and fan base, not just because of you already being an influencer and having an existing following, but I feel like since Bailey joined and you both became the face of the brand, it’s kind of skyrocketed.
What is your guys’ social strategy? Because I feel like it’s quite different to a lot of other brands.
Bailey White (AFM’s social media assistant) joining was obviously such a crucial part and I feel like it was really important to have the face of the socials that wasn’t me, just because I feel like that’s what really differentiated AFM [from my personal brand]. I think for a while it was kind of one entity, whereas now like I see it as so different, which is weird because it’s my whole identity, but I really wanted to separate that.
So, it’s really nice to have that distinction, but you know, TikTok and Instagram are so different, which is so crazy. Our social strategies across both are so different. With Instagram, we try and keep it more elevated and more refined, whereas with TikTok, we’re a bit more crazy. We’re also stepping into YouTube, which is really exciting with our new series Couch Confessions. So, we’re just trying to, you know, spread out AFM wherever we can really.
You took home Forbes 30 under 30 in December, which is also amazing — you only just turned 22 in December. What have you done to help you reach this point at such a young age?
I feel like I’m like 40. It was so cool that I slipped it in before I turned 22. I don’t really sit and think about my achievements. When I reach a goal, even something as big as Forbes, I immediately move on to what’s next instead of congratulating myself.
Vogue felt like such a pinch-me moment because it was for AFM, not just Sopha Dopha, which was a real proud-mum moment. AFM being in Vogue was huge for us. We’ve got the articles up on the wall here and it still feels surreal.
I think it comes down to doing so many exciting things with brands and staying relevant and on top of trends — going on incredible international trips like New York with Maybelline and Thailand with Sephora, and consistently showing up online and staying at the forefront.
With being both a content creator and business founder, I doubt that two days in your role look the same. But what does a ‘normal’ workday look like for you, if that even exists?
There’s no two days that are the same, which is why I started the Offline with Sopha documentary on my YouTube to show just how different and chaotic each day can be.
A more chill day would be waking up, making a coffee, hanging out with my cats, getting ready and heading into the office. Then I might come home and create content, film for brands, jump on my laptop to smash out emails, make dinner, play games with my boyfriend, spend some quality time together, watch The Office, and then go to bed. That’s probably an ideal downtime day for me.
But the next day I could be flying to Texas on 12 hours’ notice. It really varies.
My favourite part of what I do is how spontaneous it is. For some people that would be their worst nightmare, but I love it. When people ask what’s next, what my next international trip is, I genuinely don’t know. I could be in Mexico next week. I love how last-minute everything is, and I love the travel.
Growing up, I hadn’t even been on a plane until I started this job. My first flight was when I was 18 to Hamilton Island with my mum. Travel wasn’t something I thought would ever be part of my life. I wanted to be a doctor and imagined going straight from school to uni to practising, without much time for anything else. So the fact that travel is now part of my job is crazy, and probably my favourite part of it.
I know you’ve briefly spoken about wanting to be a doctor before influencing; was that your dream job? And how did you end up in your current role? Because being a doctor and influencer are two very different things.
When I was five, I realised I wanted to be a pediatric oncologist. Apparently, I saw an ad for Ronald McDonald House and said, ‘That’s so sad. They’ll never be able to drink wine or drive a car.’ I don’t know why those were in the same sentence, but that’s what I said.
From then on, I started donating all my Christmas and birthday money. We would deliver milk to the [Ronald McDonald] house in Westmead weekly because that was our closest one. Later, I ran holiday groups and made tie-dye shirts with the kids. I built a strong connection with them, and I’m still in touch with some of the families now, which is crazy.
Being a doctor was always the plan. Older people would often laugh in my face when I’d say it, never taking it seriously. I remember going to the doctor with my mom when I was seven, and he asked, ‘What do you want to be, little girl? A princess?’ I told him I wanted to be a pediatric oncologist. He thought I’d just made up the word.
Everyone knew I was going to be a doctor; there was no thought of anything else. I got into a selective high school, and we even moved so I could attend. Then, in Year 12, I got really sick with glandular fever and was on bed rest for six to nine months.
I couldn’t finish my exams because glandular fever doesn’t qualify you to get an HSC based on previous marks. They don’t really count it as a sickness, which I think is crazy. I fought with the board and the school for ages, but they wouldn’t give me an estimated HSC.
I just had to give up on that dream, and it was so hard. I didn’t throw out my textbooks for a year because I couldn’t let them go. I was crushed and felt lost. That was the year I started posting on TikTok; it all just blew up and fell into my lap.
It’s such an incredible opportunity to come out of a shitty situation. What’s your advice for people who want to work in your industry?
Stay true to yourself. Stay authentic. I know everyone says it, but don’t try to be someone else just because you think, ‘Oh, this person’s blowing up, I should copy what they do.’ No one wants to watch someone pretend to be someone else.
I always say just be yourself. It is so refreshing because when you meet people, you’re not putting on a persona or trying to keep up a facade. I’m just me — and to my mum’s disgust, sometimes maybe I’m too raw on the internet. But that would be my biggest advice: stay true to yourself and be who you are, because that’s what people want to see.
And if you weren’t doing your current job, what would you be doing? Do you think you’d be a doctor?
I’d like to think so.
I feel really dumb now out of school. I feel like when you’re in school you don’t realise how on top of everything you are. Now if you give gave me a math equation, I would probably cry.
I would like to think somehow I would have made it work, even without a HSC. I know you can do bridging courses, so I like to think with my mum’s amazing support, she would have pushed me to get there.
Do you have a work uniform?
Tank and jeans, that’s literally all I’m in — I’m in it today. I’ve dressed it up a little bit with the matching denim jacket, but usually it’s just tank and jeans.
Who do you admire in your industry?
In terms of business, Rachel Dillon is amazing — she’s such an inspiration to me. I also feel like Shani Grimmond is just killing it.
When it comes to influencing, Alix Earle has such an amazing strategy and mindset. She takes everything so head-on, and I feel like we’re quite similar in that way. And my mum, obviously, with AFM; she’s my biggest inspiration.
And my last question for you: what is the most unhinged thing that you have seen at work that we can legally publish?
I’m trying to think of one specific example, but honestly, it’s our lunchtime chats. We have this rule at AFM; we tell everyone when we hire them that we always eat as a family. There’s no eating alone at your desk. We all pick a time — like, ‘Hey everyone, we’re eating at 12pm. Order or make your food now.’ We all sit together and never let anyone sit alone.
On Fridays, we have an actual family lunch where mum and I shout lunch for the team. If there’s a new staff member or if it’s someone’s birthday, they get to pick, otherwise, we decide together.
Honestly, the chats get so rogue. Everyone is sharing stories and spilling the tea from their local area or filling everyone in on the gossip. Phones are down, we’re all just chatting, and it gets quite unhinged.
Brought to you by our mates at Adelaide University. Study on your terms with 100% online degrees.
Image credit: @sophadophaa_ / TikTok / Instagram
The post Insider Trading: Sopha Dopha On All For Mimi, TikTok & Pivoting When Career Dreams Are Crushed appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
