Aspire with Emma Grede

Episode: "You Can Start That Business. Here’s How."

Host: Emma Grede
Date: November 4, 2025

Episode Overview

In this insightful solo episode, Emma Grede—self-made entrepreneur and founding partner of SKIMS and CEO of Good American—breaks down the real, practical process of starting a business. Speaking candidly about her own journey, failures, and hard-won lessons, Emma presents the “10-Step Blueprint” every first-time founder needs. Drawing on personal anecdotes and data, she demystifies the path from idea to launch, with actionable advice for overcoming fear, establishing foundations, obsessing over customers, and building something that lasts. The episode is a motivational, highly practical guide for anyone who dreams of entrepreneurship but fears the unknown or complexity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Reality of Starting a Business

(02:17–06:00)

• 40% of new businesses fail within three years, nearly half by year five.
• Perfectionism and waiting for the “perfect” start are the number one mistakes.
• Emma’s own story of launching Good American with her “second choice” shows the power of action over perfection.

“You have to get really comfortable with taking a risk and it not working out and failing… Taking a risk actually is part of starting a company. Risk is not something that you can get rid of. It's something that you need to plan for.”
— Emma Grede [04:48]

2. Reframing Risk & The Power of Execution

(06:00–11:15)

• Entrepreneurship requires redefining risk, not as something to avoid, but something to manage, learn from, and leverage.
• Recognize the hardship: starting is hard, no matter your life stage.
• Execution, not idea, is what creates success.

“An idea isn’t a business. Your execution is… Two companies can start with the same idea, but the one that executes better, faster, with more discipline, and a deeply understood connection with their customer—that’s the one that wins.”
— Emma Grede [09:05]

3. The Good American Story—Differentiation by Execution

(11:15–15:45)

• Emma realized plus size women made up 68% of the US female population but were hugely underserved in quality denim.
• Instead of focusing on being “the next” denim brand, she focused on superior fit, inclusivity, and lived experience—changing a market through execution.

“No one would have said then or now that the world needed yet another denim brand… We just did it better than everyone else.”
— Emma Grede [14:47]

4. Customer Obsession and Research

(15:45–22:59)

• Distinct buckets: Understand your market (customer) and the market opportunity (business potential).
• Build an initial ideal customer profile.
• Do hands-on, unfiltered competitor analysis—“be a crazy bitch for business.”
• Go deep—but focus on what you need to know, not everything.
• Market sizing basics: TAM (Total Addressable Market), SAM (Serviceable Available Market), SOM (Serviceable Obtainable Market).
• Conduct real customer interviews; don’t pitch, instead, ask, “What frustrates you about this problem?”

“Get close to your customer. Where do they shop? How do they live? What frustrates them?... I suggest you do [research]—but focus on the things you categorically must do.”
— Emma Grede [16:30]

5. The Business Model and Money—Be Scrappy

(22:59–24:20)

• Start lean, be scrappy, and reinvest every penny.
• “The buck stops with you.” You must learn financial basics even if it isn’t your strength.
• Calculate margin (net, not gross) and always overestimate costs.
• Avoid investors at first—retain control, prove your model, learn discipline, and bootstrapping earns respect.

“Limited funds force you to be resourceful, to be scrappy, and to stay super focused. This muscle of efficiency actually serves you for life…”
— Emma Grede [23:45]

6. Get the Structure Right

(24:20–26:20)

• Register the business, choose a structure, get a bank account, set up contracts, and protect intellectual property.
• Don’t skip “unglamorous” foundational steps; they save businesses from future disaster.

“If you're putting your sweat equity into a new business, these aren't steps you can afford to skip…”
— Emma Grede [25:12]

7. Build the Brand and Product—Brand Is More than a Logo

(26:20–28:50)

• Brand is how people feel, not the logo.
• Ethos comes before features—your “why” builds loyalty and guides every decision (reference to Simon Sinek and Steve Jobs/Apple).
• Continually experience your own brand as a customer would.
• Product must deliver on the promise; a great story can’t save a bad product.

“Your brand ethos sets the tone for the story that customers tell themselves about your brand. Without it, you’re just selling commodities.”
— Emma Grede [27:27]

8. Launch with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

(28:50–30:40)

• Start selling with a stripped-down MVP to learn, not to be perfect.
• MVP lets you test demand and get customer feedback fast, avoiding over-investment and unnecessary features.

“No one knew I launched with my second favorite fabric—and it never, ever hurt us. The purpose of an MVP isn’t to be perfect or complete, it’s to learn quickly.”
— Emma Grede [29:12]

9. Getting Your First Customers—Storytelling and Hustle

(30:40–34:29)

• Early traction comes from sharing your journey publicly and using your network, no matter the size.
• Be shameless—ask people to support you and don’t wait for things to be perfect.
• Real-world example: Kristin Juszczyk (Off Season) using a personal narrative to compel early support.

“You can DM people—be shameless. What do you have to lose? You can’t be a shy founder. You need to ask for stuff all the time.”
— Emma Grede [33:07]

10. Building Your Team and Learning to Lead

(35:50–39:00)

• As soon as possible, hire for your weaknesses.
• Prioritize attitude over experience—values are more important than skills at the start.
• Empower and trust your hires; avoid micromanagement (“I have never met a rich, successful micromanager… It doesn’t work.”).
• Culture is key; retention is a multiplier.
• Lose bad hires quickly; business can only grow as fast as you grow as a leader.

“People are your greatest leverage in any business, especially in startups or growing companies… Poor leadership or toxic culture kills it just as quickly.”
— Emma Grede [38:15]

11. The Truth About Being a Founder

(39:00–41:20)

• Entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint; cliches exist because they're true.
• Nothing meaningful comes fast; persistence, consistency, learning, and customer obsession win.
• "Forward is forward, progress is progress."
• The real job is to stay in the game—not to win instantly.

“You don’t have to win today. You just have to last long enough to matter. Don’t wait until you feel ready. You will never feel ready. Just start and refuse to stop.”
— Emma Grede [40:32]

12. Emma’s 10-Step Entrepreneur Roadmap

(41:20–End)

• Step 1: Start—Don’t overthink, just begin.
• Step 2: The Idea—Execution is what matters.
• Step 3: Research—Obsess over your customer and competition.
• Step 4: Business Model & Money—Lean, profitable, real revenue over investors.
• Step 5: Structure—Do the paperwork and foundational legal/financial steps.
• Step 6: Brand & Product—It’s all about feelings and promises kept.
• Step 7: Getting out of the Gate—Launch with an MVP, test and adjust.
• Step 8: First Customers—Pull in your network, share your story.
• Step 9: Team & Leadership—Hire for values, develop as a leader.
• Step 10: Truth—It’s a long game. Keep moving, keep learning, keep showing up.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Anticipating fear and knowing how hard it can get is your starting point.” [05:55]
• “Originality is a myth. Authenticity isn’t. It’s never been done by you, through your lens, your lived experience.” [07:37] (quoting Samantha Wills)
• “You basically need to be like a crazy bitch for business.” [17:58]
• “I really, really advocate for no investors at the start of a business. Let me tell you why…” [23:47]
• “No brand story saves a bad product.” [28:30]
• “I've never met a rich, successful micromanager… I really tried to be the first one. It doesn’t work.” [36:44]
• “Forward is forward, progress is progress. Your job actually isn’t to explode out of the gate, it’s to keep showing up…” [40:08]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:17 — Emma's messy start and the myth of perfection
• 04:48 — The necessity and reality of risk
• 09:05 — Why execution, not ideas, wins
• 14:47 — Good American case study: success by doing better, not by being new
• 16:30 — Customer research essentials
• 17:58 — “Be a crazy bitch for business” about competitor analysis
• 23:45 — Bootstrapping and the value of starting lean
• 25:12 — The boring but vital legal/business structure step
• 27:27 — Brand ethos over features
• 29:12 — MVP launch and learning quickly
• 33:07 — Storytelling, hustle, and the first customers
• 36:44 — The importance of team culture and not micromanaging
• 38:15 — The exponential impact of great teams (and the cost of bad culture)
• 40:08 — “Forward is forward”
• 40:32 — “Don’t wait until you feel ready. You will never feel ready. Just start and then refuse to stop.”
• 41:20 — Recap of the 10 Steps

Final Thoughts

Emma delivers a motivational, no-nonsense blueprint for aspiring founders, rooted in hard-earned wisdom and delivered in her candid, energetic voice. Her ten steps cover the full entrepreneurial arc, from fear and planning to execution and team-building—emphasizing proactivity, customer obsession, learning, and resilience over perfectionism or waiting for permission.

Best for: Anyone considering starting a business, from early-stage dreamers to those “stuck” in research mode. This episode is a reminder: start before you feel ready, learn as you go, and never stop betting on yourself.