Judy Liu begins with an unexpected insight: her thinking today is deeply influenced by Buddhist philosophy and introspection, which help her navigate leadership, ego, and the different roles she plays across life. From that foundation, she shares how she built her career at the intersection of technology, luxury, and China, spotting early shifts during the rise of mobile internet and platforms like WeChat.

She walks through founding CuriosityChina, adapting its business model to market realities, and scaling it to serve 100+ global luxury brands before its acquisition by Farfetch. At Farfetch, she grew the Asia Pacific business to over $1B by focusing on deep localization, strong customer insight, and disciplined unit economics, especially controlling cost of sale. Throughout the conversation, Judy emphasizes boldness, curiosity, and continuous self-reflection as the foundations of building enduring businesses and meaningful lives.

Here are the Top 10 Takeaways from the conversation:

Build your advantage by working at the intersection of multiple disciplines rather than staying in one lane.
Pay close attention to early shifts in technology and consumer behavior, and act on them before they become obvious.
Stay flexible and be willing to change your business model when reality doesn’t match your original plan.
Deeply understand both your product and your customer to create a meaningful competitive edge.
In fast-changing environments, speed and adaptability matter more than perfect planning.
When making big decisions, prioritize long-term alignment and values over short-term gains.
In negotiations, having a strong alternative gives you clarity, confidence, and leverage.
Always ground your strategy in clear unit economics and simple business fundamentals.
To win in new markets, adapt your product to local needs rather than copying what worked elsewhere.
Sustainable growth comes from balancing expansion with disciplined cost control.

The Hidden Math Behind $1B Growth: Unit Economics That Matter - Judy Liu