← The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club
INTERVIEW: Emma Grede On Building Her Empire, Uplifting Female Entrepreneurs, New Podcast + More
00:35:40
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- [00:00]
Unknown
You're listening to an iHeart podcast.
- [00:05]
DJ Envy
KFC Chicken and Waffles Fresh juicy chicken and rich waffles with syrup. It's the kind of sweet and savory order that will make people stop whatever they're doing and stare in envy. So as you dig into your mouth watering original recipe chicken and warm waffles or dip them in your syrup, try not to eat near people crossing the street, driving cars, handling heavy objects or operating heavy machinery. You know, for their safety. KFC Chicken and Waffles is the order people are gonna envy. KFC is finger licking good.
- [00:35]
Unknown
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DJ Envy
Wake that ass up early in the morning.
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Charlamagne tha God
The Breakfast Club.
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DJ Envy
Morning everybody. It's DJ Envy Jess Hilarious Charlamagne the Guy we are the Breakfast Club. We got a special guest in the building.
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Charlamagne tha God
Yes indeed we have.
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DJ Envy
Emma Greedy.
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Charlamagne tha God
Welcome.
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Emma Greedy
Thank you. I'm so happy to be here. Good morning all of you.
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Charlamagne tha God
How are you?
- [02:27]
Emma Greedy
I'm really good actually. Very good today.
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DJ Envy
Now you are the CEO and co founder of the denim company, Good American, founding partner of skims, co founder of Safely. And you have a new podcast coming out, Aspire with Emma Greedy.
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Emma Greedy
I do. I do indeed.
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DJ Envy
So now tell us how this all came about. Everything from the beginning.
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Emma Greedy
Congratulations. What are you doing there? Thank you. Thank you very much. Well, honestly, I'm so excited about the podcast. That's my newest, latest venture. And you know, I, I've spent my entire career building businesses. And so the idea around the podcast was really me thinking about how I can scale mentorship. Because wherever I go all over this country, if I'm doing a talk or if I'm walking down the street, people are constantly asking me questions like, how do I start a business? How do I get a pay rise? How do I become the best version of myself? How do I negotiate better? And you know, I can answer a lot of DMs, but there's only so much you can do. And so I, I'm really taking all of my knowledge, everything I've done, all of my network, and trying to bring it to people in a digestible way. And I think that when you think about podcasting, it's a very, very, you know, broad medium, but there's a very narrow business viewpoint, Very, very narrow viewpoint. And especially when you get to business podcasting, it's all men. And so I'm bringing like a perspective of myself, of somebody who is self made, someone who's a self starter and has, you know, come from where I come from with very little education. And I want to bring something to people that is tangible and that they can essentially take out. I want you to have something that's actionable when you leave this podcast that you can take that back into where you work or back into your small business and do something with it.
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Unknown
Speaking of, where are you from? Where do you come from?
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Emma Greedy
Where do I come from? I come from East London in England, which is a bit like, you know, I always think about it as, you know, similar to Brooklyn or something like that. It's the most impoverished part of London, but I would say probably the best part of London.
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Charlamagne tha God
You said it like you from Brooklyn, from East London.
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Emma Greedy
Yeah, East London. Okay.
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Charlamagne tha God
But all right, you, you have a net worth of $320 million, something like that. And you're from East London.
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Emma Greedy
I think that was last year's figures. But yeah, we'll go talk that to talk that to name babes. We're growing out here.
- [04:34]
Charlamagne tha God
But you did come from an impoverished area.
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Emma Greedy
I do.
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Charlamagne tha God
And you said you're self made.
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Emma Greedy
Yes, indeed.
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Charlamagne tha God
So how did you get to that point? What was the first thing that got you in the mix to get on that road to having the network?
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Emma Greedy
I mean, I've had a job since I was 12 years old. I delivered the papers, I worked in a deli, I worked in clothes shops. I did all the things. But, you know, my interest was really in fashion. That's where my passion was. But I didn't know anyone who, you know, had a business when I was old. I didn't even know the. The term entrepreneur. If you were an entrepreneur in where I come from, you were probably doing something very wrong. So that wasn't really a. An idea that I had growing up. Excuse me, going to clear my throat, but so for me, I started out, like many people, I did a lot of work experience. I tried to get into the fashion business. I assisted everybody. I worked in a lot of stores, and eventually I found myself in a fashion show production company. And so that was me creating the shows, like building the shows, the catwalks, the backdrops. And it was a very unfulfilling job. But you met everybody. So I did that for about four years. And then I fell into this kind of weird space of sponsorships because no designers ever have money to do their shows. And so they needed brand partnerships. And I just happened to be like a hustler. You know, I understand how to put people together and make things happen. So I started doing these brand partnerships, became the Girl in London. If you, you know, if you were running a show or you had a party to do, you come to me for the sponsorship, I would find you the sponsorship. And after a while, I started my own company doing that when I was 24 years old. And it kind of grew from there. I did one company, I did another. I sold a couple companies. Fast forward to when I'm about 32, I managed to exit that business. So I spent, you know, nearly 10 years building that first company, had my first serious, meaningful exit, meaning that I made some money for myself and so I was financially secure.
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Charlamagne tha God
What company was it?
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Emma Greedy
That was called ITB and so. And it was amazing. It was like an entertainment marketing agency. So I worked with all the great brands and I would put talent in their campaigns, and I built a big company. We had offices in London, in Paris, in New York, in L. A. I shut down in L. A because I made a lot of mistakes, but it gave me the foundational knowledge to really get to where I am now. And then, of course, you know, I decided after all that time and, you know, creating a lot of value for other people and other brands, that I would do something for myself. And that's when I started Good American. Yeah.
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Charlamagne tha God
And Good American Skims is under that. And what else?
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Emma Greedy
No, it's not. They're totally, totally separate companies. Separate companies, separate entities, separate shareholdings, Separate.
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Charlamagne tha God
That's the thing. And I was reading this, and I saw that you have, like, you know, you have a certain percentage in scams, you have a certain percentage in Good America, you have a certain percentage in safely. And the reason I thought that was so dope is because we live in this era where people feel like you have to have 100% of something to be an owner, to be a boss. But the reality is 100% of nothing is nothing. Nothing, nothing.
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Emma Greedy
And listen, here's the thing. I've done a very, very good job because I divest my shareholdings. You don't want to hold a lot of money of a company. I've taken money off the table. I'm not looking to be rich when I'm 75 years old. I want the money now. And so I think that when you get valuations, like a $4 billion valuation, them money off the table, that's the sensible thing to do, to divest your interests. And that's what I've done all along. And so I'm. I'm very happy with the shareholdings I have right now because I have cash in the bank, and that's what counts.
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DJ Envy
How did the skims company start? You know, people would know skims because it's so huge. It's only. It's sponsored by the NBA. So how did that company.
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Emma Greedy
We sponsor the NBA? Even the other way around. Even better.
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DJ Envy
So how did that company come about?
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Emma Greedy
So, honestly, I think it came about from the relationship that I have with the family. And, you know, your idea. No, it wasn't my idea. It was Kim's idea. She wanted to create a shapewear company or an underwear company. And, you know, I had a business with. With the family, and so we decided to do it together. And the rest, they say, is history. It was, you know, the right thing at the right time. And, you know, I think with any company, the stars. The stars have to align. We launched that company in a magical, magical time, and it hit the kind of zeitgeist. It was the right company for the culture, like, at the moment.
- [08:33]
Unknown
And.
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Emma Greedy
And so I think it was just a series of amazing things that happened and put it on the map, and here we are.
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Unknown
That's Amazing, because even Good American is Chloe's. Chloe's company. Right?
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Emma Greedy
It's a partnership between me and Chloe.
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Unknown
Yes. Work well with the family. She said, check, check, check. I love that. And there's so many of them, so, so many checks. I love that.
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Charlamagne tha God
You ever look at Skims and Good American blowing up and think to yourself, damn, you know, we. We really made the Kardashians culturally relevant again?
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Emma Greedy
No, I never think. I never think about it like that. No, They've, you know, they're being culturally. Culturally relevant. I think that what I do is what I do, which is I'm a very, very good product person. I understand how to bring product to market. And my background, you know, 10 years of working forging celebrity partnerships makes me really good at understanding how talent are used to accelerate a brand. And so what I bring is an intrinsic knowledge of that space. Right. And it's not so easy, because otherwise, every famous person we know would have a big brand that does hundreds of millions of dollars, and they don't. So there's more to it. Right? You really have to be somebody that understands product, that understands the customer, that understands how to run a business, and that's. That's what I bring to those partnerships.
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Charlamagne tha God
And skims has redefined shapewear. Like, what was the biggest risk you took early on that paid off?
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Emma Greedy
You know, I think that Kim had a very clear idea of what she wanted to do and a. A very differentiated idea. And I think that that's what it's all about in business anytime, right? You're. You have to have something that is unique and a unique point of difference to whatever's out there. And when I think about anything that we've done, whether we're talking about size inclusivity or whether we're talking about the range from, like, a. A kind of, you know, nude color range. Like, we're always trying to do something that doesn't exist in the market. And. And I think when you're solving problems, when you're creating solutions for people, that's when, you know, you get that kind of breakthrough. That's when you get something that customers really go, oh, like, I need that. I have that problem, and you guys are solving for it.
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DJ Envy
When do you realize when it's time to sell a company? When do you say, okay, this is when we have to exit?
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Emma Greedy
You know, I think that is different for every company. And I've been in agency businesses, and I've been in brand businesses. I think that what is often true is, like, your first off Your first offer is often your best offer. And you shouldn't always think that there's something amazing coming around the corner. You have to sell things when they're on the up because it peaks, right. And then, then you've only got the downside to sell. And so when you've got that momentum, when you've got the forward swing, when you're in growth mode, as they say, that's when you need to think about selling or at least taking some money off the table.
- [11:06]
Charlamagne tha God
Do people in fashion really care about diversity or is it just good PR until like the next, the next.
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Emma Greedy
I mean, you could ask yourself, does anyone really care about diversity? Right. I don't think it's just about fashion. I think there's definitely a certain amount of, you know, performative action out there, right. For marketing purposes. And actually Good American, and the reason I started that company was a reaction to that because I worked in the fashion business and I saw all these companies doing perform, you know, like hiring one black girl in the campaign and yet no one in the entire company was black. And I saw people like performatively putting a plus size person in a campaign when they didn't even make the clothes for that person. The girls that clothes would be cut up the back because she couldn't even fit in the jeans. And so when we started Good American, the idea about it was to say, okay, let's make a company that actually has these values where the office and the people that run the business and the people that make the decisions and the people in the C suite are actually a reflection of the customer base. And I think that's what made Good American so successful that it was actually walking the walk and not just talking the talk. If you were a size 20 and you needed a pair of jeans, you have a tiny waist and a big butt, like you came to Good American and you could feel the difference in that product. And people knew we were for real. Real.
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Charlamagne tha God
It's like how you said that. A tiny waist and a big bottle.
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Emma Greedy
That's what we were working with.
- [12:26]
Charlamagne tha God
Something you.
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DJ Envy
Okay, I was going to say now you're also on Shark Tank.
- [12:30]
Emma Greedy
I am on many episodes.
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DJ Envy
What do you look for when somebody is on Shark Tank and they're pitching something to you?
- [12:36]
Emma Greedy
You know, for me, it's always about the founder. It's always I. You know, even when I think about hiring and investing, I'm like, attitude over experience, because that's my experience. Well, I'm not someone who comes from a place where you'd be Like, I'm going to bet on her. And so I really want that person that is so passionate about their idea, so crazy about it. They know everything about the competition. They know everything about what they're doing, and they are deep and they are into it. So I'm going for someone who, like, feels it intrinsically.
- [13:04]
DJ Envy
I was gonna ask, so what was your most successful investment on Shark Tank?
- [13:07]
Emma Greedy
Do you know, it was this incredible. It's so funny that you asked that, because when I got onto that show, you know, you do a few investments. And I remember saying to Mark one day, well, I ever make any money out of any of this stuff? And he said, you know what, Emma? There'll be one, and one of them will make you a bunch of money. And for me, that was Cake's body. These incredible two women that make, like, a silicone nipple cover. And, of course, the minute I saw them, I was like, I know that business. I understand this space. Like, I know I need that in my. In my kit, in my wardrobe. And they were doing just under a million dollars when I met them. And A year later, $120 million.
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Charlamagne tha God
Jesus.
- [13:41]
Emma Greedy
Wow. Killed. Killed.
- [13:42]
DJ Envy
Congratulations.
- [13:42]
Emma Greedy
And just, you know, just a couple of, like, regular girls that left their jobs and decided, I'm going to do something for myself.
- [13:50]
Charlamagne tha God
You have such a very confident demeanor. What got you to that place? Or did you always have that level of security?
- [13:57]
Emma Greedy
You know, I was raised by a single mom. I'm one of four girls. And I think that my mom did an amazing job of instilling that confidence in us. You know, she taught me, like, Emma, you're not better than anyone else, but nor is anyone better than you. And I really grew up believing that. I really felt like if I work hard enough, anything is possible. And in East London, I was surrounded by people that were really hustlers, but they were trying their hardest. They were doing whatever they could to make a buck. And that's just in my spirit. Spirit. You know, for me, I'm a try. I'm going to keep doing. I'm going to keep learning. And so much of what this podcast is about, you know, I think of myself as a lifelong learner. I'm always in learning mode, right? It's like, the more you learn, the more you earn. And I really, really feel like if you can help people broaden their horizons, if you can bring new ideas to people, there's nothing more valuable than that. And so I feel like in my life, that's just who I am.
- [14:50]
Charlamagne tha God
I got four girls. Where do you fall.
- [14:52]
Emma Greedy
I'm number one.
- [14:53]
Charlamagne tha God
Oh, you know, I'm the oldest.
- [14:55]
Emma Greedy
Number one, as I like to say. My sisters will be like, she ain't number. But, yeah, I'm the eldest of four girls.
- [15:02]
Charlamagne tha God
Did your sisters work with you or.
- [15:04]
Emma Greedy
No, thank God they don't work with me. Do you know what? I'm not about that, miss. I already work with my husband. That's enough. That's enough. No, my sisters, two of them live in England. One lives in Los Angeles. We're very, very close. Talk every day on the sister chat.
- [15:18]
DJ Envy
But you don't want to work with them.
- [15:19]
Emma Greedy
No, I don't want to work with them. I don't want to work with them.
- [15:22]
Charlamagne tha God
How often? Because you're in these billion dollar rooms. Right, As a woman. Woman of color, right?
- [15:27]
Emma Greedy
Yes. My dad's black, mom's white. I'm mixed race.
- [15:29]
Charlamagne tha God
Got you. How often do you still feel underestimated?
- [15:33]
Emma Greedy
Every day. I mean, because I am underestimated every day. Right.
- [15:36]
Charlamagne tha God
Even after all the success?
- [15:37]
Emma Greedy
Well, I mean, listen, now it's a little bit different now. I can walk into any room and people will bet on me and people would want to invest in me. But. But I do think that you still, you know, I still think you're proving. I'm proving myself every day. I never take anything for granted. Right. You're only as good as the last thing you did. And I'm constantly pushing myself into spaces. It's like I might be sitting here with, you know, a bunch of great companies behind me, but I don't know. I'm not a good podcaster. You know, I'm just getting started. And so I don't take anything for granted. And that's why I always think that, you know, you've got to be humble. You've got to go into something with the spirit of, you know, trying your hardest and trying to be good. And I never let that. That leave me. I don't walk into anything, expecting anything. I think you got to work for it every day.
- [16:20]
DJ Envy
Is that why you want to do the podcast? Because you want to help people? Because you got so many different jobs and you have girls, you have kids, you have a husband, you have a lot of ish going on.
- [16:27]
Emma Greedy
A lot of ish going on. No, you know, it really is, because I think a certain point, right, you get to a place where you are financially comfortable. And also, I proved to myself all the things I wanted to prove to myself. And now I think that the sign, you know, of success for me is how many people can come along like that are like me, that can come along and you can open the door for and that could actually have this sense of changing their life and building the life of their dreams because of something that I did. And I know that, you know, people are looking to me and I feel like it's honestly a responsibility. And I don't want that to sound, you know, trite or like something that feels disingenuous is I feel very, very responsible for all the women that get in touch with me all the time. Because there is so much, there are so many barriers and there's so much out there that tells you that it's an impossibility, that there's not room for people, that your opinion doesn't matter. And I really think that leaning into my differences, really knowing and understanding where I come from and what is different and important about that, that's what's actually given me like space in these rooms. That's why people look to me and say, what, what is your opinion about this? Because of where I've come from. And so I actually think it's a superpower.
- [17:45]
DJ Envy
What would you tell somebody that is an entrepreneur, maybe a woman, and trying to get into this space has an idea, but it just hasn't taken off as of yet. They can't get on Shark Tank and they just want some type of advice to say, how would you do it? How would you approach it? What would you tell that person?
- [17:59]
Emma Greedy
Well, listen, the first thing is to start because what you'll find is a lot of people talk about a lot of stuff and they haven't actually done it. And there's this idea that there's some perfect time, perfect set of circumstances. It's never perfect. And also this idea, we're in this culture right now where everyone thinks they have to raise a load of money. Like don't, don't raise any money. Just do something. Get out of the gate. We live in a world where social media and Shopify has enabled us to start things very cheaply and you can start small. Not everything needs to be a billion dollar business. Maybe you're trying to transform your circumstances and leave your corporate job and actually a little bit of money, a little bit of revenue will be transformative for you. So I would say don't benchmark and measure yourself by some standard that actually isn't part of your existence. It's like, do something, get out of the gate, start it. And then you test and you learn into it. Because nothing works immediately. If I think about the business that I started with good American. Three SKUs of skinny denim and what it is today. The two things don't even look the same. They don't look the same. We changed the size, we changed everything. The only thing you can't change in business is you're the reason that you started. Right? It's like the very essence of what you do. And your purpose has to remain the same. You iterate everything else transform on the way up. And so I think that that's a really important thing. It's like you just have to get out of the gate and start.
- [19:20]
Charlamagne tha God
I, I agree with you. You know, I think comparison is the thief of joy, though.
- [19:24]
Emma Greedy
Yes, it is.
- [19:25]
Charlamagne tha God
So people will start something, but then they'll be looking at you, but they don't realize all the time you've already put in all the experience you got that got you to this point. And. But they feel like if they're not doing what and was doing right now, they're not successful totally.
- [19:38]
Emma Greedy
And I think that that is just. Again, it's so much about the culture that we sit in right now. It gives you this idea that, you know, there's such a thing as overnight success. And I don't know any overnight success.
- [19:48]
Unknown
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- [20:33]
Emma Greedy
But don't wait.
- [20:34]
Unknown
They won't be around forever. So grab one for everybody, pop the top and keep the good vibes flowing. Next time you're making memories, don't miss your chance to share a Coke with all your favorite people.
- [20:47]
DJ Envy
KFC chicken and waffles. Fresh, juicy chicken and rich waffles with syrup. It's the kind of sweet and savory order that will make people stop whatever they're doing and stare in envy. So as you dig into your mouth watering original recipe chicken and warm waffles or dip them in your syrup, try not to eat near people crossing the street, driving cars, handling heavy objects or Operating heavy machinery, you know, for their safety. KFC chicken and waffles is the order people are gonna envy. KFC is finger licking good.
- [21:17]
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- [21:48]
Emily Tish Sussman
Have you ever wished for a change but weren't sure how to make it? Maybe you felt stuck in a job or a place or a relationship. Join me, Emily Tish Sussman over on she Pivots, where I explore the inspiring pivots of women. Dig deeper into the personal reasons behind them and leave you with the inspiration you need to make your next pivot. In honor of Mother's Day, we have some very special guests. I'm Elaine Welteroth.
- [22:15]
Emma Greedy
And I'm Caitlin Murray.
- [22:17]
Emily Tish Sussman
Both women pivoted out of their careers after having their kids, proving that motherhood is just another chapter in our journey, not the end.
- [22:25]
Unknown
Like, it's kind of like, will you have more babies?
- [22:27]
Emma Greedy
Yes.
- [22:28]
Unknown
Will I always be me?
- [22:29]
Emma Greedy
Yeah.
- [22:30]
Emily Tish Sussman
And will I continue growing?
- [22:31]
Emma Greedy
Yes. Because I was really in the trenches and I knew my worth and my.
- [22:37]
Unknown
Value as a mom.
- [22:38]
Emily Tish Sussman
Come on over to hear their full stories. You can listen to she pivots on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [22:48]
Emma Greedy
This is, you know, again, I have been working so since I was 12, and all of those experiences, you know, are so formative, and they're so in me, and it's like every single thing, you get leverage, right? And when I talk about leverage, I don't just mean taking something that you've been given. It's like, what do you have? Well, I have my reputation, right? And that reputation for delivering great business when I was in the agency business allowed me to go and raise money. I didn't know what private equity was. I would never have known how to go and raise funds. I went to a client that I'd consistently delivered good business for in my agency, and. And I said, hey, do you want to invest $3 million in my business? And he was like, no, girl, I'll give you I'LL give you less than that, but I'll invest in you. And so. Sorry, I've been doing a lot of talking this week. I'm, like, very hoarse. But, you know, I think that that is the thing. You know, you've got to be creative, and you got to work with what you've got. And I think so often we focus on what we don't have and where our lack is. And actually there is just that. That is not worth your energy. You've got to figure out, like, where are you? What do you have? And how do you leverage from that.
- [23:51]
Unknown
Point so that you work with your husband? How is that? Because when it's so personal, that's your husband. That's.
- [23:58]
Emma Greedy
That's my husband.
- [23:59]
Unknown
Sleep with us. Who you wake up with. What? Like, how is that. How are you guys able to separate?
- [24:04]
Emma Greedy
Well, we're not. Let's. Let me be honest with that. There's very little separation. The truth is that my husband was actually, like, one of my first investors. So I worked in a company where I set up a joint venture with them, and eventually, years later and down the line, I ended up marrying one of those guys.
- [24:22]
Charlamagne tha God
Great job, security, best ROI he ever had in his goddamn life.
- [24:26]
Emma Greedy
We ain't gonna lie. I have returned that investment to the point. But I think that what's important about that is that we had a professional relationship before we ever had our personal relationship. And my husband's Swedish. And in Swedish culture, it's a very matriarchal culture. They really have so much respect for women, but they also really meet women halfway, like, even to the point. Like in Sweden, when you take maternity leave, it's given to the couple. So if the woman wants to, you know, you get a year, and if the woman wants to take six months and the. And the husband takes six months, that's how you do it. But it's very usual in society that that happens. But what that means is that I've got someone who meets me, you know, he respects my ambition, and he respects the fact that we have four kids. We have four kids that together. And we do that together. So there's no expectation that I'm going to take some leading role. And nor do I, quite honestly.
- [25:17]
Charlamagne tha God
You. Oh, I just forgot what I was going to ask. Oh, no. Where did you learn financial literacy?
- [25:22]
Emma Greedy
You know, that's a really good question. I think when you come from scarcity, you have a really good appreciation for money, because we didn't have any. And so I knew the price of everything, right? Because it's like, I knew what we didn't have. And my mom would budget. Like, she'd sit at the table, and she'd be like, this is what we have for groceries. This is what we've got to keep the lights on. So I knew what money was. And I used to see her back in those days, you know, you'd write checks, and so I'd see her do the checkbook, and I'd be on the calculator. And so money was just, like, a thing that I understood at a very young age. And also, it was cash then, right? So you'd, like, count the cash. And that gave me a relationship with it. I'm dyslexic. And so I had a very hard time when I started my business, understanding how the money would link together, like, between the margins and the profit and the ebitda, I would be. To me, it was like scrambled eggs. And then again, when I got into E. Com, everything is acronyms. You know, you're talking about AOV and the UPT and the lov. And I would be like, I don't get this. But I think the thing for me is that I'm naturally curious. And so I would just ask a lot of questions. And I learned by just asking, like. Just like, I'm never scared to be the dumbest person in the room. I'm like, what does that mean? How does that work? How does that go together? And so I just learned on the fly. And I think that being naturally cautious about money meant that even when I got investors, I spent their money like it was my own, meaning that I'm frugal, like, I am tight. I'm just holding all the money all the time. And I never am, like, flashy with the cash. Even now when I am a bit flashy with the cash is I know the cost of everything. No one can buy anything in my house and me not be like, what was that? You know, because there's a special price for everything in Bel Air. My toilet breaks. They're like, oh, hi. Is the. You know, it's the Bel Air price. And I'm like, no, this is what we're paying. You know, so I'm, like, very aware of everything.
- [27:06]
Charlamagne tha God
How much power do you have in these partnerships?
- [27:09]
Emma Greedy
Well, you know, I don't really think about it in terms of power. We're partners, and we do different things. And so I have, you know, at Good American, I'm the CEO, and so I make all the decisions as the CEO would in any company in skims. It's very, very different. And Kim plays a very, very hands on role. My role is across everything product related. So design, merchandising, production, planning, that's the part of the company I run. And I see my role as really like making Kim's vision come true. She's like, this is really what I want to see. I want to make a nipple bra. I'm not, I'm going to make the best nipple bra with the best margin and we're going to make hundreds of thousands of them. So that is what I do.
- [27:44]
Charlamagne tha God
What's harder, convincing investors to back inclusive brands are convincing consumers it's not just a gimmick.
- [27:52]
Emma Greedy
You know, I never think about it as, I never think about inclusivity as what the brand is about. Right. Because I think about, at the end of the day, what you're selling to customers is like the overarching dream of what a brand is. And there's so much more to that. Inclusivity is one piece of what we do. Providing a great product at a great price and getting it to consumers really quickly, like that's what the brand is. And then there's all of these different parts that are additive to it. So I think that whenever you're pitching something, first of all you've got to know your audience, but you got to understand what the true mechanics are of, of anything and what the important parts of anything are. And inclusivity is one of many, many things that we do. So I never think about it as something that is like, like that is the main selling point because nobody's like, at the end of the day, no one's buying inclusivity. If you're a size 16, you're here for the size 16. You ain't here for the size 24 and the size 8, you know, so that's just what we do. Like giving that the right thing to do is, and the right business decision to make is to serve as many customers as you can. If I make 19 sizes, I'm going to do better the business than if I sold six. Yeah, just good business.
- [29:02]
Charlamagne tha God
My wife loves skims, you know what I mean? And I remember asking her why? And she just like, she just likes the way it fits. It fits.
- [29:07]
DJ Envy
It's comfortable.
- [29:07]
Charlamagne tha God
Simple as that.
- [29:08]
Emma Greedy
Very comfortable.
- [29:09]
Charlamagne tha God
But what would you say to the black women who feel like skims isn't made for them? Even if it looks like it is?
- [29:15]
Emma Greedy
Well, it is made for them. Who are they? What are their sizes? We have everything just yet. I'm like, no, no, it's made for everyone. We have the most unbelievable customer base. And you don't. You don't have that level of sales if it's not for certain people.
- [29:31]
DJ Envy
Question, what's your podcast? Are you going to have guests on the podcast? And who's coming on the podcast?
- [29:35]
Emma Greedy
We've got so many amazing guests on the podcast. So we launched yesterday with Gwyneth Paltrow and Melody Hobson. And Melody is my business idol. So I really wanted to make sure that we could come out of the gate with someone that I've learned from and also someone that I believe is. You know, Melody is a 1 of 1. She is not just one of the best black business women in the country. She's just one of the best business people in the country, former chair of Starbucks. I mean, she is just so incredible. And she spent her entire career at one place, 30 years in one company. And I think that there's some really amazing learnings for that. She went in as an intern, born on the south side of Chicago, you know, one of the five kids. Five kids, right. She's one of five. And she is just single mom again. The most incredible woman went into this company as an intern, and now she owns a very, very meaningful part of a $14 billion, you know, private equity business. And so I look at that and like, my mind is blown. And then again, Gwyneth, I thought so interesting because for so many women, they're starting businesses from something that they're passionate about, and also they're trying to do a pivot. And if you are, you know, working your corporate job and you want to just change completely and do something different, I thought she would be a really interesting benchmark to look at. How do you just completely rip it up and say, I'm going to start something anew? So I was really, I was really happy to have those first, first people. But I also think that women have a lot to learn from men. Right. In business. And so I'm really going to be focused on a lot of different men coming through. And so we have Michael Rubin. I've got Mark Cuban.
- [31:07]
Unknown
Nice.
- [31:08]
Emma Greedy
I have the wonderful you at some point. Charlamagne's coming on, and I'll be so happy. So I've just got, like, a bunch of really incredible guests. And it's really about people that I know I respect and those that I aspire to love that he asked you.
- [31:23]
Charlamagne tha God
If you haven't guessed. Cause you can talk. You're a good talker. You're a good talker.
- [31:28]
Emma Greedy
One who's Hoping, Yeah.
- [31:29]
Charlamagne tha God
How do you evaluate celebrity influence versus product quality when you're trying to build brand interest?
- [31:35]
Emma Greedy
How do I evaluate it? I mean, it's an interesting question actually, to me, I don't even think about. Listen, influence will only take you so far, right? You can drive a customer to product once. So I will. Could love you, Charlemagne. And you could be trying to sell me something. And because of the strength of how much I love you, I'll go and buy your product. If your product doesn't perform for me, I'm not buying it again. And the strength of a business is the strength of the lifetime value of that customer. How many times are they coming back to you over and over again? And that's how you build affinity with customers. And so after a while, the influence is useless if the product is not good. So the two only work in terms of the acceleration of the talent can only work for the product if the product is good because customers are too smart. Like, no one's going to buy things that are not good.
- [32:21]
DJ Envy
Absolutely.
- [32:22]
Charlamagne tha God
What's your approach to like global expansion? Like, it skims different in Paris than it would be in, like, you know.
- [32:29]
Emma Greedy
That'S one of the things that I learned really early in my career when I, when I had itb, which was my agency business, I was killing in London, and then I opened an office in New York and it was amazing. And I was like, I'm going to la, the home of celebrities. And I failed miserably. And when I tell you I found miserably, I opened a big office, like a gorgeous office, and I hired all these people and I had to shut it down less than a year later, about 10 months in. And I was devastated because I had an ignorance for the localization of anything. And it kind of comes back to this idea that success, you, you can't transfer success. And you know, more than anywhere, I feel like LA is one of these places. It's built on such a community, right? It's like. And you are either in that and you understand it or you don't. And I brought all of my kind of like this ignorance of success into a place where they were like, no, no, no, honey, not here. Like this. That's not going to wash. I've since been successful in la, but I really understood the landscape of the place. And so to answer your question, I think that you have to really think about localization in certain markets, that there's no such thing as Europe, right? Europe is a. Is a bunch of different territories. And what works in Germany does not work in France, which is not works in England. It's very different to if you, you know, the U.S. which is essentially one market with a little bit of localization. So you really have to think globally about if your product is going to resonate in that market and how and where and be have specificity around how you come into that market.
- [33:54]
Unknown
How long were you in LA before you did become successful? Because you, you did say, like, you thought, you know, with the ignorance of success that you was going to go to this LA Hollywood place and it pop overnight. How long were you.
- [34:07]
Emma Greedy
It took me about, honestly, like, I would say three, four years. And I was lucky because the business was successful in other places. But I shut down the office, I scaled it down, and then I essentially had to restart. And it was really like a bash on my ego, you know, because I was flying high. I was this agency girl. I had a bunch of stuff and I was like, nothing can touch me. And it was really like eating humble pie. And again, all of that is fine so long as you take the lessons, you know. And I, I'm not too proud to say I failed. And I knew it at the time. And I was like, okay, well, why? What did I do wrong? And so I just scaled it back. I changed a few of the people around. And again, that's really difficult because for me, I was often bringing, you know, people that I loved, people that were successful with me in a business. And there's nothing worse than having to fire people. But, you know, it's like, you can't be a people pleaser and a leader at the same time. You have to make. You know, I always talk about this idea of killing your darlings. You have to, like, make choices, make tough decisions, and you have to have an enterprise mentality. And so for me, it's about doing the best thing for the business. And at that point, it was about scaling it back and starting again and doing something with a lot more understanding of where I was and a respect for the place that I was in.
- [35:16]
Charlamagne tha God
I want to ask you something about skims. Again. I remember there's a couple.
- [35:19]
Emma Greedy
You love skims.
- [35:20]
Unknown
Yes.
- [35:20]
Charlamagne tha God
Remember?
- [35:20]
Emma Greedy
Where are you wearing skims? Do you wear skims?
- [35:23]
Charlamagne tha God
I love the way my wife looks in it.
- [35:24]
Emma Greedy
Okay, but are you wearing skims?
- [35:26]
Charlamagne tha God
No.
- [35:26]
Emma Greedy
You know, we have men. Oh, throw away. You're like, yes. Come on. No. Once again, we have all massage skins. We don't discriminate this guy's friend. I'll get you some products. Okay, can you get into the products Please, for this afternoon.
- [35:43]
Charlamagne tha God
I' ma hold you to that now.
- [35:44]
Emma Greedy
Absolutely. I will deliver.
- [35:46]
Charlamagne tha God
But I remember them saying Kanye was a ghost. Creative director for skims.
- [35:50]
Emma Greedy
Oh, Lord, you're not gonna. You're not gonna do that to me today, are you? I just remember seeing it when I come here with my energy and my voice and all my things. I'm here to talk about me. Don't do that to me now.
- [36:02]
Charlamagne tha God
Okay?
- [36:03]
Emma Greedy
All right. Good Lord.
- [36:05]
Charlamagne tha God
What do you.
- [36:05]
DJ Envy
Ain't getting the skims down.
- [36:06]
Charlamagne tha God
I'm just asking. By the way she handled it, the way you should handle it. When you don't want to answer a question, just don't answer it. There's nothing wrong with it.
- [36:17]
Unknown
I love it.
- [36:18]
Charlamagne tha God
What do you want your legacy to be? Business mogul? Culture shifter, investor? Or just something else entirely?
- [36:24]
Emma Greedy
You know, I'd really love my legacy to be. I would love to think about, like, here's a Girl to help 10 million women get to where they could be. Like, I would love that. You know, it's like I really think about myself, you know, it's like I'm. I'm kind of done for me, you know, it's like I've got to a place where I'm so happy and I'm so content. And of course, I'm very ambitious still for myself. That's not to say, like, I'm in retirement or anything, but I do really, like, look at my success now and think, my goodness, wouldn't it be amazing if like a million other little Emmas appeared? You know, a million other girls that like, left school when they were 15, really, without a lot of hope, became super successful because of something I said I did, I enabled. And so that's what I'm thinking about right now. And I think it's possible for me to do that.
- [37:16]
Charlamagne tha God
As these DEI initiatives are being rolled back in government and corporations, have those pressures changed how you approach DEI for your business?
- [37:22]
Emma Greedy
Absolutely not. In fact, never. And I really lean into that because I know that honestly, it's. It's the diversity in my business is a superpower. It's been a superpower for me. And, you know, you guys probably know I'm the chairwoman of the 15% pledge, and we work with brands all over this country to essentially advocate for them to take 15% of their annual spend and give that to black owned businesses. And so we've put over $14 billion of opportunity into the hands of black founders and entrepreneurs all over this country. And when I look at those, this is a business proposition. Isn't a nice to have. This isn't a fun to do. This isn't a tick on some charter somewhere. This is about having more relevance with your customer base. And I know that if you walk into Sephora now versus walking into Sephora five years ago, it's not just better for black women or women of color who can find a product. It's better for everyone because everyone can go in there and buy those products. Black businesses aren't just for black people, nor are Latino businesses, nor any businesses. So I actually think that when we talk about some of this stuff, we lose sight of what we're actually talking about. We're talking about more choice, better for customers, and that's what winning looks like. So it's like, we really shouldn't. Like, I think it's so crazy that people would try to think about these things as, like, nice to haves. It's like, do you want to make more money or not? I make more sizes and more colors. I have more customers that behave.
- [38:43]
Charlamagne tha God
Hold on, expound on that. Like, do you ever get tired of explaining why diversity isn't a marketing tired?
- [38:47]
Emma Greedy
Because I'm like, what are we talking about?
- [38:49]
DJ Envy
Numbers?
- [38:49]
Charlamagne tha God
It's about money.
- [38:50]
Emma Greedy
It's pretty simple. It's really simple stuff. It's like we're trying to be more dynamic. We're trying to be more differentiated. We're trying to bring more people through our doors. Who cares? Who cares who they are?
- [39:01]
Unknown
That's right.
- [39:01]
Emma Greedy
Right. Like, I don't. I don't understand.
- [39:04]
Charlamagne tha God
Yeah. Why limit yourself?
- [39:05]
Emma Greedy
Why limit yourself?
- [39:05]
Charlamagne tha God
Why not widen the customer base a hundred percent? Yeah. What's your I knew I made it moment?
- [39:15]
Emma Greedy
You know, I honestly think that it's so funny because I think, you know, so many people, and quite rightly so, are down on country right now. Right. We all feel the fatigue. And I think that moving to America was a game changer for me. And I think that what you have to understand is that the American dream is still alive and kicking. There is nowhere on earth that I could have done the journey that I've done now. And, you know, my husband's. He has a very, very wise father. He died and he used to say, you know, ever America is the best of everything and the worst of everything. And it's really true to me now that I live here. I really see that so clearly. But I'm living my American dream, you know, in this place. And the people and the opportunities that I've had here have been unbelievable. And so I'm really. I'M really kind of living proof of something that is still very, very special about this country. Wow.
- [40:09]
DJ Envy
There you have it.
- [40:09]
Charlamagne tha God
I enjoyed this conversation, Emma.
- [40:11]
Emma Greedy
Inspiring.
- [40:12]
Unknown
I enjoy you, Emma Greedy.
- [40:14]
DJ Envy
Now, where can they listen to the podcast?
- [40:15]
Emma Greedy
You can listen to it everywhere you get your podcast. Please go, you know, Apple, anywhere, YouTube, where we're going to be everywhere.
- [40:22]
DJ Envy
And thank you for joining us so much.
- [40:23]
Emma Greedy
Thank you so much.
- [40:24]
DJ Envy
Make sure you send him some skims. Extra small.
- [40:26]
Emma Greedy
I'll send you all some.
- [40:28]
Charlamagne tha God
Do I look like an extra small to you?
- [40:30]
DJ Envy
Yeah.
- [40:30]
Charlamagne tha God
No, I don't.
- [40:30]
Emma Greedy
I don't know about that, babe.
- [40:32]
Charlamagne tha God
I'm easily a large.
- [40:34]
DJ Envy
Definitely not.
- [40:35]
Charlamagne tha God
Probably an Excel.
- [40:35]
Emma Greedy
We'll get you an Exhale Excel, right? We'll figure that out.
- [40:40]
DJ Envy
It's Emma Greedy. It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning.
- [40:42]
Emma Greedy
Thank you, guys.
- [40:43]
DJ Envy
Wake that ass up early in the morning.
- [40:45]
Charlamagne tha God
The Breakfast Club.
- [40:51]
Unknown
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- [41:52]
Emily Tish Sussman
Hi, it's Emily Tish Sussman, host of the podcast she Pivots. In honor of Mother's Day, we have some very special guests. I'm Elaine Welteroff.
- [42:02]
Emma Greedy
And I'm Caitlin Murray.
- [42:04]
Emily Tish Sussman
Both women pivoted out of their careers after having their kids, proving that motherhood is just another chapter in our journey, not the end. Come on over to hear their full stories. You can listen to she pivots on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [42:23]
Emma Greedy
Why is a soap opera western like Yellowstone so wildly successful? The American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6, where we'll delve into stories of the west and come to understand how it.
- [42:40]
Unknown
Helps inform the ways in which we.
- [42:43]
Emma Greedy
Experience the region today.
- [42:45]
Unknown
Listen to the American west with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You're listening to an iHeart podcast.