Emma Grede Quotes

“At that point I'd done a few really successful talent-based equity partnerships, where the talent took equity in the brand. When I saw how well they went, I was like, 'I'm going to do one of these for myself!”

“The idea for Good American came about because I thought there was a shift happening in popular culture.”

“When I was coming up through the ranks everybody was stick thin, and that was what most women aspired to. But it's so different now.”

“I thought fashion was missing this. It wasn't about plus-size or regular size, instead I thought there should be brands that are made for everybody. So that's how Good American started.”

“Here's the thing: Work-life balance is your problem, that's yours to figure out.”

“Because the way we run organizations now is that no one misses dentist appointments or a doctor's appointment or a haircut or their kid's parent-teacher conference ... that's just not how we work anymore, right?”

“You come in, you have set hours, but there's flexibility within your working life. It's not like 'Oh my goodness, such and such is not at their desk.' That's just not how we work anymore.”

“I cannot tell you how many times fear has tried to stop me. But here's what I've learned: fear only has the power you give it.”

“The moment you shift the narrative from 'what if I fail?' to 'what if I thrive?' everything changes.”

“You have to get out of your head. You have to change the narrative.”

“I was getting a lot of experience in business, in branding, in scaling mission-driven platforms, and I really wanted to take that and expand it.”

“I made sure—and make sure on a daily basis—that my world and my life are not run by my feelings, but rather run by the goals and the vision that I have for myself.”

“I decided denim because I really wanted to take a pain product, something that I know women struggle with. What do you really struggle with? Denim and swimwear.”

“I don't think Skims and Good American at the scale we are today can be considered celebrity brands. A lot of celebrity brands fail. Our focus is on providing best-in-class product. It's brand above all else. It's product over everything else.”

“It isn't small at the top. It's minuscule.”

“The difference between me and someone else is that I made the phone call, I took the meeting, and I made it happen. I have no imposter syndrome and no delusions of who gets to run a business. I just thought, if not me, then who?”

“If you are leading an extraordinary life, to think that extraordinary effort wouldn't be coupled to that somehow is crazy. Tell me who she is, and I'll show you a liar.”

“I was a really poor kid growing up, and I've made it my business to find financial freedom.”

“I made sure — and make sure on a daily basis — that my world and my life are not run by my feelings, but rather run by the goals and the vision that I have for myself. I don't think you can be a people pleaser and a leader.”

“My naivety was a superpower. The fact that I knew nothing was brilliant. Because if I'd known what I didn't know, I would never have done it because I would have been too scared — but I just went for it.”