The Woman That Makes Millionaires: They're Lying About Work Life Balance! I Built SKIMS Without Fashion Knowledge!

Emma Grede (0:00)

Work-life balance is your problem. It isn't the employer's responsibility. Look, I have four kids, and I had to figure out how I would think about my own ambition balanced with my parenting. That's true. And we have to have a level of honesty about what it takes to be really successful.

Steven Bartlett (0:15)

But is it possible to be number one, but still have all of my evenings and weekends?

Emma Grede (0:19)

No, no, no. If it's possible, tell me who she is and I'll show you a liar.

SPEAKER_3 (0:24)

Emma Grede has rewritten the fashion business rule book. As the co-founder of multi-billion dollar brands like Good American and Skims with the Kardashians, she's now revealing the secrets behind her unstoppable success.

Steven Bartlett (0:34)

You know this Emma here?

Emma Grede (0:35)

Where did you get these photos?

Steven Bartlett (0:37)

How old are you here?

Emma Grede (0:38)

Fifteen.

Steven Bartlett (0:39)

How do you feel about her?

Emma Grede (0:40)

I feel like this person was dying to escape her circumstances. I was raised by a single mom, one of four girls, and I had a very big hand in raising them to help my mom keep our family afloat. But I thank God every day for the type of upbringing that I had because it was hammered into me that nothing is going to come easy. That made me who I am. Gritty. Fast forward, and I'm a Herald CEO, someone who goes out and raises hundreds of millions of dollars, somebody who starts an agency in multiple countries. I have zero qualifications to do any of that. I didn't have talent as a designer, but I will just make it happen.

Steven Bartlett (1:18)

There's a lot of things I want to go into them. One of the three most important things in being successful in business. Do you think it's possible for someone to make themself gritty? How do we not give so many?

Emma Grede (1:27)

My sessuality.

Steven Bartlett (1:28)

And then, pitch Khloé? What was that journey like?

Emma Grede (1:31)

I'll tell you the truth.

Steven Bartlett (1:40)

What do I need to understand about your earliest context in order to understand the woman, the very, very unique woman, the very successful woman that is sat in front of me today? And when I asked that question, I'm looking for the characteristics that were most formative in creating the woman that is Emma.

Emma Grede (2:00)

What a great way to start. I think that that's a great question for me because so much of who I am and how I feel about who I am comes from where I'm from. And I say all the time, I'm from East London. I like to make that distinction because I feel like such a Londoner. I feel like that being from East London, coming from that place is so much a part of my character. It's so much a part of what is important to me, like that idea of being someone that is reliable, someone that is honest, not just sometimes, but all the time. And I'm one of four girls, I was raised by a single mom, and it was so much hammered into me that this is where you're from, this is not where you need to stay, the world is your oyster, you can do anything. You're just going to have to work really, really hard. And I think all around me, I saw a lot of people that were working hard, I saw a lot of people that were hustling and doing what they needed to do, just to get through the day. But I had this feeling very much inside of me that if I wanted more for myself, it was all completely within reach. And I think that really came from this like East London mentality and all the people that are around me.

Steven Bartlett (3:20)

I didn't need to do my research to realize that you are a big sister. Because you've got some serious big sister energy. Even with me, we've known each other for a little while now. So you're the oldest of four sisters.

Emma Grede (3:31)

I am indeed.

Steven Bartlett (3:32)

How did that shape you?

Emma Grede (3:34)

I think in a really big way, you know, I have a pretty interesting relationship with my mom. You know, my dad left when we were much younger. And our family dynamic is like, she's the dad, I'm the mom, and we have three kids together. And I really, you know, I think if you asked any of my sisters, they'd say Emma had this very big hand in raising us, in being pretty formative in our childhood. You know, I would get up as a kid, I'd iron three school shirts, I'd make three packed lunches. My mom would, you know, go off to work. I'd get all the kids in school and half the time, turn back around and come home to watch This Morning.