Emma Grede on Building SKIMS, Good American, & a Billion-Dollar Business

Emma Grede sits down with Rich Kleiman for the latest Boardroom Cover Story to talk about the ambition, resilience, and relentless work ethic that shaped her path from growing up in London to becoming one of the most influential entrepreneurs in fashion. Grede opens up about growing up around financial stress, starting a paper route as a child, and learning early that money represented freedom. She shares how her mother shaped her mindset, why Oprah became her ultimate role model, and how she turned every opportunity into the next step in her career.

She also breaks down the thinking behind Good American, her role as Chief Product Officer at SKIMS, what makes celebrity-backed businesses succeed, why great marketing can't save a bad product, and how the changing media landscape is forcing brands to rethink celebrity and influence.

Grede and Kleiman also discuss leadership, empathy, knowing when to change your team, balancing entrepreneurship with motherhood, dealing with criticism and social media, and why reputation can be one of your most valuable assets.

From her early days in entertainment marketing to building some of fashion's biggest brands, Grede explains why she's still "just getting going."