"Emma Grede disease" is TikTok's new shorthand for our collective obsession with founder culture - the private jets, the polished business profile, the highlight reel version of building something from nothing. This week, Soph and Emma unpack where the term came from and whether it holds up, using Grede's Start With Yourself as the springboard for a wider conversation about what success in business actually requires: the trade-offs, the years of unseen graft, and why the aesthetic of success is so often mistaken for the substance of it. They cover the rise of the creator economy and Time's 100 Creators list, why personal brand has become a career asset in itself, the case for staying employed longer in your 20s to build skills before going out alone, and why women get punished for failing publicly in a way men rarely are.
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Credits:
Hosts: Sophie Hallwright & Vic Harris
Guest: Emma-Louise Boynton
Producer: Emily Rigby
Editor: Kate Callaghan
Social & Digital Manager: Lucy Munro
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Chapters
00:00:00 Coming Up In This Episode…
00:00:39 The Curve x Generate
00:00:57 Birthdays, Watches & Being In the Green (Quick Catch Up)
00:03:34 What We're Unpacking Today
00:05:33 What Is "Emma Grede Disease"? (The TikTok Term Explained)
00:16:51 Inside Time's 100 Creators List: Who's Actually Making Money
00:29:22 Take Our Listener Survey!
00:30:18 Do You Need a Personal Brand to Build a Successful Business?
00:38:23 The Curve x Generate
00:39:00 Your 20s vs 30s: Employed, Freelance or Founder?
00:47:00 The Last Taboo: Why We Can't Talk About Failure
00:56:44 Thank You For Listening
00:57:22 Financial Disclaimer
Disclaimer: Raising The Curve has been prepared solely for informational and educational purposes. Any information provided and serviced described in this website are intended to be of general nature and provide general information only. The opinions expressed by The Curve do not constitute investment advice.
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