“You Eat What You Kill”: Emma Grede’s No-Nonsense Path to Entrepreneurial Success

How the Good American co-founder built an empire by chasing fear, rejecting imposter syndrome, and talking money—loudly.

In a conversation with Forbes Women, Emma Grede—co-founder and CEO of Good American, founding partner of SKIMS, chairwoman of the 15% Pledge, and one of America’s richest self-made women—shared her raw, unfiltered playbook for entrepreneurial growth. But beneath the accolades and partnerships with the Kardashians lies a deeply human, fear-chasing, mistake-making entrepreneur who simply decided to bet on herself.

“You’re only as good as the last thing you did,” Grede said. “And today, I’m starting from the bottom again—with a podcast.”

Her candor is electric. Her strategy? Rooted in resilience, leverage, and relentless curiosity. Here are the most powerful insights from her journey that early-stage founders can use today.

1. Don’t Wait for the Right Time—It’s Never Coming

Grede didn’t grow up around entrepreneurs. She wasn’t groomed for leadership. She had a paper route at 12 and a corporate job by her early 20s—until she realized her paycheck didn’t match her value.

“I wasn’t being paid what I thought I deserved. So I left,” she said. “I didn’t even have a plan—I just thought I could do it better myself.”

That leap led to a first venture filled with what she calls “every mistake in the book.” She hired the wrong people, expanded too quickly, and got crushed by missteps in new markets. And yet, she calls it the best thing that ever happened to her.

Because what she lacked in preparation, she made up for in execution.

2. Chase Fear. It’s Where Growth Lives.

Grede credits her biggest leaps—not just to confidence, but to discomfort.

“When I’ve played outside my lane, that’s when I’ve had the most lift in my career,” she said.

From cold-calling brands in her early 20s to launching a podcast in her 40s with no hosting experience, Grede sees fear not as a stop sign but a signal.

And now, she’s scaling mentorship by putting herself behind the mic. Her new podcast, The Run-Through, features guests like Gwyneth Paltrow and Melody Hobson and digs into what actually drives entrepreneurial success.

3. Mistakes = Momentum. Learn Fast, Then Leverage.

Whether it was expanding to LA too soon or selling her first company too late, Grede sees every misstep as a seed for future success.

She describes her career as “a series of points of leverage.”

• Sales cold calls gave her thick skin—perfect training for VC rejections.
• Agency experience gave her brand-building instincts—critical for product-first companies like Good American.
• Past client relationships became capital sources when she needed funding.

“You do well in one thing, and you can carry that into the next,” she said. “Reputation, relationships—those are your biggest assets.”

4. Talk About Money. Obsess Over Profit.

Grede doesn’t romanticize startup culture. She calls out one of the biggest flaws in early-stage thinking—especially among women founders: not talking about money enough.

“There’s more bad advice out there than good,” she said. “And one of the worst things is not focusing on profit.”

She challenges founders to ask uncomfortable questions:

• What are you getting paid?
• Who negotiated your deal?
• How much did they get?

The silence around money, she argues, keeps people—especially women—from building wealth.

5. Competitors Aren’t Your Enemies. They’re Your Mentors.

When Good American hit a wall operationally, Grede picked up the phone and called someone in her industry—someone many would label a competitor.

“She was like, ‘Been there, done that, here’s what I’d avoid,’” Grede said. “It helped me more than you could ever know.”

The lesson: competition is often imagined. The real game is learning fast and staying true to your mission.

6. Build While Climbing—Not Just When You’ve “Made It”

One of Grede’s sharpest insights? Don’t wait for perfection—or the pinnacle.

“Sell when there’s forward momentum,” she said. “Don’t wait until you’ve peaked—because the only way to go from there is down.”

Grede has mastered the art of exiting on the upswing. It’s a mindset every wantrepreneur needs to adopt: momentum is more valuable than mastery.

7. Scarcity May Shape You—But It Doesn’t Define You

Despite her immense success, Grede says the feeling of scarcity never fully leaves. But instead of letting it create fear, she lets it drive discipline.

“I know I’ve been successful. But I don’t take anything for granted,” she said. “That feeling of having very little is still with me.”

Her career is proof that self-made doesn’t mean solo-made—and that success isn’t the endgame, it’s a platform for starting again.

Final Word: Just Take the Step

When asked what she hopes listeners will gain from her podcast, Grede said it plainly:

“Not just notes in your phone. I want you to do something.”

That’s the Grede gospel: chase fear, talk money, take the leap—again and again.