‘Shark Tank’: Why Emma Grede Considers Herself a Great Fit as a Guest Shark
Good American CEO Emma Grede made her Shark Tank debut on the season 13 premiere. When Grede was invited to join original panelists Barbara Corcoran, Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Daymond John, Robert Herjavec, and Kevin “Mr. Wonderful” O’Leary on the popular reality show, she immediately dove in for the opportunity to invest in today’s aspiring business owners.
Emma Grede heads fashion brands with the Kardashians
Grede is no stranger to high-powered deals. Partnering with Khloe and Kim Kardashian on popular brands including Good American and SKIMS, Grede also teamed up with Kris Jenner on the home care and cleaning line, Safely. The fashion mogul noted how the uber famous family doesn’t slow down despite their already mammoth success.
“I think what they’ve helped me with is — I just think the idea of never resting, no matter how successful you’ve become,” Grede told People in February. “The idea of always working as hard as anybody else in the room is so incredibly important. And that’s what I see from them every single day. And that’s what I emulate.”
Also a Board Member and Ambassador for the feminist non-profit Women for Women International, Grede can relate to aspiring business owners hoping to achieve their dreams.
“It wasn’t that long ago that I was actually out raising money for Good American,” she remarked. “The company’s only five years old.”
‘Shark Tank’ guest panelist welcomes new opportunities
Grede’s impressive resume, coupled with her business savvy, made her a shoe-in as a guest Shark. As an innovative force creating major brands, Grede feels she’s more than qualified to swim with the Sharks.
“I think I’m a good Shark because first of all, I’m relatively young and the business climate now is really unique and really different than it’s ever been before,” Grede explained. “And I’ve prioritized my career in building a diverse, inclusive route and team.”
Striving for diversity in her organizations, Grede steers clear of self-absorption in the workplace and focuses on team work.
“I think 20 years ago, entrepreneurs had much more of a kind of me-first mentality,” Grede said. “I do think the opposite way. I’m about building incredible teams and creating opportunities for people, building loyalty. That way you’ll find a lot of people that have started with me 10 or even 12 years ago are still working with me now in totally different positions, but people stick with me and I think that’s really important.”
Emma Grede seeks to ‘drive change’
With her fashion brands already a success, Grede looks for entrepreneurs who can create new categories in business and has already invested in some Shark Tank companies she finds promising.
“I think it’s really important to drive change,” the Good American CEO noted. “We’re in a really unique time in the world where a business like Good American or a business like SKIMS can ultimately drive huge change in the industry. … I think I’m in an amazing position to actually change the way things are done, and that’s what makes me most excited.”
