the bossbabe podcast - 98. How I Made History In The Fashion Industry + Broke Industry Standards With Good American CEO Emma Grede

Episode Date: June 1, 2020

We’re joined by Emma Grede, CEO and Co-Founder of Good American, a denim company founded with Khloe Kardashian. Emma is the definition of an unapologetically ambitious woman who has worked her way up to the top and didn’t take no for an answer until reaching her goals.  Tune in as we discuss how she met Khloe Kardashian, the real behind-the-scenes of creating such a meaningful brand, and building a multi-million dollar fashion business. Good American is committed to using women of all shapes and sizes in their campaigns, which is uncommon in the fashion industry, but specifically with denim brands. This brand has been able to break industry standards AND industry records. In fact, their launch day sales even broke denim history. Get ready to be inspired to take action after hearing Emma’s amazing journey!  Join Online Launch School, a 12-week program designed to take the guesswork out of sold-out launches, whether you’re looking to start an online business or scale one. https://bossbabe.com/ols Get two free months of Skillshare premium membership and receive access to unlimited to over 1000+ classes: www.skillshare.com/bossbabe 

Women are grossly misserved by the fashion industry because we're leaving out everybody that's above a size 16 and actually our brand should look way more like we do and we should all be honest with our customers and if you were doing something like that in your business you'd probably tell your business partner you'd probably tell your friend and why can't you tell your customers? Welcome to the Boss Babe podcast, a place where we share with you the real behind the scenes of building successful businesses, achieving peak performance and learning how to balance it all. I'm Natalie Ellis, CEO of Boss Babe and your host for this week's episode. So today I'm chatting with Emma Greed, CEO and co-founder of Good American. Chances are you've probably seen them all over Instagram and you probably

own a few pairs of their jeans because they are that comfortable. Good American is a denim company founded by Emma Greed and Khloe Kardashian. They are really well known for using women of all shapes and sizes in their campaigns, which we really don't see much of in the fashion industry, but specifically with jeans. So this brand has been able to break industry standards and industry records. In fact, on their launch day, their sales even broke denim history, which is incredible. So today, Emma's going to fill us in on how she met Chloe, how she was able to create such a meaningful brand and build a multi-million dollar fashion business from scratch. Emma is someone who's worked her way up to the top and didn't take no for an answer until she reached her goals and I find her story

so incredibly inspirational. In fact I just couldn't stop asking questions and I know you're going to feel the exact same way and love this. But before we dive into today's episode I do have some exciting news. We have actually partnered up with Good American to celebrate Boss Babes all over the world. I don't want to reveal too much right away, but there will be a lot more to come this year from the two brands together. And I'm really thrilled to be able to work with such an honest and meaningful brand. So make sure you keep an eye out for that. And with that, let's dive straight into today's episode. And as always, take a screenshot, share your biggest takeaways and Insta stories, tag me at IamNatalie and at bosswave.inc and if i

can just persuade you to leave us a review i would appreciate that so much and if you leave your instagram handle on there we actually pick accounts every now and then and give you shout outs on our instagram to over 2.3 million people so if you've got a brand leave your handle on there we would really really appreciate the review it helps us so so. And we really want to be able to get this podcast out to even more women. So with that, let's just dive in. Okay, guys, I want to take a second to interrupt this episode because I have something really exciting to share with you. Now, it's no secret that here at Boss Babe, we launch something pretty much every single month, whether that's a new product, a relaunch of an existing product, or a reopening of our monthly membership. So we have kind of worked out a really easy

rinse and repeat framework to help us crush our revenues every single launch without the constant anxiety, without the burnout, and without that overwhelm. Because trust me, we've been there and it isn't pretty. So I'll fill you in on a little secret. Our latest launch of our monthly membership the society was one of our biggest launches yet and the easiest and for this exact reason the team and I decided to create online launch school because we knew we had a lot this foolproof formula to make launches easy and profitable and we want to share it with you all So let me tell you about OLS. OLS is a 12-week program designed to take the guesswork out of sold-out launches, whether you're looking

to start an online business or scale one. So online launch school is for you if you don't even know what a launch is, you don't have a proven roadmap or strategy to follow when it comes to launching your program services or products. Your launches are kind of working but they aren't making you enough sales. You feel anxious and overwhelmed during launches and you're sick of sleepless nights drinking coffee like it's water and being attached to your tech 24-7 or you want to learn the specific strategies to having profitable six-figure scalable and repeatable launches. So are any of these resonating with you? If so, doors are now officially open to join us in OLS because we are lifting the lid on the exact steps we have taken behind the scenes here at Boss Babe. So if you are ready for the biggest cash injection your

business has ever seen, head over to bossbabe.com forward slash OLS to get in before doors close. A boss babe is unapologetically ambitious and paves the way for herself and other women to rise, keep going and fighting on. She is on a mission to be her best self in all areas. It's just believing in yourself. Confidently stepping outside her comfort zone to create her own vision of success. So welcome to the podcast Emma. Thank you my dear, I'm so happy to be talking to you today. I'm so excited and like I was just saying before we started, I want to start at the beginning of your career because you have achieved so much and it's so inspirational and I feel like if we just dive in at Good American we'll be missing

so much of it. You miss all the juice. Yeah exactly so can you talk to me about where your career started when you were just out of college? Yeah absolutely I mean I think it's so interesting you know I've been thinking about this a lot during this whole stay at home period and I actually haven't stopped working since I was about 13 which is so interesting because I feel like before you even get to college, there's so much that is predetermined about your personality and the way that you're going to work and the way that you're going to interact with people. And so for me, I think it's really interesting what happened, certainly after college. But leading up to that, I've just always, always had a job and I love working. And I'm really starting to understand that about myself. Now that we are in this quarantine period and you're not going to the office every day, I feel like, you know, a part of me is missing.

It's so interesting because I haven't done anything else since I was 12 or 13 years old. But to take you back to like, I guess where the career part started, I actually went to the London College of Fashion where I studied business. And I dropped out for a number of reasons. One, because I really needed to make money at that point in my life. I was 17 and I'd left home and I was struggling, you know, just working on the weekends. And then the other thing was I really didn't think I was getting the most out of that whole college experience. And I'd had a really successful work placement. And so I decided, well, this is the way to go. I need to get into work. And my first real job, so outside of retail,

was actually working at an event production company. And so I was part of the team that would do fashion show production. And I love anything to do with fashion. That had been my absolute love and passion since being a kid. And so for me, being able to work at London Fashion Week and be close to the designers and PR and everything that went around producing a fashion show was so exciting. And then I found myself in this really kind of precarious and sort of narrow role, which was actually doing sponsorships. So finding money and collaborative partnerships for designers so that they could essentially have the cash that was needed to put their shows on. So it was extremely niche and something that I'm thinking back, you always wonder, you know, how you find yourselves in certain jobs. But I just had what is known now as, you know, like gift of the gap. And I was good at speaking to brands and conveying my what was real passion and real kind of dedication to wanting to

work with these designers. And so I found myself in a pretty small company. And I in my kind of view, looking back on it now, you know, I was a big fish in a small pond. I was still very low down in the company, but it was a relatively small company. And so I found myself in this great position of being able to speak directly to brands and broker these partnerships between brands and fashion designers. And that for me is where everything started. So what was that like? I'm guessing when you first started, you were pretty inexperienced in this because you were young. So what was that like learning everything? And how did you move your way up? Were you just hustling like crazy? What did that look like?

Yeah, it was just a hustle. Because at that point, I had come out of studying business at fashion college or dropped out, I should say. And really, for me, it was about the hustle. It was like having the passion because I really, really loved the brands and the designers that I was tasked with going out and finding sponsorship for. And so there was a genuine, I wouldn't say understanding of their businesses, but a genuine understanding of like what they were trying to do and what they were trying to convey. And all I can say is that being really horribly inexperienced, I probably just got through on sort of passion and hustle alone, you know, because I really didn't know what I was doing. I wasn't a sophisticated negotiator that understood how to structure really complex

sponsorship type agreements that were multi-season and there were product components of those and other contractual components that would certainly outlast where I was in that negotiation. But I was really keen and I was really passionate and I'm a good salesperson. And so I really just hustled my way through. And then I guess I was just good enough to learn. I think every contract I ever did, you would pick something up, you'd learn something that would make the next negotiation better or the next conversation better. But it was really like sales. It was cold calling because it's not like I had a bank of contact. By that point, I then sort of turned 18 years old, but I didn't know anyone. And so you were really on a whim, cold calling, trying to get the right person, a

decision maker on the phone who had the keys to some type of budget. And it was just pure hustle. I love that. And so what did that journey look like from starting on the ground and starting to forge these relationships to eventually becoming managing director of a company and then CEO, which is such a massive jump? It was a jump. It feels like a jump even now. It's really interesting because I think for most people, somewhere along the way, you find someone that believes in you. And I was very lucky in that very early years of my career, you're kind of naive enough to just maneuver your way around. And then I found myself, I guess, like my second job that I landed myself at was at this fantastic PR agency in London. And the two guys that essentially owned

that holding company saw something in me. And they said, hey, what you're doing is really interesting. And have you thought about starting your own company? And honestly, when I think about it, Natalie, I never had thought about the end result and that being making good money, working around the people that I felt passionate about. And I'd never really thought about that in the context of my own business, but it became very apparent. I'm a bit of a lone wolf. And even in any company that I've worked in, you know, in the first company, I kind of was in this sponsorship division on my own. And then my second job, I was kind of outlier and support division of the PR company. And so I was effectively pretty

much doing my own thing anyway. I just never really contextualized it at the time as that entrepreneurial spirit. I was just getting on with things and doing what I'd always done and finding a way. And it was really Jens and Eric at the Saturday Group that saw that in me and said, we'd like to support you in starting something that is your own thing and I thought great why not it seemed like a good idea at the time and how old were you so I was 23 24 at that point which is so young to go out on your own in that industry especially yeah it was young and I think I felt you, it was this amazing time in London in the company that I was in.

It was called the Saturday Group. And it was a culmination of a lot of different agencies, wholesale sales and a fashion advertising agency and PR. And they had the greatest client roster that there was. And there were these two incredible entrepreneurs at the helm of that company that I really respected. And so in that way, for entrepreneurs, it can be really difficult because what you're good at isn't necessarily what keeps a business ticking, right? They gave me was almost like the

infrastructure, the legal, the accounting, the office, like the physical office and the back office. And so it was a really easy thing for me in the beginning because I just got to do what I was really good at. And so until we actually decided to spin that out and create its own entity entirely, I almost was cocooned. And then, of course, that only lasted so long until we decided, actually, this is going to be really successful. And we spun it out into its own thing. And that's how ITB was essentially born, which is the company that I founded and spent the next 10 years of my life building. And so what made you start to decide to take the leap from ITB to founding your own fashion company? Had'd been this real shift in the industry. You know, when I started, it was all about attaching the biggest, most fabulous A-list talent you could to brands, right? So when you see Natalie Portman in a Dior commercial,

those were the types of deals and agreements that I was putting together. And then you kind of had this like onslaught of like the beginning of influencers. And it was early days, you know, no one had a manager, there were no big agencies, you were often dealing with the influencer direct or their mom or their boyfriend. And we saw that happen. And then there came this almost next onset of agreements that was really about celebrity and talents taking equity in brands. And so I did a couple of those agreements that were really high profile and very successful. And then you kind of look back and you go, wow, that's great. And I was paid handsomely and got a brilliant fee for this.

But look what's happened now in the wake of like having put that together. You know, you've got these two person and a company that have actually created a really great business together. And so for me, I then just was like, well, I need to do that for myself. And so that was really what got everything ticking. And I thought, like, well, I need to do that for myself. And so that was really what got everything ticking. And I thought, well, what do I want to do? You know, I'd spent the first sort of 10 to 15 years of my career almost falling into what it was that I was doing. I never felt like it was a conscious choice of, oh, I'd like to partner up artists and

brands or celebrities and brands. It's just what happened. And so it was the first moment in my career that I'd had a moment to actually stop and think, what do I actually want to do? And I knew that I wanted to be closer to having a more creative role, but I was also very aware of what I was good at, which is more the kind of business and strategy side of things. And like I've said, I consider myself to be a pretty good salesperson. So I thought, how can I take everything that I know I'm really good at? And then I also saw what was happening in the industry and being around fashion. I was very aware that you had this sort of mainstream fashion industry that served the majority of what seems like the majority of women.

But then as you started digging a little bit deeper, you know, you had this little plus size industry that was actually serving most women and the two had nothing to do with each other. And so for me, I was like, there's going to be an opportunity in putting these two things together. And actually, when I started to dig a little bit deeper, it became so apparent that I was going to build a business that was based on the principles that I really believed in and saw in my own life as being true. And that of women, I think, regardless of our differences, we have a lot more in common than we do have differences. And so I thought it would make sense to start a brand with inclusivity being right at the heart of it. And I've been part of way too many, I guess, you know, putting campaigns together for brands where you're almost casting by numbers. It was like, well, we need this girl for this region and this person for

this region. And it was always about this campaign in the moment and not a truth in the company and an ode to being diverse. It was just about, oh, this is what we need for the moment. And I was like, well, wouldn't it make sense if a company actually just behaved like this all the time, where it was truly inclusive and truly diverse and not just in how it presents itself in a certain marketing campaign, but actually within the company as well as on the outside. And so that's really how the idea of Good American started. I love that. And going back to that, you seeing the rise of celebrities taking equity in brands and you were the one that was helping brands and celebrities do that. How did you even get a start in that?

How did you get to know these people? Because I imagine in that world, you started just like you said, you're a very good salesperson and going out there and doing lots of brand partnerships and fashion. So how were you starting to get these contacts under your belt? You know, it's really interesting. I had a reputation. So what started with just me, and it was me for a long time, I think for like the first four or five months, I was completely on my own. And then I bought an assistant in, you know, another agent in. But, you know, I guess four or five years into the company, at that point, I had a reputation. And so I'd really cornered the market for fashion, lifestyle, luxury, retail brands. I understood the fashion business and really understood the

entertainment business and what it means to put those two things together. And so you start to have a reputation as almost like the exporter of American talent to Europe. So I was working on behalf of a lot of these big European brands, bringing the big US talent in. And so it made sense that if you had done an advertising deal with somebody or a little PR deal, and they wanted to work with talent in a broader capacity that they would call me. And so it was really by reputation alone. I love that. And it really just goes to show what can happen if you do work hard and you're building relationships, not just thinking how they're going to benefit you, but actually really showing up and showing how you can help people. So speaking of Good American, you started talking about why it really mattered to you to

start a business like this. And so I'm curious, did you have this idea and then you thought, okay, Chloe would be an amazing person to partner with on this? Or did the two of you come together and think, okay, what business are we going to start? Like which one came, which part came first? No, it was really, I had an idea for a product. So I think once I'd started thinking about, oh, I'd like to actually have a business where there was talent involved, but it was a business that was built on purpose. I then started thinking about the fashion industry and product. And really for me, it was about focusing in on these pain points. So women find it horrible to shop for jeans and horrible to shop for swimwear. And so for me, denim made sense because I'd had a lot of denim clients. I'd been around that industry and I

thought I understood it. And so that was the kind of big awakening was, can I make a better pair of jeans? And I thought, absolutely, yes, because nobody's making jeans for a real curvy body. So that was the first thing. And then I started thinking about who would be a really great partner to come on board in this with me. And actually, the first person I thought about was Chloe. And really, the reason for that was because, A, I had the relationship. And I have to be honest about that. I knew Kris Jenner. I could get her on the phone we'd had lunch a number of times and we'd done a number of high profile deals together but never with Chloe and then I also thought about what's the right type of personality because you're always trying to think about a match for what you're trying to

do and what I really understood about Chloe is that she'd been different sizes. She was on this kind of massive body positivity journey, but she'd never really changed like from an outside. And at this point, I'm a fan. I'm just another girl watching the show. But to me, she always seemed so confident regardless of her size. And so I went to Chris really pitching what I knew of Chloe on the show and saying, don't you think that she'd be interested in this? And she was like, well, maybe, but you have to speak to Chloe. And then the rest is history. I love that. And was Chloe your first business partner or had you had business partners in the past? Because I know you were essentially out on your own, even though you were kind of with another company. But was this your first business partner? She was my first real business partners. What I had before were really investors. So I was like a lone wolf in my own setup with investment.

And that was really interesting because what I run was a joint venture. So I'd take an investment from two different entities, from two different companies. And that was a huge learning curve in itself because essentially I always had to balance the two sides and that being two very different agendas. And again, took a lot of those learnings into what I was doing for Good America. And so I was like, OK, I don't want to have to sacrifice my principles for whoever is coming into this company to back it. And I think one of the first things Chloe and I spoke about were like, what do we really want to do? What do we really believe in? And she got what I was trying to do immediately because she was that girl. She had been on the outskirts of fashion,

not being able to fit into samples, not being sent the same things as her sisters had. And so she, to me, was like the poster girl for what I was trying to convey. And then it was really easy because we were like, okay, we're going to do this. Then what does inclusivity mean? And we were like, all the sizes. Well, what is the sizes you know so it really was this kind of beginning naive conversations but out of those early conversations I think came the principles by which we run the business still to this day and actually let's take a quick pause to talk about my new favorite all-in-one platform Kajabi you know I've been singing their praises lately because they have helped our business run so much smoother and with way less complexity,

which I love. Not to mention our team couldn't be happier because now everything is in one place, so it makes collecting data, creating pages, collecting payment, all the things so much simpler. One of our mottos at Boss Babe is simplify to amplify and Kajabi has really helped us do that this year. So of course I needed to share it here with you. It's the perfect time of year to do a bit of spring cleaning in your business, you know, get rid of the complexity and instead really focus on getting organized and making things as smooth as possible. I definitely recommend Kajabi to all of my clients and students. So if you're listening and haven't checked out Kajabi to all of my clients and students so if you're listening and haven't checked out Kajabi yet now is the perfect time to do so because they are offering Boss Babe listeners

a 30-day free trial go to kajabi.com slash boss babe to claim your 30-day free trial that's kajabi.com slash boss babe even thinking about the moment that we're in now where ultimately all businesses are having to make sacrifices because what's going on with COVID-19. And we have steadfast to our principles. So we're like, of course, we are going to have to pivot and change what we're doing. But there's a set of principles by which we operate. And actually, those are the things that really keep you focused in a moment like this and almost sort out what you need to do for you.

Because it's like, we're not going to sacrifice on these things things but then we can give on these other things I love that and I love that you're talking about it because I completely agree still means pivoting in line with your values and sometimes yeah times like this really just force us to take a good look at what we're doing because when everything's going so well you can be spending time on things that might not be driving revenue or driving an ROI. But the minute something like this happens, it's like, okay, let me really re-examine what we're doing and also keep it aligned. Absolutely. I also think, Natalie, and I think it's really important to say that also happens when you're successful and then when you're really not successful, right? Because you start to spend your time on things that seem

important but aren't. So when you're really, really busy or when you're not really that busy, it somehow kind of gets you off kilter. And I think one of the things that I really try to focus on in my life is having very, very specific goals because there are so many, when you're in a business like Good American, there are so many options. There are so many opportunities. There's so much that we can do. And in any given day, I have to be extremely focused. And so for me, if it's not getting me close to one of my goals, then I just say no. And it's a really great way to prioritize what you're doing every day. You have your principles and you have your goals and that ultimately determines

how you're going to spend your time. I absolutely love that. And I want to go into that even more. So what does it look like for you to have very, very specific goals? And given how much you could be doing, how do you decide what those are? Well, first of all, I think it does all come back to this idea of principles. And in Good American, that is really about what we set out to do, right? We wanted to serve all women. And there are lots of, you know, corners that you can cut, cost savings that you can make. And honestly, when you're sitting in a moment like what's happening right now, you have to stop and think, wow, like if you're launching a new category, would it just be easier if we shot it all on one model? Well, yeah, it

would. And it would be a damn sight cheaper too. But that isn't what we do. And the customer has come to have an expectation for what Good American is going to give them. And so that's not a corner that we're willing to cut. But there are other areas where you can be more nimble. And so again, I think it all comes back down to having a set of principles and knowing that is ultimately what is not just what customers have come to expect from you, but why you're successful. Because if I trace back and look at all of the things that have ultimately happened in our company, sometimes they're not the things that I spent the most time on. It's like size 15 was such a revelation for

Good American, but it wasn't like a big piece of strategy. It was looking at some returns data and understanding that we were essentially like missing a whole bunch of women that fell between this kind of plus and missy size. And so I was like, let's make a middle size. Okay. And then we did it. But you know, it turned out to be this big defining moment for the company. And sometimes things like that happen if you act on your gut and if you act on your principles, the principles of our company are to serve all women. And so if you're missing something and you fill it in, that is just brilliant. So it worked for the customers, it worked for our principles. So I

often find if you can keep going back to those things, that they guide you as opposed to the other way around. Yeah. And it sounds like if it doesn't align with the principles, you're really happy leaving money on the table. Yeah. And you have to be right. Because I think in the early days, we were getting all sorts of amazing offers from retailers that I love and fans of, but they weren't fully embracing of what we were trying to do. And so and that can be very difficult within the beginning saying yes or no to those kind of retailers and that kind of money you imagine can be the difference in you making it or not or becoming really successful or not. But again, we were like, that doesn't successful or not but again we were like that doesn't work with what we said we were going to do so ultimately you walk away from those things and I think it serves you in the long run yeah I completely agree with you and just going back to

your partnership one thing that I think really served me and Danielle well was in the beginning having a really frank conversation about what our roles were, and having that trust in each other to never step on each other's toes and just trust, okay, if that's what they're responsible for, I'm not going to comment and vice versa. Have you found the same thing with your partnership in that you've both got really defined roles? Yeah, absolutely. We definitely did. We're not as kind as you guys are to each other that we don't comment. We definitely comment. But I think right from the beginning, I was very aware of what we both had. And Chloe and I are very, very different. I don't have her experience. She doesn't have mine. And we ultimately, for two people that hadn't spent a

long time working with each other, we knew what each other brought to the table. And we were very, very clear about that. And we're also very similar in the way that we're both ruthlessly honest. So there was never this like smoke and mirrors or dance around each other. It was like, you do this, I do that. And then we're going to come in the middle or meet in the middle and agree on that. And I don't think we've ever had a moment in the nearly five years that we've been in business together now, we've never had a moment of like breakdown. Like, you know, there are things that have gone wrong or things that we've disagreed business together now we've never had a moment of like breakdown like you know there are things that have gone wrong or things that we've disagreed on but it's always been like well I trust your judgment on that oh that didn't work out so well that's fine because

the honesty is there and so I think for us it really is just about a lot of communication and a lot of honesty yeah I completely agree with. And so kind of fast forwarding to starting Good American, you had the biggest launch in denim history, which is absolutely phenomenal. And people can say, yeah, you have a celebrity on board. But at the end of the day, having a celebrity on board doesn't necessarily mean you break industry standards and break industry records like that. And so there was obviously so much more than that leading up to that happening. And what do you think that was for Good American? Do you think it was how different you were? You know, I think it was

a culmination of things, right? We actually, because at the beginning, nobody's tried your product. So I always go back to the same thing, like our product is exceptional. And that is just that we make a mean pair of jeans and I think that most women when they put it on they're going to feel comfortable they're going to feel great and they're going to feel like it's made for their body in a way that maybe whatever they're wearing at the moment isn't but at that initial moment because we were predominantly direct to consumer so we were for sale at Nordstrom that the people coming to the site had never tried our product. I think what happened is that we'd been very frank with our idea of what this business was going to do and who it was before. And we put out this mission statement. And then

we started really putting our money where our mouth was. And we said, okay, we're going to shoot everything on free models. And then we were like, well, actually, half the model agencies don't have curved division. So we're just going to have to go out and find the women. So we did like this national model search. And all of a sudden, we started building momentum. And we had a manifesto that really just spoke to the audience about this is what we're trying to do. If you're in it, and you believe the same that we do, that women are grossly misserved by the fashion industry because we're leaving out everybody that's above a size 16. And actually, our brand should look way more like we do. And we should all be honest with our customers and tell them

that we were going to start manufacturing some of the collection outside of the US and that if you were doing something like that in your business, you'd probably tell your business partner, you'd probably tell your friend, and why can't you tell your customers? So I think we started making decisions like women would ordinarily, right? In full visibility, holding our hands up and not trying to do the kind of corporate smoke and mirrors. And I think it stood us in really good stead with our customers because they understand that we're honest and we're going to come and tell them. They don't have to rummage through the labels in their jeans to find something that they thought was different right we're just going to come out and say it and so I think that's been a great strength of ours.

Yeah and I think that's really unique too for brands to be so incredibly transparent and I mean especially for a brand like yours that gets shot into the limelight and I'm sure people are always looking for ways to make comments about brands that celebrities are involved in, which I'm sure you've had to deal with. So to just put yourself out there and be so honest, that must have been a pretty big decision. Yeah, you know, I'm very aware.

I think you take the high with the low. When your business partner is literally one of the most famous people on the planet, you have to be willing to take the good with the bad and the critique. And I do think that Good American gets critique because we're so high profile and people are watching us. But we also create maternity jeans and they end up on the cover of a magazine. So you've got to be able to take the high with the low. And again, if you are acting in line with your principles and you're being really honest,

even when it is a shit story, it's fine because it is what it is. You know, it's like, it's honest. It might not be what everybody wants to hear, but it's honest. And so I think we're pretty fine with it. We're not trying to behave like a corporate company or like the kind of corporate mentality that companies have taken on. And I think that nowadays customers are so smart, right? You can't pull the wall over anybody's eyes. You're way better just

being honest and truthful. And transparency became such a buzzword in business without it really having any weight or any meaning. And I think that's very different at Good American. And it's also very, we're two women in business. And I think that for us, it's very easy to drop the ego and say, let's just have some honesty here. And like I said, we're paid back the dividends for doing that. Yeah, I agree. And I think women in business definitely have an easier time dropping ego and just kind of putting ourselves out there. So I want to just go into a bit of your routine and anything that you do to relieve stress because you do so much not only are you doing Good American but you're a board member on charities and you're

very active and out there and doing things for things that you really believe in and so do you have any routines or rituals anything that keeps you really organized because you must have a lot going on I'm full of routines and rituals okay I'm full of routines and rituals. Like, well, the first thing, you know, and I mentioned it already, but really like learning to say no is very important. And I can imagine my assistant listening to this and laughing his head off. But I do think I'm pretty good at prioritizing and I'm very goal orientated. So I say no to a lot of stuff that I don't think is going to serve me in where I'm trying to get to. So that is the first thing to say. I don't do everything. I also have very

realistic expectations because I just don't think that you get to have it all. I don't think that you run a killer business and are the best mom every single thing and have the most amazing marriage and relationship and then are at cocktails with your girlfriend every night after working out at 5am. I'm very realistic, right? I'm really realistic. It's like sometimes I work out five times a week and sometimes I work out twice a week and that's all right. I don't make it to drop my kids off at school every single morning and I'm not at every single thing. I made a rule for myself that if my children are involved, I'm there. So if it's a play, if it's a sports day, I'm there. But I don't get to hang out with the mums.

I'm not at the gala. That's not where I get to spend my time. So I actually think just being really realistic and trying to be honest with yourself is a really good starting point. But I am pretty religious about I wake up at the same time every morning. I am a morning person and I am a student of gratitude, right? I really strongly believe that if you go around noticing everything that you are grateful for all the time, it really helps level the playing field for the inevitable ups and downs that happen in my day. Because nobody comes to me when everything's going well, Natalie. Nobody

comes and goes, oh my God, this just worked out exactly how we said it was. It's like, oh my God, like the shit's hit the fan. This is terrible. This didn't work. This is about to happen. And so there are these like huge stress peaks in my day.

And me being very clear about what's important. I am not saving lives. I'm making jeans. Literally being able to kind of look out the window and stopping to smell the roses really helps literally being able to kind of look out the window and stopping to smell the roses really helps me be able to balance and see things in perspective and not have this kind of

like constant high, low anxiety ridden days. Like I don't have that because I've worked actively to manage it. And then I do a lot of things. I see a chiropractor, I have acupuncture, I suffer really badly with headaches. And so I do things to actively stop me getting, it's like preservation for my body. I have a great trainer who said to me, Emma, you know, you have to treat your body like you're an athlete. And that means, you know, looking after yourself and actually like having therapies to make you feel better. And if you're going to be on a plane all the time, which obviously that won't be happening so much anymore, but really, really looking after yourself. And so I think I'm part of that like self-care generation that takes that really seriously.

There is nothing that stops me from getting to the acupuncturist or going for a massage because for me, I need it. I have to have that. Yeah, and I think you have to have it. And I love what you said about you're making genes, right? It's not performing heart surgery and saving lives. And it actually reminded me of when I first moved to America, I was 21 and I was waitressing and I was very high performing in anything. So I wanted to make sure I was doing my job really, really well, was waitressing. I was

trying to get my visa. And one day I think I spilled coffee or something over someone and I ran in the back and I start crying. And my manager at the time was like, don't cry. You're not doing brain surgery. Like this is completely irrelevant. And your reaction is over the top. And you're like, yeah. And I'm like, oh, that's true. No one died. And I've really kept that with me. And so whenever the team gets upset over something, but no one's getting hurt here, it's really not the end of the world. And when you think about it like that, it's instant perspective shift. Do you know what it really is? And that for me is what the charity work really, that's where it really started. And that's what it provides to me, right? So seven years ago, when I went on the board of Women for Women International, it was because my job was really making money for very wealthy people when you're doing like celebrity brand

partnerships. It's not that gratifying in the bigger picture. And so I actually started working for that charity as a balance. And if you kind of go from being at Paris Fashion Week to the Cannes Film Festival, and then all of the sudden you're in Kosovo and you're seeing a different side of life. You're talking to women that have been through unthinkable things and they're living in post-conflict zones. It really, really starts to level the playing field in your mind. You really start to shift how you think and you relate to things. And actually working and being on the board of both Women for Women and Baby to Baby for me they are not they're things that I do because I believe very very fiercely in the work of those two charities essentially they're both doing what I believe

in strongly which is supporting women to really better their own lives but at the end of it it's also this great leveler for the way that I work and the industry that I work in, because it keeps you really grounded and really rooted to what's actually happening in the world, which I think is just a great thing for as small things in my world go wrong, actually going, well, that're going through it. But it's really nice to be able to think, well, you know what, I'm going home to my kids tonight who have a wreath over their head and, you know, get to go to school and never wonder about where diapers are coming from. Like, it's really good to have those levelers in your life. And I think I've done a pretty good job in being able to weave that work into my professional life and giving people the opportunity to be able to actually volunteer and spend some time at charity work there is this huge circular benefit that comes to all of that people not only understanding that 40 minutes down the road to them people are living a very

different life but also that you know three hour stint that they can help impact positively something that's directly in their community. It's all super important and something that I really believe in very strongly. I love that so much. And I completely agree. And I think for anyone listening, it's not something you need to do when you achieve a certain level of success. There's always an element of giving back that you can be doing, whether it's through work or within your community, there's always something. And what you get from that, it's something I love doing. And what you get from that really is a big reminder of why you do what you do. So coming back to the routines piece, I want to know what your morning routine looks like. So

what time do you get up? What do you do? I want to know all the things. I love that you're so detailed because I'm exactly the same. I could listen to people's morning routines religiously. So usually, I mean, it's a little bit different now because obviously we're all working from home, but usually I'm a 5.15 wake up because I like to be in the gym at six because I like to work out before my kids are up, right? So it really does evolve a little bit around their schedule because I definitely am out the entire day. And I think as much as the mornings are important for me to prep and really shape the rest of my day, it's the same for kids, right? If you're rushing around in your house in the morning and trying to scurry them out the door, they're not really set up for the best day either.

So for me, the mornings are I wake up. The first thing I do is not reach for my phone. And when I say not reach for my phone, it's like because I've moved it out of distance. So I definitely have a moment where I try to be reflective and think about what I'm grateful for. And then I go to the gym and I work out and that helps me enormously, both from a kind of health point of view with like my headaches, but also just like making me feel strong and good. And I look better when I work out so I go to the gym I come home and I'm usually I try to take each of my kids to school once a week so I usually do maybe two maybe three school drop-offs and then I'm straight in the office so I'm usually in the

office by about 8 30. I love that so what do you do between 5 15 and 6 when you're just waking up? Do you know what it's just like I like to have a cup. That's a really good question, because you're really getting down to like the nit and the grit of it. What is happening in that time? So actually what I'm doing, so I do my gratitude. I like to, if I can, I have this really lovely little space in my house that's kind of like indoor, outdoor, but it's very green. So I go and sit there with a cup of tea and I feel like somehow like being in nature and like at least being able to see trees is really like therapeutic for me so I sit there and I just try and like breathe and think without

looking at my phone or looking at insta or anything so it's just like this little moment of reflection and I don't know if I'm so much setting out the day or thinking about what I need to achieve. I'm really actually just trying to quieten everything down. And that is really what I'm doing. And then I like slowly get dressed and I'm just trying to be like purposeful, like thinking about, I know this sounds like such bullshit, but like when I put my leggings on, I'm just trying to think about like just putting my leggings on and nothing else. And like, you know, like you can sometimes in LA, you can be a bit robotic in the car. Like I'm actually trying to like feel the bumps, look at the sky. What color is the sky? Is it like pink or is it like completely dark still? Or do you know what I mean?

Like I'm like trying to connect and be in that moment Because I think it's the only time that I actually get to do that. So I'm kind of doing nothing, doing something, being mindful. Yeah. And that makes total sense because when you are learning to be present like that, then when something maybe stressful happens, instead of projecting into the future, okay, what does this look like in one day, three weeks or whatever, you can still train yourself to come back to the moment okay what do I have control of right now what can I do right now versus getting anxious over things that haven't actually happened yet which I think we can all we all definitely do but the more you can train your mind the better I think yeah and I think that I have done a lot of that I grew up in a very fiery family where you would say whatever was on the top of

your mind and react immediately. And I think I'm definitely a person that has learned to control the immediate response, right? I would get angry very, very quickly, you know? And I definitely can say in the earlier parts of my career, I was definitely a more shouty person than I am now. And I'm still fairly hot headed. And I still say part of I think, why I'm successful and why I do what I do is because I do say what's on my mind. And I'm very in tune with what's happening in the moment. But I've definitely learned to step back and think about things and be a little bit more thoughtful and curb the irate part of me that exists in me naturally. That's good. That gives me hope. Maybe I will a little bit. But never lose it completely, right? It's also part of who I am and what makes me me. And I

definitely think that I'm a down to earth person. That's what makes me successful and makes me relatable. And I don't want to lose that part about myself so I'm never trying to completely sanitize myself and go yogi I'm just trying to like be better every day you know it's like it really is just about the baby steps but they do make a huge difference yeah they do and just going back into your routine there's one more thing I want to know what do you eat in a day to keep your energy so high? So much, actually, because I work out and it's really funny. I've always eaten like a lot, but I'm a big meal person.

I don't just like snack willy nilly. So I eat a lot, but I eat the right stuff. You very rarely see me like chowing down on a chocolate bar or like a big packet of chips. But I will eat like a huge lunch a huge breakfast you know I'm just not one of those people that I'm deathly disappointed with a salad for lunch by two o'clock I want to murder someone and I am somebody who needs to eat a lot I'm also a massive foodie like food is just one of the best parts of my life and I've tried in the past to see nutritionists and I think it's

insulting to give me like gluten-free bread I'm like I feel like you're just missing out like we is that is the point like what are we talking about like I could eat a loaf of sourdough on my own I'm never happier than like in just a sounding at that counter just being cooked croissants and bread and baguettes and a sandwich and a side of pasta with you know like that's my thing I'm a real food person I love that and that's not super common in LA so for anyone who's listening and doesn't know what juicer is it's amazing bread but it's not very common in LA to have people that are real foodies I think no everyone has something right and I always laugh because I'm you know people say do you have any allergies and I'm like no I'm English there's no allergy no aversion nothing that I'm not having and maybe

I should and maybe I will in the future but right now I am I need the energy you know I love it I absolutely love it okay so what's next for Good American then what are you excited about you know it's really interesting because when you're in a time like now, you know, I'm a very ambitious person. And this year is a funny old year because our business has been absolutely on fire in the best possible ways. And what's happening in the world has really meant that we've had to stop and think about what we're doing and really evaluate the reason for everything. And I think that we're lucky most of our business is direct to consumer. So we're online, thank goodness, and thank you that the customer is still shopping. And I believe that we have such a important thing that we're doing at Good American, right, really understanding what it means to be inclusive, and to not waver from our principles and to keep developing product that

works for all women is actually a really difficult um but it is something that would be easy to just sort of waver from and so I think what will be new for us and what will be interesting for us is just to keep doing what we're doing like not not to sacrifice anything, not to change our thoughts and ways of doing business. And that becomes harder and harder, the bigger you get, right? Because culture is easy when there are 10 of you that started it. When there are 100 of you, everything shifts and you think things that are principally ingrained in the company are just there. And then all of a sudden you look at your own site and you're like, whoa, one second, did somebody miss the memo? So actually, I think it's really about reinforcing what we do through everything that we do now that it's more people,

now that we have lots of wholesale partners and we're a global company. And doing that becomes more difficult because you have to do it at scale. And so I think while it will always be the excitement in the brand will always be about category development and about reinterpreting designs and styles and what we're doing. Actually, the big challenge will be how you take a business like ours, which is intrinsically complex and actually built more around culture than anything else and how you really scale that and that's really the next challenge for our business that sounds so exciting and i really is exciting yeah i can't wait to see how that evolves because i think what you're doing is really changing an industry and it's kind of calling other brands in the industry to step up which is amazing to be at the forefront of that so I just want to say like I love what you're doing and with Good American it's so true when you see things online you never really know when you put a pair of jeans on does it live up to the hype is it all hype you just don't know and I remember a friend of mine saying you need to try Good American and I remember when I put

them on I was like thank god for once my hips are not being suffocated this is amazing I love that yeah it was truly amazing and I think I dm'd you not long after I was like this brand is amazing and I want to partner up and I want to spread the word as much as I can with Boss Babe because so many of our women are working from home we're used to it quarantine or not and so that meant we couldn't wear jeans because they were so suffocating whereas we can wear jeans and it's actually really comfortable it's like wearing a pair of leggings so I love that you know and also I think there's so much linked to it right because we're both in the business of empowering women ultimately right and I think that so much for women is linked like it or not

you know whether it's fashionable to talk about it or not. But so much of that is linked to the way we look and how we feel about ourselves. And for so many women, that's really difficult because they just can't, they don't have access to stuff. Like imagine if you were just like, oh, I'm just dying for a pair of shiny leather pants, but they just don't have them anywhere in your size. And you're like, why would I be counted out of that conversation? What's wrong with me? And that really impacts people. And so I think so much of what we do, while seemingly kind of, you know, it's frivolous, and it's fashion, and it's really about want rather than need, it goes much deeper than that, because we really attach so much of our identities and what we think we're capable of, based on the way we look, which, you know, really impacts the way we feel. And I've had so many, I cannot tell you the emails and the people that write into

customer service to say what being able to buy something in a size 22 did for them, how they've, you know, been a certain size, I'm super petite, and I have to alter every single thing and I never get to buy, you know, just something that just works for me and is made for me. And that really changes people. And you know how something, you know, seemingly so small can change the trajectory of your life and of your day. And so I think we have a big responsibility to women because there's so much more important stuff that women should be spending their time on as opposed to busing and you know thinking about their diets and what they're eating and what they can't have access to because fashion has decided that they're not part of the conversation and so

I think it's actually really important work what we're doing because women have got to do other stuff and focus on other stuff. I fully, fully agree wholeheartedly. And I love that you said that. So where can everyone find Good American and you? How can they stalk you, find out what you're up to and keep an eye on what's coming next? Oh, I love that. Well, you can get everything.

You can find everything about Good American on our website, which is goodamerican.com. And everyone should follow us on Instagram because we have a fantastic Instagram channel where they even get to see you on a website, which is goodamerican.com. And everyone should follow us on Instagram because we have a fantastic Instagram channel where they even get to see you on a Monday, which is absolutely amazing. Give them the best motivational tips. And then if you so fancy, you know, watching a woman juggling baking, child rearing and CEOing a company or chief cheerleader, as I like to call myself, I'm on Instagram just about at Emma Greed. I love it. And I'm loving watching the baking.

I feel like we're all baking. It's so much in quarantine right now. So I'm here for it. Keep doing it. The baking is everything. I'm like, just let's keep baking. I know. Thank you so much for being on here.

Thank you. It's so lovely speaking to you. And I can't wait for more and more and more from Good American and Fast Bake. Me too. If you loved this episode, please subscribe, download a few more, and please leave us a review. I really want to hear what you enjoyed, what your main takeaways were.

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