Photo: Christopher Willard/abc
Entrepreneur and self-made business mogul Emma Grede has helped build several successful businesses including Kardashian co-owned brandsSKIMS,Good American and Safely. So whenShark Tanktapped her to fill in as a guest Shark, it was an easy yes.
As viewers will see Friday, she’s not afraid to use her age, diverse background and business brain to her advantage.
“It wasn’t that long ago that I was actually out raising money for Good American,” the 40-year-old tells PEOPLE of the brand she launched withKhloé Kardashian.“The company’s only five years old.”
“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. And I’ve prioritized my career in building a diverse, inclusive route and team.”
Khloé Kardashian and Emma Grede.Devon Endsley
One thing Grede takes pride in is inclusivity across all of her brands. No matter what your shape, size, or color may be, she has you in mind when it comes to her business model.
“I think it’s really important to drive change,” the SKIMS founding partner shares. “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. Because when we do things and we say we are creating all clothes in double XL through to 5X.”
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“I think I’m in an amazing position to actually change the way things are done, and that’s what makes me most excited,” she adds.
Kris Jenner and Emma Grede.@pierresnaps
“I think 20 years ago, entrepreneurs had much more of a kind of me-first mentality,” Grede shares with PEOPLE.
“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.”
Although she’s mentoring others during her time on Shark Tank as the first-ever Black female Shark, she’s learned a lot from her business partners Khloé,Kim Kardashian, and her partner on Safely,Kris Jenner.
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“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, who recently helped place Safely cleaning products into 1700Walmartstores as well as online, says of the famous family she works alongside.
“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.”
You can catch Emma Grede onShark Tankthis Friday, February 25 at 8/7c on ABC.
source: people.com
