Welcome to Profits & Losses, GQ’s questionnaire about money that asks someone of note how they made it, lost it, spent it, grew it, and think about it.
A luxury that’s worth its price: Being able to holiday on a boat. I’ve been a guest on many people’s beautiful boats over the years, but there is nothing quite like being able to charter one for you and your family and your friends.
A luxury that’s not: I can’t really imagine spending ridiculous amounts of money on a car. Growing up in London, the Tube was the best way to get anywhere. For me, after a Range Rover, it all goes downhill.
The best $50 I’ve ever spent: It will always be food. Yesterday I was on Sawtelle [LA’s Japantown] and queued to get into the ramen place, and it was a $38 bowl of ramen, and I thought it was the best thing I’ve ever eaten.
Something that I own multiples of: Vintage Levi’s—I have hundreds and hundreds and hundreds. If I find a wash or a rip pattern that I like, I’m buying it.
The wage at my first job: I worked in fashion production. I was a production assistant on the shows, and my salary was £18,500 [about $25,000]. I negotiated that up from £16,000, which is what I was offered. So I was really proud of myself that I got a bit more money. I just asked.
My first big purchase: A Gucci diamanté thong, and it was the light of my life. I wore the “G” outside my jeans, and I thought I was the absolute shit. It was £165 [about $225]. At that point, that was like spending £1,500 [about $2,000]. It was so much money. I was young. I was interning and working in stores and hustling away. When I’d get a Christmas bonus, I was straight down to Gucci. That was all I cared about.
What I splurge on today: Tabletop glassware, beautiful ceramics. Wherever I go in the world…. I can be on an island, I will find the ceramic shop, and I will ship plates from a random place in Greece. That is my little splurge arena that I think is so worth it—because you eat off of plates every single day.
My first big payday: I sold my first company in my mid-20s, and I thought it was a billion dollars. It certainly wasn’t, but, to me, the freedom that gave me to then make decisions was wild. I could step back and for the first time in my life have a moment to breathe and to think and to decide. My ambition went through the roof.
“I feel rich when…” My aim in life was to never have to look at the price on a menu, because I felt like I was always totaling things up to make sure I could afford it. I grew up really poor.… I grew up in a house that had an electricity meter and I knew how long £30 would last. I’m still that kid deep down inside. I actually think that’s what makes me good at my job.… I’m very, very careful about how I use money and how I think about it.
The best money advice I ever got: The thing that’s really stuck with me is never outsourcing any of your decision-making. The more money you get, the easier that becomes because you’re surrounded by wealth managers and business managers and people who are experts in places that you might not be. I think that trusting myself is probably the single best thing that I’ve ever done. I didn’t inherit anything. Nobody gave me anything. Every penny I have is of my own making and it’s mine to look after.
The best investment I’ve ever made: Is in myself. I invest in countless companies, but I have worked without taking a paycheck on multiple occasions in my own companies, and those have been the best investments I’ve ever made.
The best thing I own that I didn’t buy for myself: My husband buys me beautiful jewelry and he’s very considered. He finds things with meaning and things that have come from specific dates or periods that would mean something to me. He bought me a vintage Rolex from the year of my birth. I was like, “That’s so beautiful. What an amazing thing.”
The Bottom Line
Prenup or no prenup?
[Prenup] one million percent. I got married before I had money. I still made sure I had a prenup because I believe in myself. When you get married, you are entering into a legal contract anyway. Why wouldn’t you protect your assets and protect your future ability to earn and to look after yourself?
When you’re in business with a romantic partner, what does treating each other look like?
I’m really lucky. I married a Swedish man, and Sweden is an extremely matriarchal society. He has no problem having a powerful woman in his life and sharing responsibility. I don’t think that my husband ever came into the relationship thinking that I was going to be passive in our decision-making or in my ability to earn.
Do people treat you differently since you started making money?
For sure. I’ve worked in this industry since I was 17 years old. And so somebody who didn’t say hi to me when they were 20, they don’t get a meeting with me now.
How much do you spend on childcare?
I’ll tell you what I’ll tell you: Childcare is one of the single biggest luxuries that I afford myself. It is a necessity, it is something that I’m willing to pay for, it’s something that I think we need to speak about more, and it’s something that I am unapologetic about.
Have you ever made a business decision you wish you could undo?
I hate to be boring, but I don’t think I did. I don’t do risky shit.
A version of this story originally appeared in the October 2026 issue of GQ with the title “Profits & Losses with Self-made Centimillionaire Emma Grede.”