Latest news with #entrepreneur
Fast Company
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
Emma Grede always wears things twice
At Emma Grede's first job as a fashion show producer, she was told to wear black so she wouldn't stand out. But even back then, she refused to fade into the background. 'I bought whatever I could afford from Balenciaga or Celine,' she says. 'I have always used my clothes as a tool (of self-expression).' Grede is one of the best-known entrepreneurs of our time. She's the business mastermind behind Skims, Good American and the newly launched sports fashion startup Off Season. But even in the glitzy world of fashion, she's become notable for her style. Grede believes that our clothes should be a way to channel our creativity and personality, particularly in the world of business. On a recent trip to London, her hometown, her team captured her outfits of the day, which included a white Jacquemus jacket and matching cargo pants set paired with pointed Balenciaga heels, and a blue striped Proenza Schouler top and skirt paired with strappy YSL heels. 'I dress entirely to please myself,' she says. 'Depending on the day, that could be for comfort, or convenience, or because I want to feel bad ass.' While Grede has always been stylish, she's spent much of her career behind the scenes. In 2008, she launched the talent management firm ITB Worldwide which was acquired a decade later. She then partnered with members of the Kardashian family to co-found Good American, Skims and Safely, letting her more famous co-founders be the face of the brand. But these days, she's becoming a personality in her own right, as a judge on Shark Tank and Dragon's Den. She's recently launched a podcast called Aspire with Emma Grede where she's interviewed everyone from Michelle Obama to Gwyneth Paltrow. As a mother of four with a demanding schedule, Grede doesn't have a lot of time to strategize about her outfits. And even though her looks vary, she developed a kind of formula to what she wears. She wears a lot of denim, including Vintage Levi's and Frame. She has a collection of white and striped Oxford shirts from Celine, YSY, and Comme Des Garcons, and she also loves a good heel. 'There is literally nothing in my closet that only gets worn once,' she says. 'There's something about the simplicity of not really choosing something new every day that's really freeing.' Describe your style in a sentence. That's so hard, I dress how I feel and I feel different all the time! What's the one piece in your closet you'll never get rid of? I have so many things but probably a pair of Gucci loafers I've had since I was 15. I bought them for myself, and it was such a big deal at the time. How long does it take you to get dressed in the morning? Five minutes. I pull outfits ahead of time. What do you wear to a big meeting? Something that has bought me luck in the past I'm very superstitious. What's the best piece of fashion advice you've ever gotten? To embrace my individuality and do what makes you feel good. The early-rate deadline for Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies Awards is Friday, September 5, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.
Filipino Times
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Filipino Times
Pia Wurtzbach turns heads at Marcos' 4th SONA amid rumored rift with Heart Evangelista
Pia Wurtzbach surprised attendees at President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA) when she arrived at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City on Monday. The former Miss Universe, clad in an all-white modern terno, was seen waving to reporters as she entered with Py Caunan, the newly appointed administrator of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA). Just last week, OWWA introduced Wurtzbach as its new ambassador. Based in Dubai since her marriage to travel entrepreneur Jeremy Jauncey, she recently visited Saudi Arabia to meet with overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). She has been actively encouraging OFWs to secure their OWWA e-card for access to the agency's services and benefits. Her presence at this year's SONA quickly gained attention online, with many netizens commenting on her supposed rivalry with Heart Evangelista, a regular SONA attendee as the wife of Senate President Francis Escudero. Social media users speculated whether the two style icons crossed paths and began comparing their outfits. Evangelista previously denied having an issue with Wurtzbach, clarifying that she has 'never had a problem' with the beauty queen and even wished her 'nothing but the best.' Wurtzbach has also stated that she never intended to compete with anyone in the fashion scene, where Evangelista has long been a fixture.
Associated Press
18 hours ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Snow Jiang and Cheerful Music: Reshaping Pop Music in the Short Video Era
BEIJING, July 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- From radio and television music charts more than a decade ago, to viral singles on domestic and international social media; from a pop music performer and creator, to a hitmaker and entrepreneur……Snow Jiang's journey is rare in China's pop music industry. As a serial entrepreneur, she has repeatedly reinvented herself at turning points of industry upheaval, and founded Cheerful Music, a 'hit song-generator' whose distinctive Chinese-style melodies have broken out globally, even reaching out to Harvard Business School's classrooms and being included in its case collection. In June, Snow was invited to Harvard Business School as a special guest speaker, sharing Cheerful Music's business model and entrepreneurial journey with 137 students from over 80 countries. Her presentation, which vividly included recent international business partnerships and cross-country music collaborations, was met with enthusiastic applause. Students from around the world were impressed by Snow's story—one French student planned to write about it for readers back home, while others praised her role as a young female entrepreneur, calling her an inspiration for future generations. Behind its tens of billions streaming data lies Cheerful Music's unique methodology of creation, management, and operations. In a recent exclusive interview with the Chinese edition of Harvard Business Review, Snow shared the fast-paced logic of viral music in the social media era, how to build a creativity-driven agile team, and how to keep exploring a unique development path in the global market. Cheerful Music was founded in 2019 in Shenzhen, China, and in just a few short years has produced a string of viral songs including YI XIAO JIANG HU (Subject Three), TA SHAN HE, BAN SHENG XUE, MO WEN GUI QI, XIAO CHENG XIA TIAN and XIANG SI YAO. These works have not only gone viral on Chinese social media, but have also repeatedly appeared on international short video platforms and dance challenge playlists. Snow admits that her bond with music came purely from passion. In 2010, she used her personal savings to produce and release her first album, which continued to generate steady royalty income for years, giving her a sense of the music market just as China's copyright environment was gradually improving. In 2014, Snow joined Haikoon Music as a singer, but kept pursuing entrepreneurship: over five years, she tried ventures ranging from cafés to skincare and e-commerce, but each ended in failure. In 2019, the lead of Haikoon Music suggested she return to a field she knew well, and she started her music copyright entrepreneurship. Cheerful Music's early days were anything but easy. Snow at one point relied on signing distribution deals with platforms to secure cash flow, even selling her only house at a critical moment. She admits that if it weren't for her knowledge of the music industry and her own personality, she might never have dared to take such an all-or-nothing leap. 'I like to challenge myself. I'm the type of person who, even after hitting a brick wall, won't turn back — I'll keep going and even try to tear down the wall,' she says. Looking back, Snow believes that her early entrepreneurial failures strengthened her resilience and business skills, making her more pragmatic and cautious when running Cheerful Music later: not blindly chasing speed or scale, not depending on external capital or library acquisitions, but moving forward step by step with original works, maintaining a core competitive advantage. Today, after seven years, Cheerful Music has steadily grown, and Snow has fully transitioned from a singer to the head of a music publishing company. 'I hope there won't be just one Snow Jiang, but that I can cultivate ten or twenty Snow Jiang, truly turning the company from a personal IP into a sustainable enterprise in the music industry chain.' The Underlying Logic of a 'Hit-song Generator' From the outside, it seems like Cheerful Music can generate hit songs endlessly. Snow openly admits that although luck plays a part, it fundamentally depends on the company's content creation and operational methodology. Internally, the company's A&R team concentrates daily on reviewing demos submitted by songwriters and composers. Sometimes they listen to hundreds of songs a day but may not pick a single one. However, if they discover a promising new work going viral on social media in the middle of the night, Cheerful Music will immediately contact the creator and finish signing the contract overnight, ensuring it secures a first-mover advantage. Cheerful Music's 'hit logic' consists of three elements: keen market intuition, rapid execution, and flexible promotion mechanisms. Most potential works will first undergo small-scale, low-cost testing to verify their prospects on social media and spark mass imitation or secondary creation before moving into large-scale, phased investment for promotion. But if there is a work Snow deems a high-potential hit from the outset, she will go 'all in' immediately. Snow requires that the company must produce at least one 'viral hit' each year to secure that year's cash flow and brand exposure. In addition, Cheerful Music maintains a diverse layout across instrumental music, traditional-style Chinese music, live performances, and commercial licensing, constructing a sustainable moat through diversified content and business lines. Managing Creativity with 'Magnetism and Flexibility' Today, the Cheerful Music team has about fifteen members, mostly born after 2000. Snow is keenly aware that music is an industry heavily reliant on emotion and creativity. Traditional management style with young employees would only sap their creativity and motivation. Cheerful Music maintains simple hierarchy, with a large chat group where all employees can report to her directly at any time. When selecting singers and songwriters, Snow prioritizes personality first, and only then looks at skills and other 'hard' factors. If an artist or creator's values do not align with the company's, they will inevitably encounter friction later in project execution. 'Only if our values and working styles match can we attract excellent and creative talent. Too much complicated social maneuvering doesn't suit me,' she says. Snow believes women's greatest leadership advantage lies in their acute perception and empathy. For example, in managing her team, she can sense when someone's mindset is wavering even before they formally resign, allowing her to proactively encourage and communicate. If an employee's decision still cannot be changed, she can then adjust and reassign promptly. 'Female leaders can switch naturally between rationality and sensitivity, which is especially important in music and the broader entertainment industry — this kind of flexible management is crucial.' A flat structure and flexible leadership have supported Cheerful Music's agile responsiveness in the short video era, becoming an organizational advantage for producing hits. Building an International Bridge As an important part of its international strategy, Cheerful Music established a branch office in London in 2023. Unlike focusing on creating viral hits, the UK office was entrusted with the long-term mission of serving as a bridge for cultural exchange between Eastern and Western music. In Snow's view, shaping pop trends in China is like tossing a pebble into a lake, where you can see visible ripples. But overseas markets are more diverse and fragmented, like throwing a pebble into the sea—even if you throw in ten times as many, it is hard to create large-scale ripples. Therefore, rather than trying to replicate China's hit-generating model overseas, it makes more sense to first build a bridge, so that more global musicians can understand Chinese music, while giving Chinese musicians more opportunities and inspiration for co-creation abroad. XIANG SI YAO is a classic case. This song initially received a positive response in China, and during its promotion, various versions were tested. A Southeast Asian choreography team created a new dance version and released it on TikTok, triggering massive imitation. Ultimately, it achieved a 're-import' success by returning to China and reaching new heights, becoming a new trend in Chinese-style dance. Snow believes this model may become a sustainable path for Cheerful Music's future internationalization. Against the backdrop of increasingly integrated global music cultures, Cheerful Music is also exploring new cross-industry collaborations, including with brands, film, games, and cultural IP licensing. She mentions that in the future, while continuing to prioritize good content, Cheerful Music will actively embed its work into more commercial and cooperative scenarios. Regarding the rise of artificial intelligence in music, Snow remains cautious. AI can provide inspiration or even initial production for melodies and lyrics, but true human vocal emotion and the connection between music and the human spirit are irreplaceable. 'Even the same singer's voice will change with different emotions. I once spent three days unable to pull myself out of the emotions of recording a sad love song — AI cannot achieve that kind of authentic investment,' she says. 'AI tools are more like assistants, it is impossible to rely entirely on them to produce high-quality content.' When talking about the next five years, Snow laughs and says the hot trends in the music industry change so quickly that 'I don't even dare make plans for next year.' But she is certain that within three years, she hopes Cheerful Music will have broad brand recognition globally: 'When people mention Chinese music, they'll think of Cheerful Music first.' View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Cheerful Music
ABC News
a day ago
- Business
- ABC News
'Celebrated jeweller' Sir Michael Hill dies aged 86
Sir Michael Hill, the founder of jewellery brand Michael Hill, has died aged 86. The company announced "with great sadness" the passing of their founder in a statement released on Tuesday. "The Board, Executive and all the Michael Hill team express their deepest and sincerest condolences to Michael's family and friends." The company has remembered Sir Michael as a "celebrated jeweller, entrepreneur, philanthropist and committed father and husband".
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mark Cuban Says Its Not The Students At Fault But The School If Answers Can Be Generated With AI: Kids Take 'Path Of Least Resistance'
Billionaire entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban says schools that still teach for model-ready answers will be 'way behind' within a decade, arguing curricula must evolve with artificial intelligence. What Happened: In an X post on Sunday, the investor wrote, 'Within 5–10 years, if a school teaches in a manner where answers by students can be generated by a model, it's a sh*tty school and way behind.' He added that 'kids will always take the path of least resistance' and said AI should be 'part of the solution.' Trending: Be part of the breakthrough that could replace plastic as we know it—Cuban's point is less about cheating than design. If assignments can be solved by a general‑purpose model, he argues, the problem is the assignment, not the student's ingenuity. He urged educators to change 'the path and how they learn,' warning that 'teaching like it's 2024' will soon be obsolete as generative systems spread. The billionaire has been on this beat for months. He told Gen Z at South by Southwest in March to "spend every waking minute" learning AI and has encouraged teens to build AI side hustles rather than wait for credentials. He's also warned there will be 'two types of companies,' those great at AI and those they put out of business, a framing he now extends to It Matters: Cuban has said AI could mint the world's first trillionaire, potentially 'one dude in a basement,' highlighting his view that mastery will drive outcomes over pedigree in the next decade. To him, classrooms that simulate that tool‑rich environment will serve students best. The former Shark Tank investor says he made it in the business world by refusing to retire in his mid‑30s and by pushing to be the best. Fresh out of Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, he founded MicroSolutions in his 20s, aimed to retire by 35, but instead sold the firm at 32 for $6 million and took home about $2 million in profit. Photo Courtesy: Kathy Hutchins on Read Next: $100k+ in investable assets? Match with a fiduciary advisor for free to learn how you can maximize your retirement and save on taxes – no cost, no obligation. These five entrepreneurs are worth $223 billion – they all believe in one platform that offers a 7-9% target yield with monthly dividends Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? This article Mark Cuban Says Its Not The Students At Fault But The School If Answers Can Be Generated With AI: Kids Take 'Path Of Least Resistance' originally appeared on
