Emma Hernan: How to Build Real Wealth & Scale a Business Beyond Reality TV | Entrepreneurship | E375
Timestamps are as accurate as they can be but may be slightly off. We encourage you to listen to the full context.
Podcast Summary
In this inspiring episode, Hala interviews Emma Hernan, the self-made multimillionaire entrepreneur, real estate expert, and star of Netflix's "Selling Sunset." Emma shares her remarkable journey from humble beginnings with a firefighter father and stay-at-home mother to becoming the first millionaire in her family through sheer determination and strategic business moves. (02:37)
The conversation covers Emma's early entrepreneurial spirit, starting with babysitting and working at an ice cream shop before she was legally old enough to work. She began investing in stocks at just 16 years old and eventually saved her family's struggling seafood business. (05:15)
• Main themes include overcoming gender bias in business, building multiple income streams through food manufacturing and real estate, and leveraging reality TV fame for business growth while maintaining authenticity
Speakers
Emma Hernan
Emma Hernan is a self-made multimillionaire entrepreneur, real estate agent, and star of Netflix's hit show Selling Sunset. She is the founder of Emma Leigh & Co., a plant-based frozen food company, and Coast to Coast, her newest food venture. Beyond her consumer-facing brands, Emma owns one of the largest food manufacturing facilities on the East Coast, providing co-packing services for hundreds of other brands including celebrity chef Ming Tsai's products.
Hala Taha
Hala Taha is the host of Young and Profiting Podcast and CEO of YAP Media, a social media and podcast marketing agency on track to make $10 million this year. She's a former Disney executive who became an entrepreneur after experiencing gender bias in corporate settings, and now runs a fully remote team of 60 employees globally.
Key Takeaways
Start Investing Early and Consistently
Emma began investing at 16 years old by saving every penny from babysitting and working at an ice cream shop. She was inspired by a Harvard-educated father of the family she nannied for who taught her about investing. (05:37) This early start in building wealth through stock market investments became the foundation of her financial success. The key takeaway is that time is your greatest asset when it comes to building wealth - the earlier you start, the more your money can compound over time.
Diversify Your Income Streams for Financial Security
Emma emphasizes the critical importance of not putting "all your eggs in one basket." (36:11) She built multiple revenue sources including real estate investments, her food manufacturing business, retail products, reality TV, and angel investing. This diversification provides both financial stability and mental peace - when one income stream struggles, others can compensate. She specifically advocates for "mailbox money" through real estate investments where tenants pay your mortgage, eventually leading to passive income.
Reframe Failure as Redirection, Not Defeat
Emma identifies fear of failure as the biggest obstacle preventing driven people from becoming entrepreneurs. (12:27) She advises reframing failures as course corrections that push you toward what will actually work. Every setback contains valuable lessons that redirect your path rather than end it. This mindset shift is crucial for entrepreneurial success because failure is inevitable - but it's how you respond to and learn from failure that determines your ultimate success.
Own Your Manufacturing to Control Your Destiny
Emma's decision to buy her own manufacturing facility before launching her consumer products gave her a massive competitive advantage. (30:17) Not only does she control her own production costs and quality, but she also generates additional revenue by co-packing for hundreds of other brands. This vertical integration allows her to quickly pivot and create new products - she can literally create a new product variation overnight just by changing packaging, while competitors would need months to find co-packers and set up production.
Take Direct Action to Achieve Your Goals
When Emma wanted to get her products into a major retail chain, she didn't wait for connections or brokers. Instead, she went directly to LinkedIn, searched for buyers at the company, and started messaging them directly. (35:03) This bold, direct approach led to landing her "dream account" that she's excited to announce. The lesson is that sometimes the shortest path to success is simply being brave enough to reach out directly to decision-makers rather than waiting for the "right" introduction or opportunity.
Statistics & Facts
- Emma started her first business at 12 years old doing food demos at supermarkets and began investing in stocks at 16 years old. (05:37) This demonstrates the power of starting entrepreneurial activities and investing at an extremely young age.
- Emma's manufacturing facility is described as "one of the largest manufacturers on the East Coast" that co-packs for hundreds of brands. (28:04) This shows the scale of her B2B operation beyond her consumer-facing brand.
- Emma became the first millionaire in her family, with no prior millionaires on either her father's or mother's side. (09:57) This statistic highlights her achievement in breaking generational financial patterns through entrepreneurship.
