Meet Craig Greiwe | Business Executive

We had the good fortune of connecting with Craig Greiwe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Craig, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
We live in a world where there’s almost an overwhelming amount of “inspiration” from influencers, paid speakers, and self-proclaimed thought leaders. Every one of them tries to paint this model of perseverance based on some type of “it will all work out if you put the work in” mentality. And while I endorse perseverance, culture today has progressed to a point of “toxic positivity.” The answer is sometimes it doesn’t always work out, and sometimes it’s not always for the best. We have to teach determination and grit alongside resilience in the face of loss–and one of the most critical points of that philosophy is that you don’t know whether to keep going or give up. There’s no signpost, there’s no big shining light. There is just the choice we face, every day, as to whether it’s worth it to you to keep going or not. There’s no magic answer. Your choice to keep going is yours alone, and it should be made from a place of honesty, realistic optimism, and resilience.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Right now, I work for a privately-held holding group, overseeing a combination of companies across retail, finance, entertainment, media, music, and sports. It’s my job not just to oversee marketing, strategy, and corporate development, but also to place those items in the context of day-to-day business operations and infrastructure. Too often, we view businesses in terms of silos, but the reality is every decision is intertwined in finance, operations, people, marketing, and more. Getting to that understanding, and developing the expertise needed to see the whole picture, was not easy…especially because the business world structurally isn’t “built” for cross-functional expertise and experience gathering. I wish it were! Even today, other executives or companies often say they “don’t know what to do with me” because I don’t fit neatly in a box. Well, what I would tell others, is if you’re looking to put people in a box, or you don’t understand that my comprehensive knowledge of corporate strategy and development make me a better marketer and, together, those things make me a better businessman, then you’re missing the point. We have to change the way business–every business–operates to meet an interconnected, cross-disciplinary world.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love Los Angeles as my chosen hometown, even though I don’t get to spend much time here with travel and work. But for someone coming to visit, for me, it’s about the experiences, not just the places. The moments and flavors you’ll remember. Of course, top of my list is Larchmont Village, in my neighborhood, just for the unique collection of shops and food you’ll find. Venturing further afield, Los Angeles doesn’t just have great Mexican food (the tacos as Escuela Taqueria are not to be missed), but some of the best Italian food in the U.S. Osteria La Buca, Osteria Mamma, and Osteria Mozza are all a stone’s throw. And while you can look up museums on your own, see the museums in the real world: historic homes like the Richard Nutra collection in Silver Lake, buildings like the high school on the site of the former Ambassador Hotel, open spaces like Barnsdall Art Park. It’s the secret treasures you want to experience, which includes Night Market at Yamashiro if they ever bring it back officially!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My entire life has only been possible because of helping hands along the way. The people who showed up when they had no reason to, except that they wanted to support me. From every campaign donor to every mentor, it’s the “true believers” who do it because they can and want to, not because they should, who helped me find my way out of entrenched generational poverty and abuse into a life as a successful business executive. I’ve thanked so many of them over the years, but in particular, it’s those who have shared the “hard truths” with me that I needed to hear, not just the empowering support, that helped me move forward. From Marta Ricardo and Prof. Philip Bobbitt at Columbia Law School to Pam Propsom and Ralph Raymond at DePauw University to friends like Kristin MacDermott, Chris Grimm and Michelle Calderigi, it’s people who were not just supportive, but also mindful and tempering in my life, who helped me see the light and develop resiliency.

Website: https://craiggreiwe.com

Instagram: http://instagram.com/theworldatcraig/

Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/cgreiwe/

Facebook: https://Facebook.com/theworldatcraig

Image Credits
Craig Greiwe