Coffey & Code Podcast Interview with Alyssa Del Valle Bjora

6:50PM Apr 13, 2023

Speakers:

Ashley Coffey

Keywords:

glue

people

brands

fashion industry

appointments

listening

startup founder

app

piece

paris

fashion

showroom

entrepreneurship

entrepreneur

working

wholesale

creative

industry

incredible

buyer

Hello, and welcome to another episode of Coffee and code. I'm excited to have a very special guest on the show with me today, Alisa delight Viora. And she is the founder and CEO of glue, which is a really cool app for the fashion industry. She's from Oklahoma City. She has so many interesting pieces of her background that have contributed to where she is today. And I'm just thrilled for her to be here to share her journey. So without further ado, welcome to coffee and

CO Melissa. Thank you, Ashley. It's so good to be here.

I am very appreciative that you brought wine. Thank you. Of course, you showed up so chic and your beautiful outfit with like, wine roll. I love it. But Alyssa, tell us a little bit more about yourself. Yeah, so

I am from Oklahoma City. As you said, born and raised, I grew up in the north side of OKC admin area. And I have always been a creative person. So since day one I have been painting I have been drawing I have just immersed myself with this creative mindset. And I've always known that I wanted to go into a creative field. And so you know, being in Oklahoma as a kid, I feel like sometimes you're, you're a little bit limited on all of those creative aspects. And so after I graduated high school, New York City is the first place I went, Yes, I was able to attend my dream school, Parsons School of Design. I studied strategic design and management, which is a BBA. So it's basically like, half business half design. And then I minored in fashion communication. So everything was just like right up my alley. So I spent my first two years studying in New York City, and then the last two years of my bachelor's in Paris. And yeah, I'm sure we're gonna, like dive into that a little bit more. But it was it was an incredible experience.

Wow, that's so cool to see that you have completely realized your dreams from high school and beyond? Because it can you're like you said, it can be hard to envision that whenever you live in a landlocked state, right. But that was so exciting to show up in New York City, and then realize I work so hard for this. Here we go. It's like a very priceless feeling. Right? Definitely.

Yeah. 100%.

Yeah. Well, I'm curious, what exactly inspired you to create an app for the fashion industry? And how did you first develop the idea, Alyssa?

So I love this question. I think that this is a bit of a long story. But I'm excited to share it. So during my time at Parsons, both in New York City and in Paris, I was doing a lot of internships. And I during that time, I was able to gain a lot of work experience in the fashion industry, but specifically on the wholesale side of things. So in New York, I worked as an assistant buyer during New York Fashion Week, which is basically just like me holding the iPad and taking the notes and the photos and hopping from showroom to showroom, which was super fun. But that was my first look into the wholesale side of the fashion industry. Fast forward a couple of years, I moved to Paris. And that's when things really started picking up for me as far as like internships go and kind of just like working a lot on the side. So when I was in Paris, I worked for several luxury showrooms during Paris Fashion Week, which was really new for me, because in New York, I was working as an assistant buyer, but then in Paris, I'm working with the brands. So that was really eye opening to see things from the opposite perspective. Yeah, so definitely, that was a really cool experience. But after that, I started working as a fashion consultant. And this is where I really was brought to light. As far as like things in the wholesale industry go because as a fashion consultant, it was my job to basically be the middleman between the retailer and the brand. So I was working for a really small company, like it was just my boss and myself. So we were like a two person team. And at the time, our biggest client was Bloomingdale's in New York City, so their buyers would come to Paris Fashion Week and it would be our job to connect them with the brands that they wanted to meet with. Also, as a consultant, we would be sourcing brands for them. So like finding new brands that we think they might like that might work in their store and then presenting that to them connecting you know those two groups of people together. And so in doing that I I was really blown away, I guess is the best word for how outdated everything was. By the way, that these two groups of people were connecting, and still are connecting, is incredibly time consuming and incredibly outdated. And I will just like, paint a picture for you. So for anyone that might not be familiar with the fashion industry and the way that wholesale works, the main, the main point behind any Fashion Week, or a wholesale market is really for the retailers and the brands to connect with one another. And that being said, there's a lot of behind the scenes logistics that take place in order to make it happen. Currently, the way that they're connecting is through back and forth emails. So if you're a buyer, you would, you know, send an email to the brand or vice versa and propose a date and a time to meet. And then that would kind of ping pong back and forth. And so you know, for one, one meeting, it's like, fine, whatever, it's annoying, but then when you have a schedule that is jam, packed with a back to back appointments, is incredibly tedious. Oh, yeah. And so once you finally do get an appointment confirmed, all of that goes into an Excel spreadsheet. And this is the status quo, like this is the way that these people are working. And so, you know, I love Excel. But when it comes to keeping a schedule, and, you know, dealing with a schedule that is constantly changing, because changes were being made at the very last minute, it's really hard to not only make sure you're staying on top of all of those changes, but that you are putting the correct information into the Excel spreadsheet, and are then giving that information to your team members and to your clients. So I found that keeping everybody in the loop at the same time was just really, really hard, a lot harder than it should be. And so a time when my boss and I would do is when we would get an email confirmation from a brand saying like, yes, we can do this day, in this time, you're confirmed, we would print out the email, like, printed out on a piece of paper. And we would highlight the date, highlight the time and highlight the zip code, because you have to think about these appointments really strategically based on their location. Because as a buyer, you can't be hopping around like one part of the city to another and then back and then forth in the back of all floors. I mean, and that's what ends up happening a lot of the times which results in you know, missed appointments, or just like total confusion. So anyways, we would print out these confirmed appointments and highlight the zip code, and then we would place them on the floor, like pieces of paper on the floor. And then we would organize them by zip code. So like, this is an r&d small one, this is an r&d is 1234. And like so on. Yeah. And then we would do their schedules based on that. And so awesome. Yeah. So it became this sort of like, really tedious process that was like, it really opened my eyes to the inner workings of like, wow, this is like really how it's done. And, and so then I started thinking about it. And I'm like is, is this how everyone's doing it? Or are we just like, weird nowadays? And so I started like asking other brands, I started asking other retailers and sort of doing my own, like field research and just kind of like out of curiosity, like, are you guys dealing with the same issues that we are because this is a total nightmare. And it turns out that they were everyone was working at that capacity in some form or another. And at the time, I was in my senior year, and we were having to come up with our capstone thesis project. And I was like, this is perfect, like, I'm going to solve this problem, I am going to streamline the way that I am working, simplify not only my own life, but the life of everyone else around me. And, you know, create a tool and a resource that can be used to simplify the workflow. Wow, yeah,

that is a great problem to solve. Right there. I think we're looking at a lot of industries that are looking at their processes that are a bit outdated, and to be honest, archaic, that are causing severe disruptions and how we do work. So the way that you were looking at your process, you're creating so much efficiency, which saves time, saves money, and increases opportunities between those buyers and sellers definitely just like the perfect ecosystem that we all want. Right,

right. Yes. Exactly.

What exactly is different about glue from other applications that might be out there on the market similarly targeted?

Yeah, I love this question. So as I said, you know I think that people are still really used to the status quo. And, you know, dealing with a sort of outdated workflow with all the back and forth emails and the spreadsheets. So that is primarily like what is being used today in this industry. But there are other platforms that are startups coming on the market who are doing something similar to glue, but definitely very different. So I always think of this as like a pie. And these other startups are solving a very small piece of the pie. So for example, one startup might be solving just the scheduling aspect, another startup might be solving, you know, the issue of actually attending appointments and keeping up with all of the photos that you're taking and the notes that you're taking. And I think that glue is a lot different, because we are focusing more on the whole pie and more of a holistic point of view, and solving all of these problems with one solution. I also think that it's important to mention that there are programs in the fashion industry and platforms that people are using within their showroom and wholesale appointments. So just to throw out a few names, jour, New Order fair, these are all really incredible b2b platforms, where retailers and brands can actually place their wholesale orders through. So if you are in a showroom appointment, and you say I want to order 20 pairs of those jeans, then the brand representative would be able to go into that platform and like physically placed the wholesale order. And glue is in no way trying to compete with that, like they are incredible at what they do. And everybody is using those platforms. So my vision for glue would be to integrate that platform into ours. So that way, we are really a streamlined approach. And you're not hopping around from this platform to that platform. And then back, you know, making more work for anyone. So

I love that all in one solution. Yes. I cannot tell you how many times that there will be a piece of detailed information hidden in a thread like 24 replies an email, yeah, for sure. So much time to go back and index it. So having the ability to have all of your photos, your notes, all of your information in one spot is essential. And the day of so much input

information, what you just said, probably back to this really crazy time. And during Paris Fashion Week, when I was working as a consultant, and we had a client call, they called me and they were like, We are here for our appointment, except it is the wrong address and the wrong door code and we don't have the wholesale contact information. What do we do? And so I remember getting that call, and I'm like, Oh, shit, okay. Like, what do I do, because obviously, when you're working with Excel spreadsheets, it's really easy to have a typo or like to misspell something or to leave something off. I mean, gosh, I can't tell you how many times that's happened. And so I remember I'm like walking the streets of Paris and I just sit down on the sidewalk, and I pull my computer out of my bag and like hotspot to my phone. And I find the client that they were talking about in my emails, and I just start scrolling through all the emails. And I'm like looking for like, any kind of details that I can find to try and send them like it was urgent, couldn't find anything there. So I ended up calling the company's headquarters in Italy. And I'm like, Hey, I have clients who are at your Paris showroom right now are trying to be but we have like, very little information about like, where this is and what we're doing. So Anyways, long story short, it just reminded me of that time when it was like, so unnecessarily difficult, like about that. That specific moment really brought to light, like the severity of the issue. And like, how stupid it was, like lack of a better word. I'm like, this is like, it feels like it could be such a simple solution to this kind of stupid problem, though.

Yeah, I think that, you know, having that type of approach of identifying those different areas that you can improve can be so beneficial. And the fact that you've identified this at such a young age is incredible. But also I think another cutting another competitive edge that you have with glue is your background experience. That is huge. And I think people really underestimate social skills, that everything is about relationships, and especially the fashion industry, being able to have that background, technical knowledge and subject matter expertise, and being able to articulate that with clients. So valuable. And I think when people realize that they don't get that they're like, oh, wait, I need that. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. So never never devalue that experience because It's solid. Parsons. I mean, that's amazing. Thank you. Yeah. I'm curious how have you found the process of developing and launching your app? And what were some of the biggest challenges that you faced along the way?

Yeah, that's a great question. I think that a big challenge for Well, there's a few. I love being an entrepreneur, and I love being a startup founder, I have always been a problem solver and a creative thinker. So this is like, right up my alley. And it motivates me to keep going because it's my passion. And that being said, I think that being a startup founder, especially in the tech space, you know, I don't have a tech background, I got my degree in business and design and a fashion communication minor, like I, the tech world is kind of this foreign thing to me, even though it was constantly around me, and I'm, like, constantly immersed in it. So I think that in itself, has definitely been a challenge, just like constantly learning constantly. Having to pivot the way that I'm thinking constantly having to be open to new ideas. And,

you know,

I think that that can be a challenge sometimes. Also, being a solo founder. It's a lot of accountability that you have to give yourself, and I'm sure you know, Ashley, oh, my god, like, if you don't do it, it doesn't get done. Cuz you're on your own in a way. And so I think that accountability aspect has definitely been a challenge. But it's not on motivating. It's, if anything, it is motivating, because I'm like, wait, you know what, I can do this, like, I just need to get really good at time blocking. Yeah, great, set my priorities and hold myself accountable, because I can do it.

I love that. And let's expand on that a little bit. Because I think there couldn't be, especially in the tech sector, especially in entrepreneurship, there can be this double standard with female entrepreneurs. So I want to ask you, how do you make sure that with that accountability, that you're also taking time for self care? Because it's it's real, that is much more difficult as a female business owner out there, whether it's raising capital, whether it's more like you name it, you're facing more challenges, whether exist, apparently or invisibly? Yeah, um, so let's talk about that.

Yeah. I love that self care is everything. Yeah. And I think that, as an entrepreneur, or just in any profession, it's really important to set boundaries. I think setting boundaries has helped me a lot. So you know, not overworking myself, making sure that I am taking time for myself, doing things that I love to do. I mean, I work that into my week, every week, I day, I make sure that that is a priority.

I'm curious, since you're creative, you probably and I feel this way too, you feel like it's like a life force for you. You have to nurture it. Yes. And explore it. Otherwise, it can be stifled. Yeah. And like the studies show that being creative can create new pathways in the brain and new neural connections, which is fascinating. So I love that you have found ways to have different approaches to creativity, whether it's problem solving for your business, or applying it to the design of your app, which I love, like the extra like branding for it fabulous. So just want to say for everyone listening, she is kicking ass, and the tech world. She's being quite humble. But that's the beauty of the tech world is constantly changing. And as long as you're ready to adapt on a constant basis, which you have to be able to, then you're doing great, thank you. Yes, okay. Well, let's, let's shift a little bit to focus a little bit more on your experience as a female entrepreneur in the tech industry. And I want to ask you, are you willing to share any of the obstacles that you may have faced as a result of your gender? Yeah,

you know, it's no secret that the tech world is male dominated. It's no secret that the entrepreneurship world is male dominated. And I think as a female entrepreneur, it can be scary. Like it can be scary, it can be really kind of daunting to put yourself out there. And in this new light, and then this new way and so I I don't know, I think I think that I, I think I do a really good job at like, being confident with what I'm doing. Also, I think that this industry is really about who you know, and surrounding yourself with like minded people. And, and Oklahoma City, there are so many incredible resources, so many incredible mentors, so many incredible startup founders who are on the same journey, who are women, that you can talk to, and that can be a resource to you and can be a friend to you. And I think that that is really important making those connections and those friendships.

Absolutely. Yes. Like, like we talked about earlier relationships are everything. Yeah, and but it's true. Like there can be invisible things that exist in entrepreneurship, like I've seen in a networking environment where cliques can easily start and you look around the room and you're like okay, we've got the guys over here we've got the girls over here like these opportunities are unfolding in real time Yeah, we got to cross pollinate for sure but like not to say that there aren't any male allies are absolutely are some great male allies out there but a call to action for for all males listening. Definitely support your female entrepreneurs. Pity opportunity that you have but also call up shit when you see it. If something is just asshole behavior, that then there's no space for that. This is a zero Hey, zero ridiculousness zone.

I mean, we all need to lift each other up, for sure need to be there to support each other. Because at the end of the day, we're, you know, all in the same thing together. We're all in this together. And, yeah, I love what you said,

I saw a quote earlier this week about flowers and how they don't compete with one another whenever they're growing, or growing together. Love that. Watery shelter, though, it really is an it especially being a female in the tech industry, there can be competitiveness, there can be territorial this, but really, it's down to working together, uplifting one another, there's truly space for everyone learning

from each other, too. I think that's been a really big thing for me is just going into this with a, an open mind, and really being willing to listen to other entrepreneurs and hear their journeys and learned from that.

You just shared the key on lock word here, which is indicative of your success as entrepreneur. And it's listening. Yeah, that's so important.

Oh, I'm the big listener. This is a lot of talking for me, which I love

it I love it on this is your space to just share your journey. And kind of segwaying it. I'm curious, what kind of advice would you give to other women who are looking to start their own business in the tech industry? Or or if what piece of advice would you give yourself? If you were starting out? Again,

I have a few things that I would say. I think that, like I said earlier, being really open minded is key. At least it has been for me. So not being so set in my ways not being so you know, focused on the end goal that I forget to adapt, and I forget to listen. So just being really open to whatever it might be new friends, new mentors, new ideas, new perspectives, because all of that will help you with your business and will help you personally too. So definitely being open minded, I would also say, to really make sure that you prioritize yourself, and your mental health, because it's a lot. Like, it is a lot to be an entrepreneur, and it has a lot to be a startup founder, especially in the tech world, and especially as a woman, and as a solo founder. I mean, you're constantly dealing with things that are thrown your way. And it can be it can be overwhelming at times for sure. So I think prioritizing yourself and your happiness above all else, and whatever that might be. I mean for me, I you know, I am creative, and I love to paint. So that will be like my favorite hobby. I also love to do yoga. I've been doing yoga since I was 12. Wow. And that is like my favorite way to just like practice self care and self love. So I think that that's really important. Also, I would say your network is everything and to surround yourself with people who inspire you. Surround yourself with people who you look up to and with, you know, people who have had the same vision as you and who are determined like you I think will help take take you a long way.

And that's takes precision to does. Yeah. And I've talked to some people that have made very conscious decisions to remove toxic people from their lives completely. And focus on being surrounded by the people who uplift and focus on the positive, but also support one another. Yeah, your life literally changes

it does, though. I mean, I don't know about you, but like, I've been hearing that since I was a kid, you know, like you, I don't know the exact quote, but it's like the first like five people in your immediate circle, like influence who you are as a person.

Surely minute. Yeah, it's true. Those are great pieces of advice. Because like, we've only touched a small scratch of the surface of entrepreneurship. We haven't even talked about finances, or taxes, or like all the legally is. So you're right. There are many layers of accountability and risk involved. And being an entrepreneur, that it requires you to have that discipline each day to show up for yourself. And for your company. And it you have to have that passion. Otherwise, where's that motivation gonna come

from? Definitely. Yeah, and agree more.

Great. So great tip on self care. I love that. What is the future? So let me rephrase this a little bit. How do you see technology and fashion intersecting in the future? And what role do you envision your app playing in that landscape? So when I think about this question, I think about how Gucci and Louie Vuitton are exploring the metaverse and NF T's. It's really the luxury brands that are executing on that quite well. So I'm curious, what are your thoughts on how

you play into the I was when you asked me that question, I was just thinking in a tease like Yeah. Honestly, like, I am seeing this every day, more and more NF T's artificial intelligence. I think that in the fashion industry, specifically, people are looking for innovative and new ways to embrace technology, especially when it comes to the buying and selling process. Or, you know, creating, like, sort of virtual realities when it comes to attending appointments. And, you know, like seeing the clothing. And so I think that there's definitely a lot of innovation there and more to come not just in the fashion industry. But like every industry. I mean, I'm seeing this like nonstop everywhere. So yeah, it's definitely making its way into the fashion industry. And I see glue being a big part of that.

I do too. Absolutely. Especially I keep my finger on the pulse of like innovative startups. And there's a startup that I've been following for a while that takes your camera and creates these points on your body. So essentially, it gathers your measurements virtually coming in augmented reality Filter Filter, captures those and gives you a like estimate of how much this piece of clothing will fit you. Yeah, like 65% probability that'll fit you well. But imagine if I'm a seller or like, any application, I'm yeah, that is amazing to be able to connect with those buyers. And it's amazing. Yeah,

that makes me think about something I read a while ago that was talking about where you could like scan a tag on a piece of clothing. And it would tell you the entire lifecycle of where that originated, and like how it got to be where it is now. Yeah, I think that that is amazing. I love that

one. One person I think you should follow moving to the next question. One of my heroes who is in the fashion industry now she's found her niche Kathy Hackl. I don't mean forever, definitely look her up. So she is like basically doing a lot of Metaverse, fashion height, editorial fashion collaborations for Vogue. Wow, she's that person. Yeah, that is working with these high end designers and identify ways to infuse modern approaches or creative approaches to how they release new collections. And she put together this new kind of, it's a wearable collection where you can, it uses near field technology, so that you can have it up close to your phone, it will automatically show you like a detailed information about the product or about like an NF. T Yeah. So a lot of explorations to unlock there. So I'm glad that you're thinking along those lines, but definitely tackle Yeah, well, we'll be sure to do that. And also, yeah, I'm curious. Can you share any exciting new developments about glue or features that you have planned for your app in the near future?

Well, actually, I actually do have some really exciting news. I found out okay, let me just back up. Sorry to tease you But like, I, I have gotten to where I am on my own, like I have bootstrapped my way through everything I have received no funding I have received nothing like when it comes to the financial aspect of things. But yesterday, I found out that I am being awarded a really incredible grant.

So excited for you.

Thank you, my announcement of Thank you. So I am really, really excited, it's definitely going to help continue the development that we've already started and that we'll be able to help us launch our MVP, start the beta testing, like all the things, so really just like kicking it to the next level. Congratulations. Thank you. It's such great news. No, I was like, oh, wheeling yesterday jumping up.

A very appropriate response. Yeah, that is so great. Like, what a great way to just like, you know, spur into the rest of 2023. Yes, with all of these possibilities. And but that also speaks volumes to all the work that you've put in to have the reputation and reliability of an entrepreneur that can can do it. Yeah. And the rubber to the road and execute. And when I think of innovative apps that are useful that are that it can have application, and both luxury fashion markets and medium small businesses, I think of these apps that are being created like people like you. So thanks for thinking outside of the box there because I think we need more types of creative approaches to this. And I hope people that are listening in the technology industry can take some pieces of advice from you, whether it's from self care or tapping into your creativity, I think those are really good tips to kind of guide any entrepreneur along their journey to figure out what it is that they want to do. Definitely. Well, I'm curious, what are your long term goals for your app in your business? And what do you hope to achieve in the coming years? What is like your the pie in the sky for glue, if you had all the funding and the time in the world, and some stuff? What would that look like? Yes.

I think that my long term vision for glue is to be the resource to be the number one tool that our retailers and brands are using at wholesale markets and at Fashion Week to be the ultimate, the ultimate tool, the ultimate, like streamlined way of working. You know, I think that glue will be really helpful to retailers and brands helpful and just simplifying their overall lives and actually letting them enjoy Fashion Week. I mean, you know, what we're dealing with is like the not so glamorous side of Fashion Week. It's truly a logistical nightmare. So I my goal would be to be that resource.

It's a great goal. I love that. Thank you. And I'm curious. So for everyone listening, where can they go to find more information about glue, it'd be sign up for a newsletter. The beta was released. Yes.

So you can go to www dot glue dot app and join our waitlist there. You can also follow us on social media at glue dot app. You could follow me at Alyssa bureau. But um, yeah, definitely, we're trying to grow our waitlist right now. So I would love for everyone listening to sign up,

I will make sure to put that in the show notes. So if those that are listening or interested, they can definitely sign up I myself will be signing up. Hey, and I hope everyone else listening does as well. I personally enjoy following glue because I can get like a little tap into what's currently going on in the fashion industry without getting too overwhelmed, because easy to get down the rabbit hole. So I appreciate that you share the highlights, and like what you're doing what you're working on. I think you really well. So it's worth a follow for those that are listening. Yes. Well, as we're kind of like wrapping this up, I feel like we've covered a lot of different areas and I would love to have more time to talk with you. But finally, what are your parting words for anyone that are listening? And maybe like, you know, what are your parting words?

My parting words. I would love to connect with everyone that is listening. anyone that is interested in entrepreneurship, anyone interested in fashion, or just in general I am really open to meeting new people and it honestly like fuels me so I would definitely love to connect with all of you. Also, just know that you're not alone. I think you really A lonely journey at times you feel really isolated, and it's really easy to get in your head about it. So just know that you're not alone.

I love that. But it is so important, especially in this day and age, where mental health should have more spotlight and the forefront. So I appreciate your sharing that and appreciate you sharing your journey along the way. Because I hope that someone listening can be inspired to follow their passions, and explore what that could look like. And be open to possibilities with with with less resistance. You identify that

you just have to do it. You just have to take the leap and do it. What's stopping you just nothing. You're only stopping yourself. we're our own worst critics. And that is so true.

100% is so true. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh, you got this. You can do it. Yes. Well, Alyssa, thank you so much for this great conversation and congratulations on the grant funding and I'm looking forward to seeing the iterations of glue and how it takes shape. And I can see the future and the future is bright for glue and for you as well. So thanks for coming on coffee and code and being a great guest. Thank you

so much for having me. Ashley. This was so fun.