Podcast appearances and mentions of Alexandra Wilkis Wilson

Ken Pilot interviews Alexandra Wilkis Wilson for this episode of The Retail Pilot podcast.Alexandra is an ENTREPRENEUR, INVESTOR & BOARD DIRECTOR.She is best known as Co-Founder of ecommerce sensation, Gilt, which grew to $650M+ within 5 years of its launch and later sold to Hudson's Bay Corporation. She was also Co-Founder of GLAMSQUAD, and Fitz, a closet organizing and styling company, which sold to Tradesy the peer-to-peer luxury recommerce company.Today, Alexandra is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of growth equity fund, Clerisy, investing in consumer and techsumer companies. She has been an avid angel investor and advisor to over 80 consumer tech companies including Rent the Runway, The Mirror and Bubble. Alexandra is an active champion of female founders and the co-author of New York Times bestseller, “By Invitation Only: How We Built Gilt and Changed the Way Millions Shop”.SummaryAlexandra discusses her entrepreneurial journey, starting with her time at Gilt and later founding Glamsquad. She shares the challenges and successes of both ventures and the lessons she learned along the way. She also talks about her involvement in other startups and her decision to join Clerisy, a growth equity fund. Alexandra discusses her career journey, the founding of Clerisy Partners, and their investment strategy. She highlights the importance of understanding consumer needs and solving problems in a unique way. Wilson emphasizes the hands-on approach of Clerisy Partners, where they actively partner with portfolio companies and provide support beyond capital. She also shares her leadership philosophy, the influence of mentor Mindy Grossman.TakeawaysAlexandra Wilkis Wilson had an entrepreneurial spirit from a young age and pursued a career in investment banking before venturing into the world of retail and entrepreneurship.Gilt, founded in 2007, grew rapidly and became a successful online luxury fashion retailer, attracting a large customer base with its timed sales and curated assortments.Glam Squad, founded by Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, offered in-home beauty services and expanded to multiple markets, providing a hyper-local experience.Alexandra Wilkis Wilson applied the lessons learned from Gilt to Glam Squad, including managing people, motivating teams, and giving and receiving feedback.She later worked on other ventures, including Dressr, an app that used AI and machine learning to help users style outfits, and FITS, a service that organized consumers' closets and provided styling recommendations.Alexandra Wilkis Wilson joined Clerisy, a growth equity fund, to continue her involvement in the tech and consumer-focused industry. Understanding consumer needs and solving problems in a unique way is key to successful investments.Clerisy Partners takes a hands-on approach and actively partners with portfolio companies.Delivering tough messages and providing constructive feedback is important for effective leadership.Mindy Grossman has been a mentor and role model for Alexandra Wilkis Wilson.Favorite streaming shows include El Tiempo Entre Costuras, Fauda, and Outlander.Favorite vacation destinations are Key Biscayne and Brazil.Taylor Swift is someone Alexandra Wilkis Wilson would love to meet.Clerisy Partners aims to invest in the next unicorn among their portfolio companies.Chapters00:00Introduction and Background02:36The Attraction to Gilt05:34The Early Vision and Success of Gilt09:02Gilt's Journey to Unicorn Status12:07Challenges and Exit of Gilt15:29Glam Squad: Inception and Expansion18:44Lessons Learned and Next Ventures23:22Dresser and FITS: Innovative Ventures27:25Partnering with Claricey: Focus on Tech and Consumer Companies31:08Portfolio Companies and Investment Criteria36:34Hands-On Partnership and Learning from Others38:33Exciting Technologies and Sharing Knowledge40:35Leadership Philosophy and Mentorship45:17Missed Opportunities and Lessons Learned47:37Rapid Fire: Streaming Shows, Vacation Destinations, and More

Aliza Licht is back on the podcast for a special bonus episode. In celebration of her new book ON BRAND, Aliza takes us through her 3 actionable tips for building your audience and creating a strong content strategy that you can do right now. She reminds us to: - push through our discomfort in putting ourselves on video - make it easy for ourselves when it comes to social media and creating our brand - define what we want to be known for (and how to start) and more. ALIZA LICHT is an award-winning marketer, bestselling author, podcaster, personal branding expert, and the founder of LEAVE YOUR MARK, a multimedia brand and consultancy. She advises businesses and mentors individuals on brand building and career development. Licht leverages over two decades of expertise in marketing, communications, and digital strategy in the fashion industry. Her first book, Leave Your Mark, was published in 2015. Her new book, On Brand: Shape Your Narrative. Share Your Vision. Shift Their Perception is a comprehensive roadmap to building your personal brand. Find her online at alizalicht.com and @alizalichtxo. WHAT IS ON BRAND? On Brand is a comprehensive roadmap to building your personal brand online and IRL. The book picks up where Leave Your Mark left off. Aliza includes personal anecdotes and learnings from her own journey and rebrand from a corporate employee to entrepreneur mixed with expert contributors in their fields, including Dorie Clark, Alisa Cohn, Ross Martin, and more. Wise words from fashion greats include Mindy Grossman, Bevy Smith, Steven Kolb, Jennifer Meyer, Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, and Elizabeth Holmes. The book includes what she lovingly calls "mental gymnastics" exercises for readers to work on their brand in the physical book. On Brand: Shape Your Narrative. Share Your Vision. Shift Their Perception.  PUB DATE: April 18, 2023, by Union Square & Co. Guest: OTHER WORK: Book: Leave Your Mark: Land your dream job. Kill it in your career. Rock social media.  Podcast: LEAVE YOUR MARK: Freshly Brewed Career Advice Private mentorship: LEAVE YOUR MARK Community Newsletter: LEAVE YOUR MARK Instagram: @alizalichtxo   @leaveyourmarkpodcast   @leaveyourmarkcommunity Twitter @alizalicht @LEAVEYOURMARKxo TikTok: @alizalichtxo @leaveyourmarkpodcast  Host: Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@MentorsontheMic⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@MichelleSimoneMiller⁠⁠⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠@MentorsontheMic⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@MichelleSimoneM⁠⁠⁠ Facebook page:⁠⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/mentorsonthemic⁠⁠⁠ Website:⁠⁠⁠ www.michellesimonemiller.com⁠⁠⁠ Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/user/24mmichelle⁠⁠ Listen to her full interview on Season 3 Episode 7 of Mentors on the Mic podcast. Becoming... Bestselling Author, Brand Marketer, and CEO of Leave Your Mark Aliza Licht Ads: ⁠Cave Day⁠ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/michelle-miller4/support

On this episode of DTC Pod, Alexandra joins Blaine and Ramon to talk about company building. They cover the creation of Gilt, building early demand, sourcing supply, creating a marketplace, the evolving commerce landscape, team building, the overlap between commerce and services marketplaces, understanding your ICP and working backward, how she invests, why she loves Miami, and much more.49:00We were not a big company. We were just kind getting going and pulled this off. So I think startups, sometimes I hear founders be like, well, I don't really have budgets to do creative things. And you can be guerilla marketing, tactical, boots on the streets doing clever things with fewer dollars than one thinks they might need.55:00 I smile because I'm like, yeah, I've been there. I I remember when I had migraines every day for six months in the early days of GILT because I was so stressed. Yes, I remember that. it's very, it's very real. And so I think founders appreciate that I've spent more time in my career on their side than the current side. But that also sometimes makes me tougher because I'm like, wait what do you mean you're going on vacation all the time? Or what do you mean you're turning your phone off or you're not hustling?60:00 So I don't know how to do something not as part of a team. I think it's super important where nobody's good at everything, and it's so important to know what are your superpowers? What are you good at? What do you enjoy doing? And, and answer that question for every co-founder or your early team members. And one of the reasons Gilt worked really well, and all my partnerships, I think because there was clarity. It was just obvious who does what and, and who's in charge of what. This episode is brought to you by OpenStore: Visit https://open.store to get a free, no-obligation offer for your e-commerce business from OpenStore in 24 hours. Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further?Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you. Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox?Check out our newsletter hereFollow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!DTCPod InstagramDTCPod TwitterDTCPod TikTokAlexandra Wilkis Wilson -  Co-founder of the Gilt, GlamSquad, and ClerisyRamon Berrios - CEO of Trend.ioBlaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Seated

In The Room with Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, Co-Founder of Gilt Groupe, GLAMSQUAD, and Clerisy. In our final episode of the season, and 50th episode of The Room Podcast, Alexandra shares her experience breaking into the online retail fashion world with her smash hit, Gilt Groupe, alongside her partner, Alexis Maybank. Alexandra explains how she had limited merchandising experience but took advantage of the consumer ‘FOMO’ by creating the early forms of fashion brand “drops.” In this conversation, we cover themes such as the original “drop” model, what’s happening in Miami’s ‘Silicon Valley Beach’, and the adoption of Omni-channel 3.0. For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. 4:23 - Where did Alexandra grow up and how did that experience shape her view of the World?5:55 - Did Alexandra always think she would become a founder?7:35 - When Alexandra was at Harvard, were many people looking to become founders?10:03 - What was the retail climate like in 2007 when Alexandra started Gilt Groupe?13:05 - Did Alexandra realize she was creating the early stages of fashion brand “drops”?14:24 - What inspired Alexandra to structure Gilt Groupe in the way that it was?15:13 - Was it difficult pursuing larger purchase orders without having much retail fashion experience?18:32 - Who's the first person to say yes to Alexandra and Gilt Groupe?20:39 - What challenges did Alexandra face when building the robust catalog of items on Gilt?25:31 - Is Alexandra more or less bullish on the gig economy than she was when she founded Glamsquad in 2014?26:56 - What is the investment strategy of Clerisy? 29:44 - How is the technology ecosystem evolving in Alexandra’s new home city of Miami?32:07 - What do the next five years hold for commerce?33:54 - How is Alexandra thinking about the evolving tech world, especially in regard to Web3?36:38 - Who is a woman in Alexandra’s life that had a profound impact on her and her career? Be the first to know when new episodes drop - Receive Our Newsletter Season 5 of The Room Podcast is sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley. WX Productions

If you are an entrepreneur, the latest episode of The LAFS Podcast is just for you! An intimate conversation between our co-founder Estefanía Lacayo and serial entrepreneur Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, co-founder of several successes such as Gilt Groupe, GlamSquad, Fitz, and Clerisy. In this episode, Estefanía talks with Alexandra about the challenges when choosing a partner, the first steps to follow when raising capital, the keys for selling a company, the MUSTS in a DTC strategy, and everything about her new chapter as an investor. Don't miss this inspiring conversation!

Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, Co-founder of Gilt Groupe, GlamSquad, Fitz, and Clerisy Growth Fund, shares her secrets to scaling and exiting successfully. Gain insights into the mindset and strategies needed to build three successful companies, lead two to exits, and create a growth fund that focuses on helping companies scale, moderated by Claudia Duran, Managing Director at Endeavor Miami. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/endeavornorthamerica/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/endeavornorthamerica/support

"Today we welcome Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, Entrepreneur, Investor, Board Director, Tech Advisor, Mentor, Author, Public Speaker, and Co-Founder of Gilt & GLAMSQUAD. Alexandra finds entrepreneurship addictive, is invigorated by the noes, listens to the naysayers, but mostly loves connecting with people. In today's episode, hear her take on great ideas becoming great companies through the art of disruption. Subscribe to Ideamix Radio and stay tuned for new episodes every Thursday. On Ideamix Radio we speak with entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, career changers, experts and enthusiasts for insider tips that help you build the life, business, and career you want. Ideamix is the go-to destination for entrepreneurs to turn their idea into a business. Check out our website at www.theideamix.com. For comments, questions, podcast guest ideas or sponsorship inquiries, please email info@theideamix.com."

In this episode of The #MiamiTech Pod, Alexandra, Maria, Cesar & Will discuss:Alexandra's backgroundHer time at Gilt, GLAMSQUAD, and other venturesMore about her new venture capital firm ClerisyWhy she chose to move to Miami& more!! Follow Alexandra on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AWilkisWilson

Let's talk about the business of wellness…   My guest today is Shai Eisenman, Founder and CEO of affordable skincare brand, Bubble. Launched in 2019, with the support of an impressive advisory board including Alexia Brue, Co-Founder of Well+Good, and Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, Founder of Glamsquad and Gilt, it's no wonder Bubble has become a favourite amongst thousands of teenagers.    In this episode, Shai shares her journey to launching the DTC skincare brand at just 29 years old. We talk about why you shouldn't assume you know a market before doing your research, and how Bubble has taken to hiring teens to support the brands marketing efforts. We also explore the rise of Tik Tok and the strategy behind Bubble's influencer marketing campaign.   Thank you to our sponsors: - The go-to legal firm supporting the wellness industry Bird & Bird - The software booking experts serving gyms, spas and salons worldwide, Mindbody   Find out what trends are driving the growth of the wellness industry in our 2021 Consumer Wellness Trends Report.    To find out how Welltodo can help you grow your business and support your career objectives, head to welltodoglobal.com today.

“En el mundo de los startups no existe el "fracaso". Cuando haces algo, aprendes y eso no es un fracaso." - Alexandra Wilkis Wilson @awilkiswilson Este episodio es presentado por GBM+ y mi nuevo programa, Oso Trava Podcast Alexandra es una emprendedora visionaria, inversora que se ha distinguido con una serie de empresas digitales que han revolucionado las industrias. Fue cofundadora de la pionera del comercio electrónico GILT, de otras 2 startups y asesora e inversionista de decenas más. Alexandra tiene un MBA de Harvard Business School y actualmente es cofundadora del fondo de inversión Clerisy.  Hoy hablamos de las ventajas de emprender en tiempos de crisis, de la importancia del coaching en equipos de alto desempeño y de cómo superar un fracaso. Qué puedes aprender hoy: Conoce el inicio de las flash-sales y la revolución del competitive shopping. Haz sentir especial a tu cliente mientras creas urgencia por tu producto. Construye tu propio “Personal board of directors” con la gente que te rodea. Factores a considerar cuando buscas el nombre de tu proyecto. Notas del episodio en: https://cracks.la/108 * Si te gusta el podcast, ¿podrías considerar dejar una breve reseña en Apple Podcasts / iTunes? Tarda menos de 60 segundos y realmente marca la diferencia para ayudar a convencer a los invitados difíciles de conseguir. ¡También disfruto mucho de leer las reseñas! Para obtener notas del programa, links a todo lo que mencionamos e invitados anteriores, visita cracks.la. Regístrate para recibir el newsletter de Oso Trava (Viernes de Cracks) por correo electrónico cracks.la/viernes. Sigue a Oso: Twitter: twitter.com/osotrava Instagram: instagram.com/osotrava Youtube: youtube.com/crackspodcast Conferencias y cursos: osotrava.com

A Harvard educated serial entrepreneur, Alexandra Wilkis Wilson first hit it big with the founding of Gilt in 2007. A flashsale company specializing luxury goods, Gilt became an early story of success in e-commerce, with Alexandra going on to be a role model for fellow women tech founders. Alexandra has thrived at the leading edge of digital, with recent successes in the on-demand economy, artificial intelligence and machine learning. She’s advised scores of new and developing businesses, served on the boards of public and private companies. In this conversation with Kindra Hall, she discusses how to stay one step ahead of the curve as an entrepreneur. The SUCCESS Stories podcast takes you behind the scenes with the most successful authors, speakers, athletes, entrepreneurs, and other high achievers. Learn more about their journeys to the top at www.success.com. 

As the co-founder of Gilt Groupe, one of the first flash-sale sites in the U.S., Alexandra Wilkis Wilson brought the excitement of a New York sample sale to the online world in 2007. From there, she launched and was the CEO of GlamSquad, the on-demand in-home beauty services app. Now the SVP of Consumer Strategy and Innovation at Allergan, her job is to build new digital ventures, including Spotlyte and Regi. Learn how Alexandra asks for what she wants, sets goals, and continues to innovate.

If you have any connection to the fashion or beauty industries you've most likely heard of Alexandra Wilkis Wilson at least of The GILT Group and Glamsquad. Her latest entrepreneurial success is Allergan's Spotlyte, educating millions  on beauty and medical aesthetics. Alexandra shares her remarkable entrepreneurial journey—from a childhood lemonade stand to leading 1,000 employees, how startups are romanticized, and teams are everything, the importance of a two-way street and how becoming a mother impacted her professional life, finding the right people to hire, launching a company in the biggest way, how culture has been a focus for her new company, and how she's learned to say no (but sometimes yes). Plus, a surprise, and a brainstorm for a social media strategy. Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, Entrepreneur, Executive, Board Director, Investor, Advisor, Mentor, Author, Public Speaker, and SVP, Consumer Strategy and Innovation for Allergan, joins Socialfly founders Stephanie Cartin and Courtney Spritzer in the MouthMedia Network studios for a conversation about building her company and her journey to success, along with a surprise and a brainstorm. In this episode: Coming from a lemonade stand as a child to launching GILT as her first entrepreneurial effort as a professional person Being bitten by the entrepreneurial bug, a major turning point for her — seeing tech, fashion, commerce, all really changing Why Alexandra is a big believer in teams The unexpected level of difficulty, and how startups are romanticized The process from idea to raising money and figuring out a business How Alexandra is involved in many startups in various ways Always seeking the perfect market fit  — a perfect storm of a good idea and amazing people, timing and funding What the co-founders focused on in their roles The importance of a two-way street, LinkedIn, helping others, what goes around comes around The timing of becoming a mother, how it brought a change Getting involved in Glamsquad because she bumped into cofounders who had a great idea What Alexandra is doing now is scarier than anything before Someone from Socialfly was the 500k Glamsquad customer When she was looking for board roles, a big client is Allergan owned Botox, doing something innovative Spotlyte – a great place to learn about beauty and skincare Alexandra is an expert in understanding consumer behavior, consumer strategy and innovation into an industry heavily regulated, that wasn't focused enough on customer A billboard in Times Square and a food truck for a launch Educating millions of consumers on beauty and medical aesthetics, unbranded Why Alexandra is surprised that a big, global company is so entrepreneurial Keep meeting people, keep track of people Hiring 50 new people in a year Leading over a 1,000 people at one time The culture at Alexandra's current office – transparent, communicative, respectful, agile, teamwork, fun, passionate, and more — consistency Whether being an entrepreneur gets easier? The good days and bad days phase her less Learning to say “no”

If you have any connection to the fashion or beauty industries you’ve most likely heard of Alexandra Wilkis Wilson at least of  The GILT Group and Glamsquad. Her latest entrepreneurial success is Allergan’s Spotlyte, educating millions  on beauty and medical aesthetics.Alexandra shares her remarkable entrepreneurial journey—from a childhood lemonade stand to leading 1,000 employees, how startups are romanticized, and teams are everything, the importance of a two-way street and how becoming a mother impacted her professional life, finding the right people to hire, launching a company in the biggest way, how culture has been a focus for her new company, and how she’s learned to say no (but sometimes yes). Plus, a surprise, and a brainstorm for a social media strategy. Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, Entrepreneur, Executive, Board Director, Investor, Advisor, Mentor, Author, Public Speaker, and SVP, Consumer Strategy and Innovation for Allergan, joins Socialfly founders Stephanie Cartin and Courtney Spritzer in the MouthMedia Network studios for a conversation about building her company and her journey to success, along with a surprise and a brainstorm.In this episode: Coming from a lemonade stand as a child to launching GILT as her first entrepreneurial effort as a professional person Being bitten by the entrepreneurial bug, a major turning point for her — seeing tech, fashion, commerce, all really changing Why Alexandra is a big believer in teams The unexpected level of difficulty, and how startups are romanticized The process from idea to raising money and figuring out a business How Alexandra is involved in many startups in various ways Always seeking the perfect market fit  — a perfect storm of a good idea and amazing people, timing and funding What the co-founders focused on in their roles The importance of a two-way street, LinkedIn, helping others, what goes around comes around The timing of becoming a mother, how it brought a change Getting involved in Glamsquad because she bumped into cofounders who had a great idea What Alexandra is doing now is scarier than anything before Someone from Socialfly was the 500k Glamsquad customer When she was looking for board roles, a big client is Allergan owned Botox, doing something innovative Spotlyte – a great place to learn about beauty and skincare Alexandra is an expert in understanding consumer behavior, consumer strategy and innovation into an industry heavily regulated, that wasn’t focused enough on customer A billboard in Times Square and a food truck for a launch Educating millions of consumers on beauty and medical aesthetics, unbranded Why Alexandra is surprised that a big, global company is so entrepreneurial Keep meeting people, keep track of people Hiring 50 new people in a year Leading over a 1,000 people at one time The culture at Alexandra’s current office – transparent, communicative, respectful, agile, teamwork, fun, passionate, and more — consistency Whether being an entrepreneur gets easier? The good days and bad days phase her less Learning to say “no”

Serial entrepreneurship and moving into medical aesthetics… Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, entrepreneur and cofounder of Gilt Groupe, GlamSquad, and Fitz, and who currently leads a digital ventures team, helping to disrupt the aesthetics industry, at Allergan USA, Inc., including digital editorial hub Spotlyte, joins Regina Gwynn, Karen Moon, Abby Wallach, and April Franzino in the MouthMedia Network studios powered by Sennheiser.In this episode: Wilkis Wilson on learning Focused on at Allergan medical aesthetics Created moonwalker, consumer and digitally oriented – spotlight a content site targeting consumers Preventative care at earlier ages 40M Americans considerers of medical aesthetics Botox uses Resources about providers Medical aesthetics division Botox, coolsculpting, etc Why this role is now created, and bringing Spotlyte into forefront Where Wilkis Wilson’s interest in beauty came from GlamSquad, Gilt, etc. Beauty was hard, not an industry open to discounting, sensitive to gray market activity Changing to focus on launch of beauty products Gilt City found success with beauty related products The value of feedback while building a business and product, and being transparent with team Taking an agile learning approach Building a culture in a company or team A sense of entrepreneurial failure if feeling like not giving value A secluded island, a Brazilian adventure, and JetBlack, podcasts, and LinkedIn The post 061 – Alexandra Wilkis Wilson of Allergan – Entrepreneurial Beauty appeared first on Beauty Is Your Business.

In the seventy-second episode of Project Entrepreneur's #theTools, GILT Co-Founders Alexis Maybank and Alexandra Wilkis Wilson (who is also the Co-Founder of GlamSquad and Fitz) look back on their time as co-founders of GILT and give early stage founders tips and strategies for developing healthy co-founder relationships. This recording comes from the 2018 PE Intensive in New York City.

Pioneering the world of online sample sales and on-demand beauty, we have to thank no other than the serial entrepreneur and co-founder behind behind Gilt Groupe, GlamSquad and Fitz - Alexandra Wilkis Wilson.  Alexandra speaks to her experiences launching start-ups and shares advice for budding entrepreneurs looking to explore their passions.  In this episode of Beauty Bosses, Dr. Lara Devgan talks to Alexandra about her success journey, and how her mother and grandmother shaped her idea that happy people are beautiful, and beauty comes from within.

Pioneering the world of online sample sales and on-demand beauty, we have to thank no other than the serial entrepreneur and co-founder behind behind Gilt Groupe, GlamSquad and Fitz - Alexandra Wilkis Wilson. Alexandra speaks to her experiences launching start-ups and shares advice for budding entrepreneurs looking to explore their passions. In this episode of Beauty Bosses, Dr. Lara Devgan talks to Alexandra about her success journey, and how her mother and grandmother shaped her idea that happy people are beautiful, and beauty comes from within.

In this episode of the Tony Robbins Podcast, we’re wrapping up our Business Mastery Panelists series with a woman who changed the way millions of people shop, and the way million of women get ready – Alexandra Wilkis Wilson. Wilkis Wilson was one of the co-founders of Gilt Groupe - the members-only flash sale site for the most coveted fashion brands. She also served as CEO of Glamsquad, the NYC-based startup that offers on-demand hair and makeup services. And she even started a mobile makeover service called Fitz that helped customers give their wardrobe a fresh start. It’s fashion and beauty - revolutionized. And at Business Mastery, Tony spoke to Alexandra about each of these companies and how she helped build them into businesses that thrive - even during economic winters. They dig into the secret behind Gilt’s growth, how critical it is to build trust, but still move quickly, and why women have unique advantages when it comes to customer acquisition strategy.

It's episode 10! Can you believe it?! This week's guest is absolutely perfect to mark the occasion. What We Do is thrilled to welcome Alexandra Wilkis Wilson to the show. Alexandra is the co-founder of Gilt, Glam Squad, and Fitz Co. She is currently the CEO of Fitz Co. and also SVP of Consumer Strategy and Innovation at Allergan. The Harvard and Harvard Business school alum is a best selling author, speaker, and fierce wife and mother of two. Alexandra's vast experience in entrepreneurship, start-ups, and advising and investing in fellow female founders makes her the perfect guest for the WWD audience. If anyone out there is interested in starting your own business or is scared to take the plunge on a big dream, whatever it may be, this episode is for you. Enjoy!

Alexandra Wilkis Wilson is a serial entrepreneur known for co-founding Gilt Groupe and and GlamSquad, and a NYTimes bestselling author. With her new venture, Fitz, she has created an in-home service that organizes your closet, edits your wardrobe and offers personalized style recommendations, helping you 'buy less, choose well, make it last.' (Vivienne Westwood)

On the 16th episode of the Loose Threads Podcast, a show about the intersection of fashion, technology and commerce, I talk with Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, the founder of Fitz, a company that starts by helping people organize their closets. From there, it recommends new products and services and helps people donate and resell old clothing all while learning more and more about its customers. It became clear early on in our discussion that Fitz is one of the most direct to consumer companies ever. The the relationship it has with its customers is incredibly intense and intimate. At the same time, the service is agnostic to shifts in trend and brands, acting as a service layer on top of all of the noise. My head was kind of spinning after this interview because Fitz seems to nail everything that is relevant in the fashion and consumer space today while also having the flexibility to evolve with time. Even though the company only officially launched a few months ago, I would definitely keep an eye on what they’re working on. Once the technology becomes visible to customers, what seems like an already great service only gets better. This was one definitely of the most fascinating discussions I’ve had in a while. — Show Notes — Fitz http://yourfitz.com — About Loose Threads — http://LooseThreads.com Join the newsletter: http://eepurl.com/buLQY9 Twitter: http://twitter.com/loosethreadsxyz The Loose Threads Podcast explores the intersection of fashion, technology and commerce. Hosted by Richie Siegel, an entrepreneur and writer, each episode features an in-depth conversation with one guest that spans a range of topics. The guests range from being fashion-focused to technology-focused to somewhere in between, but the unifying thread is always the rapid change facing the industry and how entrepreneurs are responding. You can listen to the podcast on any player of your choice, in addition to on http://LooseThreads.com

We're bringing back and oldie, but a goodie! Listen to our interview with Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, Co-Founder of Gilt Groupe and current CEO of Glamsquad, an on-demand, app-based beauty provider delivering professional and affordable hair, makeup and nails services to your home, office, hotel, or wherever you may be. Alexandra gives Jeremy the inside scoop on what she learned while building Gilt Groupe and what's it's like to be the matriarch of the "Glam Fam" at Glamsquad.

In this week's FAST FORWARD, FOX Business Network's Jo Ling Kent dishes on the scandal rocking the fantasy football world. Two class action lawsuits have been filed against the biggest names in fantasy sports: Draft Kings and FanDuel. At first glance, the future of fantasy football might look like it’s been hanging in the balance lately, but as Jo explains…America’s new favorite pastime isn’t going anywhere. Jo also sits down with GLAMSQUAD CEO and GILT co-founder Alexandra Wilkis Wilson to discuss the newest way to get your perfect look. Glamsquad allows you to book an appointment with beauty professionals who come right to your door! Its one of the newest start-ups joining the service on-demand trend. Like Uber, it commissions independent contractors to perform services…but just how fair is the compensation and benefits for the workers? Jo digs deep to find out. Subscribe and get automatic downloads of this podcast on iTunes Join FOX Business Network's Jo Ling Kent with this edition of Fast Forward FAST FORWARD is a podcast on tech, innovation and media. Every week, FAST FORWARD, digs into today's stories with the most dynamic leaders and voices. Featuring the inventors, innovators and investors who shape the future while we wait patiently in the present, we leverage our Fox Business intel to explore what happened, why and what's coming next. And robots. Lots of robots. Follow Jo on Twitter @JoLingKent #FOXFastForward Click here for more “Fast Forward” with Jo Ling Kent

Interview with Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, Co-Founder of Gilt Groupe and CEO of Glamsquad. In this episode of Smart People Should Build Things: The Venture for America Podcast, Jeremy interviews Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, Co-Founder of Gilt Groupe and current CEO of Glamsquad, on-demand, app-based beauty provider delivering professional and affordable hair, makeup and nails (currently available in NYC only) services to your home, office, hotel, or wherever you may be. Alexandra gives Jeremy the inside scoop on what she learned while building Gilt Groupe and what's it's like to be the matriarch of the "Glam Fam".

Audio File:  Download MP3Transcript: An Interview with Alexandra Wilkis Wilson Founder and Chief Merchandising Officer, Gilt Groupe Date: March 21, 2011 NCWIT Entrepreneurial Heroes: Interview with Alexandra Wilkis Wilson [intro music]

Lee Kennedy:  Hi. This is Lee Kennedy, board member of the National Center for Women in Information Technology, or NCWIT. I'm also CEO of Bolder Search. This is a part of a series of interviews that we're having with fabulous entrepreneurs, women who have started IT companies in a variety of sectors, and all of whom just have terrific stories to tell us about being entrepreneurs. With me here today is Larry Nelson from w3w3.com. Hi, Larry.

 Larry Nelson:  Hi. I am so happy to be here. This is going to be an excellent interview. I know my wife in particular, who is also my business partner, is very anxious to hear this interview. Lee:  Great. Today we're interviewing Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, who is the founder and chief merchandising officer of the Gilt Groupe. It's an innovative company that's revolutionized the fashion industry and e‑commerce in general. Alexandra has been featured on "Forbes Fortune," "The Wall Street Journal," and many times on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and Fox. Welcome, Alexandra. We're thrilled to have you today. Alexandra Wilkis Wilson:  Thanks for having me. Lee:  Before we start, Alexandra, can you tell us a little bit about the Gilt Groupe and what's new there? Alexandra:  Sure. We launched Gilt Groupe in November 2007. We were inspired by a love of fashion and the excitement of the New York City sample sale. We wanted to bring this excitement online for the first time in the U.S. Today, three and a half years later, we have really grown into a lifestyle business where we sell, on our website, every single day, beautiful merchandise, curated by our teams of buyers and merchants across many categories. We sell women's, men's, home decor, children's, beauty. We have a set called Jet Setter, which is all about luxury and high‑end travel around the world. Our newest launch is called Gilt City, where we offer local experiences. We are live there in New York, L.A., San Francisco, Boston, Miami, Chicago, and also in Tokyo, because I forgot to mention we have Gilt Japan as well. Lee:  Wow. That is exciting. Larry:  Great. Alexandra:  We've been busy. Lee:  We'd love to hear how you first got into technology, and then what technologies do you think are cool today? Alexandra:  Prior to founding Gilt Group, I had never worked in technology officially, in any capacity. I had been working for Bulgari and Louis Vuitton after business school, in much more of a bricks‑and‑mortar environment. My co‑founder, Alexis Maybank, is the reverse of that. She had worked at eBay. She was a very early employee there, and scaled from about 40 to 5,000 employees over the five‑year period, so she had terrific e‑commerce experience. However, I would say I've always been a pretty early adopter of using new technologies as a consumer. Lee:  It sounds like you two had a good combo in your backgrounds. Alexandra:  Absolutely. Lee:  The second part of the question was, what do you think is really cool in as far as technology, gadgets? Alexandra:  There are so many technologies that I think are cool today. Probably my most recent purchase is Apple TV, which I just love. It's a chance to bring together a lot of different forms of media together from having our photographs, to Netflix and movies and music, all kinds of different sources that we use on a day to day basis, whether it's on the computer or TV. It's all in one place. Of course, I have an iPad. As soon as iPad launched, I had one, and actually I'm proud to say that when iPad launched, Gilt had a great app from day one. I love this app. If you haven't taken a look at it, you should download it. It's free, and it makes shopping on the go a lot easier. We also of course have an iPhone app, an Android, and we have mobile as well. Lee:  Cool. Larry:  Wow. We'll make sure that we put a link to that app, how's that? [laughter] Alexandra:  That would be great. Thanks. Larry:  All right. Why are you an entrepreneur? What is it about entrepreneurship that makes you tick? Alexandra:  Sure. Prior to founding Gilt Groupe, my resume didn't look like an entrepreneurial resume, but I think that is something that is innate and something I was born with, in terms of my creativity, my spirit. My father's an entrepreneur. I was the little girl growing up in New York City who loved to have lemonade stands. While I'd have a lemonade stand, I would sell the bracelets that I made off of my wrists because someone would tell me that they loved that bracelet. I was always into little business ideas from a very young age. I had a babysitting business that I built. So I think it's something that comes from within. Something that's important to think about is there's so many different types of entrepreneurs. There are the people with the big ideas, and then there are the people who can take an idea and really run with it and execute it. I think both types of entrepreneurs are equally important in creating a startup that can really become successful. Lee:  It definitely sounds like it was in your blood. Larry:  Yeah, that's a fact. Lee:  When you think back about your career path, who's really been a role model or influential in supporting you in this career path? Alexandra:  My parents have always been very supportive and involved in my education, and after my education, in my career path and the different choices I have made along the way. I definitely spoke a lot with my parents. My husband also played an important role. I think he is the one who helped give me that confidence to push me forward and take a risk and do something I have never done before. So I think it begins with family, absolutely. But it's also important to have mentors and a figurative personal board of advisers of people that you can go to for advice, to brainstorm ideas, to have sometimes a sanity check. As I've seen my career progress over the years, I think that personal, figurative board of advisers actually does evolve over time, and at different stages in one's career, you need different bits of advice. You also meet a lot more people along the way. Larry:  Boy, I'll say. With your brick‑and‑mortar background, along with your high‑tech‑ness today, what is the toughest thing that you've had to do along the way in your career? Alexandra:  I think that's a hard question. I'm only 34, and I expect to have a long career ahead of me. I think there are always tough moments, from some difficult days and being exhausted to making big decisions of when to move on from an opportunity, when to launch something, start something new. There have been many moments where I've had to seek guidance. Right out of business school I was very focused on working in luxury. I worked for Louis Vuitton in their management and training program. I literally was, for a year, standing on the shop floor, on the sales floor, working directly with customers. Sometimes that would be very humbling and I would wonder if it was a crazy decision to be doing a job like that, or if maybe it was really smart to understand retail from the bottom up. Today I think it was smart, but at the time, I certainly did question myself. Lee:  It kind of leads into our next question. If you were sitting here with a young person and giving them advice about entrepreneurship, what advice would you give them? Alexandra:  Well, I love speaking with entrepreneurs and people who are considering doing something entrepreneurial, so there are a lot of tidbits I would share. One is to figure out what you're really passionate about, what you're good at, what makes you so inspired and excited that if you were doing something from a career perspective 24/7, what would make you jump out of bed in the morning and run to work and it wouldn't really feel like work? I think when work feels like work, it's not as fun. I think it's important to have fun on a job, to learn on the job, to be around people who you respect, who you can learn from. I think learning is so important, no matter how old you are and how experienced you are. I think it's important to be OK with failure. I think if you're so worried about, "Well, what if this fails? What do I do if this fails?" then that's just setting yourself up for not a good situation. It's OK to fail. Some entrepreneurs learn their most valuable mistakes from having a rough start. You can always start again and do something different. So go for it, but make sure you have a great team of people you really trust, that you really know very well, because when times are tough, you see people's true colors. You want to make sure that you really are close with the team that you start a business with. Larry:  I can relate to everything that you have said so far. My wife and I, we started 12 companies over the years, and we've always told people we've learned more from the failures than we did from the great successes. Alexandra:  I believe that. Larry:  Yeah. Just a little introspection here. What are the personal characteristics that you think that you have that give you the advantage of being an entrepreneur? Alexandra:  There are probably a few things, I would say. One is I'm a very hard worker. I'm very dedicated. I'm responsible and reliable. I've always had this sort of fire in my belly, whether you want to call it ambition or drive or just enthusiasm for something when I'm really passionate about it. I think those are all important qualities to have. I also love people. I think I can read people pretty well. I speak several languages. I really speak several languages. I speak English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, but I can also speak in a nuanced way, different languages. Which, what I mean to say is I can be equally comfortable speaking to a CEO as I am speaking with the CFO, the CMO, a very junior person, a designer, someone in marketing, PR. Really, at all levels of a company. In terms of what I had built with Gilt Groupe and convincing thousands of brands to work with us, I've relied on this ability to communicate with different people, different levels of people, different backgrounds, different mindsets, and being able to adjust my message and my positioning based on that person or that company's point of view. Lee:  That definitely helps. Larry:  Yeah, you bet. Lee:  When you think of your long days and struggling through different challenges in the startup you've been in, how do you bring balance into your personal and professional life? Alexandra:  Well, I'm still learning how to do that, so if anyone has advice, I'm always open to hearing how other people do that well. But I'm very organized, and I think that's important. I'm also a new mother, so that forces me to be even more organized than I was in the first place. I think it's important to take time for oneself, for family, for friends. But there are always going to be moments where things are a little bit out of balance. There are going to be time periods where I have to work really hard, I have to travel. I'm not going to be able to spend as much time with my family. That's OK, and I'm OK with that, as long as overall, I can find that type of balance. I certainly rely on technology in terms of communicating with the people that are important to me. Lee:  That's inspiring. You've started this company and you've had a baby. Larry:  Speaking of that, you've got a new baby, you've already accomplished a great deal at your young tender age. What is next for you? Alexandra:  I'm still having a great time. I'm learning a lot, and I think as long as I'm continuing to learn and interact with people that inspire me, I will keep going as is. I love what we're doing and creating with Gilt Groupe, so I think I'm here for a while. Larry:  All right. Sounds wonderful. Lee:  Thank you so much for interviewing with us today. We've enjoyed hearing your story, and we look forward to having it up on w3w3.com as well as ncwhit.org. Please pass this along to friends and family and anyone that's interested in becoming an entrepreneur. Larry:  Isn't that a fact. In fact, some of the parents who are raising their children to give them a little entrepreneurial shove. Alexandra:  Thank you very much. It was a pleasure. Lee:  Thank you, Alexandra. Larry:  Thank you, Alexandra. [music] Series: Entrepreneurial HeroesInterviewee: Alexandra Wilkis Wilson Interview Summary: Inspired by a love of fashion and the excitement of a New York sample sale, Alexandra Wilkis Wilson founded Gilt Groupe to share her love and excitement with a larger online audience. Release Date: March 21, 2011Interview Subject: Alexandra Wilkis WilsonInterviewer(s): Larry Nelson, Lee KennedyDuration: 13:33