Skills ‘R U s
“There’s really a tremendous respect for each other’s skills. Our work styles are also very different, and we view that as a positive, rather than a point of frustration. I think Alexis is quite visionary. She’s a big-picture thinker. She has a great head on her shoulders. She’s the CEO of our company, whereas I enjoy getting involved in details, execution, and making sure that every ‘i’ is dotted and every ‘t’ is crossed. It’s a nice balance.”
Do What You Know
“I certainly understand the sample sale world from my fashion experience. And Alexis really understands the online space. And we’re in the day and age of viral social networking, the Facebooks and the ASmallWorlds, and that’s a world we both understand very well and participate in quite actively, so having a viral business model was basically a no-brainer for both of us.”
Bring the Sale to the People
“People don’t have access to typical sample sales. Even if they live in the same city, they might be stuck at their desk, or stuck at home if they’re a stay-at-home mother. And of course if they don’t live in the same city, they don’t have access.”
Going Gilt
“There was a lot of simultaneous action and excitement during the launch of Gilt Groupe. We have an amazing CTO. His name is Mike Bryzek, who we had on board, really, right from the start to build out the site. Mike has incredible start-up experience. He came from MIT, and he had with him other engineers who were on board from the very beginning. As the site was being built and developed, and going from beta testing to getting ready for a real roll-out, I was also simultaneously approaching brands and designers with whom I had relationships. We also were hiring people we needed to launch the business, and fund-raising.”
The Elevator Pitch
“I know a lot of designers and business executives in the fashion industry. I started meeting with them, getting them familiar with our concept, and telling them that this would ultimately be a vehicle to not only dispose of any excess inventory, but it would become a marketing channel in the way that Facebook today has become a marketing channel.”
New Deal on the Block
“A lot of brands, whether fashion brands, or jewelers, or accessories brands, got very intrigued by the idea of, through Gilt Groupe, having access to a younger demographic than they’re used to selling to.”
