Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, the cofounder of Gilt Groupe, GLAMSQUAD and Fitz, has spent most of her career creating innovative female-focused products. Now she is bringing that same entrepreneurial spirit and drive to her newest venture. She became senior vice president of consumer strategy and innovation at the Dublin-based global pharmaceutical company Allergan in February 2018.
It might seem like a departure from founding companies, but the serial entrepreneur has a more open-minded view of entrepreneurship. “I believe that anyone can apply entrepreneurial thought and action to his or her professional life, regardless of the size or stage of a company. It comes down to having the confidence to think differently and to take action in new ways. Some people need to be given explicit permission to do this, others automatically gravitate to a road less traveled,” says Wilkis Wilson. She will continuously build new consumer-facing businesses as a senior executive at Allergan’s new digital ventures unit, Project Moonwalker, starting with their new digital media platform, Spotlyte.
You are the cofounder of Gilt Groupe, GLAMSQUAD and Fitz. How has what you learned as an entrepreneur helped you be successful in your new role as senior vice president of consumer strategy and innovation at Allergan?
As a young girl, I first discovered my entrepreneurial spirit when I would regularly create lemonade stands with my friends after school or on weekends. Many years later, after having worked in corporate environments starting out in investment banking and then making my way to luxury retail, I gave myself the freedom and permission to reconnect with my entrepreneurial spirit as I joined my dear friend Alexis Maybank and three other cofounders to create what became Gilt, the disruptive flash sale site which launched in 2007 and sold to Hudson’s Bay Company in 2016. Subsequently, I cofounded and led two other ventures, GLAMSQUAD, the in-home beauty services company, and Fitz, the in-home closet organizing and personal styling startup, which sold in early 2018 to Tradesy.
Over the past 11 years as an entrepreneur, I have picked up a number of tips along the way that I am applying to my current consumer digital endeavors within Allergan. Some of the more valuable lessons I have learned along the way include how to: turn ideas into action, lead by example, be transparent, be a pioneer, be comfortable in unfamiliar roles and environments, be flexible, learn on the job, hire and groom talent, seek out mentors and network and build and leverage relationships.
Now while working at Allergan, I am leveraging as many of these learnings as possible while leading “Moonwalker,” the Allergan-owned digital ventures unit.
What are your responsibilities as senior vice president of consumer strategy and innovation at Allergan?
My primary role is to recruit, lead and inspire the Moonwalker team to execute innovative new business models that have the potential to transform the medical aesthetics industry.
You are also an advisor or angel investor in more than 50 startups, many of them founded or led by women. How do you decide what you invest in?
Firstly, I need to wholeheartedly believe in the entrepreneurs who I support. I have a mental checklist that I consider. Does the vision and passion of the founding team inspire me? Do the individuals building the venture have track records of success? How committed is the team to the venture’s success? Do they know how to relentlessly hustle? Can I add value to this venture based on my experiences? Does the venture have the ability to disrupt a sector and truly scale? Are there viable exits?
I, as a consumer, also need to truly understand the actual product being created. I am passionate about consumer-facing businesses and need to be able to relate somehow to the consumer pain points that the venture is solving. I am only helpful as an angel or advisor when I can understand the use case for the product.
Two of your startups have been acquired, Gilt Groupe and Fitz. What is your advice for founders who hope to sell their companies?
It goes back to the notion of building relationships. Meet any potential acquirers early on in your startup journey so that you can be on their radar and you can understand what they could be looking for in a potential acquisition target. Be open-minded to all kind of possibilities and outcomes. Be reasonable and manage your expectations.
What’s the biggest lesson you learned at work and how did you learn it?
It’s difficult to feel motivated every day at work when you find yourself in a role that you know doesn’t suit your skillset or your interests. It helps to be passionate about what your functional role is and to believe in the vision of your company and your team. If I compare how I felt professionally when I was an analyst in investment banking to the entrepreneurial roles I have had over the past 11 years, I know that I ultimately ended up finding the right professional path for myself, but I was 30-years -old when I came to that realization. Sometimes you have to be patient and try out a number of opportunities. My best advice is to figure out both what you are good at and what you love doing professionally. Hopefully, there’s overlap between the two!
What is one thing that you wish you had known when you were starting out your career?
It’s a marathon, not a race. You will get opportunities to keep reinventing yourself professionally and you don’t need to do the same thing throughout your career. Change is okay, in fact, I strongly recommend it!
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
What is your business advice for other young professional women?
Seek out role models, mentors and champions. Know the difference between the three. Rarely will one person serve all three roles for you, and that’s okay. Be respectful of these relationships you cultivate and acknowledge your appreciation for the time shared with you.
Image courtesy of Alexandra Wilkis Wilson.
