Alisa Marie Beyer
Tell us a little about yourself.
I grew up in Liberty, Pa., outside of Williamsport. It seems like only yesterday I graduated from Wilson College; it was 1989. I left Pennsylvania in 1991, to follow my dream of living in Washington, D.C., and have been here ever since. I love this city! In 1996, I married Thomas Beyer, who is from Berlin, Germany. We have two children: Maximilian, 5, and Megan, 2, and live in Georgetown.
What inspired you to become a businesswoman?
From the time I was little my brothers and I would create mini-businesses. We would pick strawberries for days and then sell them on the side of the road. My brother Fred, who is now a successful business owner, used to sell greeting cards door-to-door. My parents really supported us all in learning how to make money and most importantly dream big.
My first acquisition company was Globescope, which a partner and I owned. We developed Web sites for international companies in Washington, primarily embassies. I sold my half of the company to my partner.
Tell us about your foray into public relations.
I knew and loved PR, so I started a firm, ProMarc Agency, which I wholly owned for five years. After five years I sold ProMarc to Hill & Knowlton [one of the world’s largest communications services groups]. I worked for them and at 35 years of age I became the youngest general manager in the firm’s history. H&K is a first class company and they work with the biggest names in the business.
I loved it, but it was an 80-hour-a-week job. I had just had my daughter, and I really missed being an entrepreneur. So, in 2003 I left Hill & Knowlton.
What is it about public relations that you like so much?
The power of words. The ability to take words and creativity to build a brand. Good PR takes brainpower and creativity. Those in public relations are the smartest people I know. They are great multi-taskers with great creativity and ready to respond in a moment’s notice.
How do you define success?
You know you’re successful when you wake up in the morning and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, doing anything else. Success in business is taking a passion, a great idea and working really hard, and holding out until Lady Luck crosses your path. (Best business advice I ever got was “cash is king, don’t run out or it’s game over.”)
What are the biggest challenges women in business face?
For me it’s been balancing work and family life. It’s not easy. For women in general, it’s not thinking or dreaming big enough in most cases. Less than four percent of venture funding requests are from women. We just are not putting the big company ideas out on the table for consideration. Think and dream big.
Your newest venture is AXM Swimwear. Why swimwear?
I really wanted to learn manufacturing from the ground level up and to build a manufacturing business from scratch. It’s been less than a year and I’ve managed to build one of the fastest growing designer swimwear companies in the country. AXM Swimwear is available from coast to coast in more than a dozen upscale specialty stores and through a national retailer Water Water Everywhere. We’re negotiating with two department store chains and have expanded into luxury hotels in the Caribbean.
You make it sound easy, was it?
No! Manufacturing was new territory for me and while fashion is fun, the business of fashion is, from my experience, the most challenging. I had to learn about everything from sourcing to patternmaking to inventory management and distribution. I made a lot of mistakes along the way.
In the end, one of the most fulfilling parts of this business is being able to walk into a store and see an amazing product that you’re truly proud of and know that you had a hand in creating it from inspiration to production.
Where do you see AXM Swimwear in the next five years?
My goal is to build this company to be able to sell it at a later date and in the process learn and stay in the apparel business.
What is your greatest success to date?
Personally, meeting my amazing husband, Thomas Beyer, and having a family together. He’s smart, beautiful and a wonderful father. Professionally, which I could not have done without his support, was becoming a multi-millionaire by age 35. The success of my companies and my family life are really more than I ever dreamed of. I’d also have to say the lasting relationships I’ve built and maintained with many of my employees over the years. We have worked together in a few companies, and there is nothing like your own “Home Team” to make business both successful and meaningful.
Your greatest failure? How do you deal with failure?
How many can I list? I bought a company in Portugal a while ago; invested in a local fashion designer — total failures. But failures are great! I learn a lot more by failing than from being successful.
Tell me about your community involvement.
Research shows that there are far too many women below the poverty line. I sit on the board of CharityWorks that tries to make a difference in the lives of women with children. We select one charity a year and raise funds for that charity. The best thing about success is being able to give back. I have a real opportunity to help women in need.
Parting thoughts?
Learn as much as you can, especially about finance. I focused on business and economics while in college because I wanted to know where the money is and how it’s made. Read a few hours a day. Relax, breathe and enjoy the process.