A CHAT WITH ALISA AND LYSANDRA

THEY’RE SO AL.IVE!

Most of us have probably had that “light bulb” moment where we think of an idea that could solve a real problem. The idea might be easy enough, but having the energy to take that idea and run with it is another story entirely. It takes seemingly endless late nights, persistence and sometimes, a small fortune. With double the determination, twins Alisa and Lysandra took their great idea and turned it into their own body brand, al.ive body.

You would perhaps expect that starting your own line of body products means years of experience in the industry, knowing exactly what you’re doing and having loads of cash but it’s quite the contrary for Alisa and Lysandra. Being twins brought up by a single mum, they learned about hard work very young in life and both grew up to become police officers. With a flare for design (and they’ll admit, a desire for cash) they decided to apply for The Block, which was their launchpad into the world of interior design. On a hunt for the perfect hand soap to complement a bathroom renovation, they discovered that the product they wanted didn’t exist. So, they decided to make it themselves.

In this episode, Alisa and Lysandra talk about the process of establishing their brand and how they managed to launch a successful product in an already saturated market. Both being mums, they’re all too familiar with mum guilt and making playdough. Literally, they made playdough to design the bottle for their hand soap. That’s commitment.

Perhaps you’ve got a great idea that seems ridiculous and way too hard, but all you might need is a bit of inspiration to keep it going. So have a listen and see where the idea takes you. The outcome might be really exciting and make you come al.ive (see what we did there?).

If you have a topic or question you’d like us to cover, contact us here.

SOME TOPICS THAT WE COVER:

  • [1:48] – Their motivation behind applying for The Block
  • [4:00] – Difference between renovating with “The Block” money vs your own money – it’s a lot scarier!
  • [5:30] – The surprising benefits from renovating a property “at a loss”
  • [6:00] – How dressing the bathroom for their Albert Park property sparked their next business venture – Al.ive Body
  • [8:00] – How being stuck in the “planning” phase of a renovation for two years really cost the girls financially
  • [9:33] – The process of building a new brand around Al.ive Body and the meaning behind their name
  • [12:00] – How they designed their bottle (there was play dough involved people!)
  • [13:00] – The hard work that’s involved with making something look effortless
  • [14:00] – How serendipitous it was that the launching of Al.ive Body lined up with COVID-19 and the immediate need for their product
  • [15:20] – The financial investment involved with launching a new product and brand
  • [16:52] – The importance of backing yourself to give things all that you’ve got
  • [19:30] – Juggling Al.ive Body and a design job for a dream client, and then also family! How do they do it!?
  • [22:00] – The sacrifices that have to be made to follow their dreams and all the work behind the scenes that no one else sees
  • [22:30] – Managing a launch and managing burnout
  • [24:20] – The importance of market research when developing a new product

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

We have several Facebook Groups at BuildHer Collective.

MEMBER ONLY FACEBOOK GROUPS

BHC DevelopHers Circle and BuildHer Collective Members Only – these are closed groups for women who are doing our Build Like a BuildHer course or who have joined our DevelopHers Inner Circle.

FREE FACEBOOK GROUP – Join Us!

Anyone is more than welcome to join our Women who Design, Decorate, Renovate & Build group. You will note that it’s a closed group but ask to join and if you’re into building and renovating, this is such an amazing and supportive FREE community, so come on and join in the building goodness!