Allegra Paris, a fitness model and personal trainer, started her activewear and swimwear brand by hand-painting swimsuits. She sells through Shopify and Instagram, where her personal following drives most of her marketing, and plans to seek investors for scaling.
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All right, everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Allegra Paris with us. She is a fitness model, personal trainer, and just launched an activewear and swimwear brand called Allegra Paris and currently resides in Manhattan. So welcome to the show.
Hello, excited to be here.
Yes, pumped to have you here. So we like to go deep quick and learn more about you. So the first question I got I got for you is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
I would just say that I kind of grew up being like weird and artsy. So a story my mom always tells people is I would like go out into our backyard and make like, I'd build like little houses out of like sticks and rocks and stuff. And I once built a little house that I put in my room and it was made of poison ivy. But I didn't know until, you know, my mom had to tell me. But it just happens. I've been creative like my whole life. So I would try to like make little businesses when I was little and like paint my family's nails and just stuff like that. So I think kind of like my childhood and like those little stories are why I still am doing kind of similar stuff now, but on a more like adult level.
Got it, got it. So wait, I wanna, we gotta dive deeper into this poison ivy thing real quick. So like, did people get poison ivy from it or your mom like caught it right away? And was like, get that thing out of here.
I got the poison ivy.
Oh, you got it. Oh, okay. Oh yeah, because you built the whole— obviously. Okay, so you got it. And then she was like, let's not let anybody else get this. I've not heard that before, so that's cool.
I like that because I grew up like on a farm basically in upstate New York.
Okay.
I just— it was a place to be very creative in a different style. I don't know.
Got it. So, and just before we hop to the next one, did you like notice like you were different when you were younger? Like when, like how did that go? Was it like different for you in school or what?
Um, yeah, a little bit. My, because my sister was so great with like academics and I got better with that as I got older, but when I was younger I was just so like spatial and, um, more just all about like art and, but you know, as I got older I tried to kind of push it aside. But, um, yeah, I guess I was a little bit different.
Gotcha. Yeah, yeah, just curious because I mean, I— it's interesting, like normally— I don't want to say normally, but it seems to me like when you are different when you're younger, it's— it can be viewed as almost like a negative in a sense because you're not following like instruction. But then when you're older, it becomes like a big positive, you know.
Yeah, especially nowadays, like, you can just really be like, it's good to be different. I don't know.
Yeah, no, for sure, for sure. So my next one for you, so you have, you know, activewear and swimwear brand, um, and you, you know, you got to tell us anything else you have, but what's the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
Like advice on it, or like—
yeah, yeah, advice. Like, how did you even like launch this swimwear and activewear brand? Like, how did you even do that?
I ended up going to college for entrepreneurial studies and then it's weird because my mom when she was my age started a hand-painted clothing business in her 20s and it's so weird because I didn't obviously try to do what she did but I started painting on my swimsuits right as I was in college and painting clothing and like giving it to my friends. So yeah, that's how I got into it was from school and trying to create. So yeah, if I can say one thing it's just to like find what makes your um, product different. So for me, I have hand-painted pieces.
Oh, okay, gotcha. And then how are you— because for anybody listening, like, what's kind of like the business side of that? So like, do you have like a Shopify store, or like, how does that work? Shopify?
Yep, I have Shopify. And okay, um, I'm really thankful. Again, my sister, she just specializes in like writing, marketing, so she's helped me a little bit with that. And then I kind of do the rest via Instagram. Mostly from my following. I've been lucky enough to kind of use that.
Got it. Okay. So, and was the Shopify store pretty easy to set up or no?
Um, yes, because I've used other platforms first. So I've tried like Squarespace and stuff. Um, Shopify is actually really, really easy and nice. I like it.
Okay. So the main— the way the business kind of— and I know, I know you just launched it, but the kind of way it's going to run is you have a personal brand on Instagram. You have— I'm not sure how many followers, but you've built up a big enough following You have the Shopify, your sister's helping you with the marketing. So pretty much the people that will buy are from your Instagram following mostly. That's how you're kind of—
this far? Yes, yes. I'm actually looking— I'm actually looking to like, um, eventually work with some investors and then really push it to the next level and scale it.
Gotcha.
For right now, I've had really great experience with just promoting on Instagram and Facebook.
Gotcha. Okay, perfect. Yeah, I just like to look into like how it— how it's working because I mean a lot of people, I'm sure or mostly women would want to launch what you, what you have launched. So just like how you did it. So Shopify store and then building an Instagram following. So, so next one, if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
Oh, how— when you say younger, how old?
Uh, 4. No, I'm just kidding. Eat your vegetables. No, um, um, I don't, maybe like middle school or high school.
Not to like have so much anxieties over things I can't control. A lot of like worried, worried about the future, worried about things I don't know the answer to. Like if I could have just chilled out in a lot of those situations, I think like, well, you know, then I learned from those and now I'm a more relaxed person, but yeah. Yeah. Been less stressed out about things I can't control.
Gotcha, yeah, okay. And then so now we'll go a little bit different direction here. So in your opinion, What is the key to happiness?
Um, it's definitely not money, all right? It's not money.
Okay.
Really just being happy with your present, your presence, like just being happy with where you are right now. Not like what will make you happy or what did make you happy, but like, you know, going to work every day and loving what you're doing, loving your family and people around you.
Gotcha. So like the present moment, being in the present moment. Um, okay, so the next one is, is what is the best book that you've read and what's the number one thing you learned from it?
Um, How to Win Friends and Influence People. Yeah, that. And then I also have like a little prayer book that I read at night, which I seriously love. That's so great.
But okay, no, you're good.
What I've learned is just take— oh my God, teaches you so much. It's just how to, um Well, exactly what the title is, but certain things. I think that my favorite one was learning people's names, just being really great with names and memorizing names that when you see them again, no matter where they are, if they're more powerful than you, less powerful than you, like just knowing people's names because people are so appreciative of when you acknowledge like who they are.
Yeah, and, and, um, to go on top of that, I think, I think what it says too is it's like people actually like love the sound of their own name. Like, it's just like a thing. So, um, so Allegra, the next one I got for you is what is your favorite quote and why?
Um, it is, um, anything worth having doesn't come easy. Nothing worth— nothing worth having comes easy.
Got it.
Because, you know, my mom and I will always just— she's like, you know, my momager, and she'll talk on the phone with me and we'll be like Talking about just sometimes how hard everything is. Like, everything is hard, but if it was easy, everyone would have it, and then what's the point?
Absolutely. Yeah, I love it. I agree. And, um, yo, so thank you for, for coming on. And this completes the— well, so you go by Paris, but the Fasulo tripod. Um, so my last one for you is, uh, where can people connect with you? Online, and then what's the best way then for them to find your activewear and swimwear brand?
Okay, so my website is just AllegraParis.com.
Great.
Everything's on there. There's also like the emails listed for contacting me on there. And then I just do the most with Instagram, which is literally @AllegraParis is my Instagram, and then the collection is @AllegraParisCollection. So very branded, like You just— yeah, and you'll find you can reach me like literally like direct messaging and then on Facebook as well.
Perfect, simple, love it. So thank you again for coming on.
