Earlier this semester, I was lucky enough to have been selected as a Brand Ambassador for eff.Y.bee, a jewlery company working to empower women through the jewlery and through the girl power community. However, eff.Y.bee would not be in existence without its amazing mastermind of a creator, Alyssa Kuchta!
Her Campus: Tell us a little about yourself! Where are you from, where did you go to school, how old were you when you started your own company?
Alyssa Kuchta: I was born and raised in Clifton, NJ. I live in NYC now, but I’ll always be a jersey girl at heart. I went to school at the University of Delaware where I majored in Psychology with a Chinese minor, and graduated in 2012. I was 20 years old and a senior in college when I started eff.Y.bee!
HC: What is the basis of eff.Y.bee? Where did the inspiration come from to start your own jewelry company?
AK: eff.Y.bee is a lifestyle jewelry brand with a girl power mission. Through our brand ambassador program, at college campuses across the country, we aim at helping young women develop self confidence and self reliance by training them in sales of our brand on their campus and then donating a portion of all proceeds to a non profit organization of their choice. Our goal is to empower young women to make a difference while helping them discover their passions and strengths.
I was inspired by three experiences in college that led me to starting my business. I worked part time at a women’s clothing boutique called Bloom throughout college where I learned everything about running a business from customer service, visual merchandising, and sales. We sold jewelry from over 60+ designers, so I became educated on different jewelry materials and on the designers. It was so inspiring learning the designer’s bios (most of them women!) and how they were able to take something they love and turn it into a full time career.
I was also in Sigma Kappa sorority – where I was inspired by the community and girl power element of it and how it enabled us to get involved and give back to various philanthropic causes.
The third thing that inspired me was my volunteer work. I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and was on the Executive board of Students for Haiti during my Undergrad years. This inspired my passion for giving back.
So rewinding a bit – what made me take these three things and decide to start a business was what I refer to as having a “mid-college crisis”. I hit a wall my junior year
realizing I was graduating soon and had no idea what I wanted to do after college – I was realizing my original path of applying for grad school wasn’t fulfilling me creatively and I didn’t feel passionate about it. That was when I took a step back and started exploring my inner self and truly thinking about what I was passionate about.
It all started with the idea to design a bracelet to fundraise for Students for Haiti. From that bracelet collection – arose a whole business concept that would combine these three things I realized I was passionate for: design, community and making a difference.
HC: What is your favorite part about being a business owner?
AK: The energy of it all – the constant creativity, seeing ideas come to life, and the realm of possibility. The amazing women I’ve gotten to meet and work with – from our brand ambassador team to our customers to the inspiring girl bosses I’ve collaborated with along the way. It’s allowed me to meet and connect with so many people in a unique way. Everyday is different, challenging, surprising and rewarding.
HC: What are some opportunities that eff.Y.bee has brought you that you never imagined would happen? A big collaboration, a milestone in sales, etc.?
AK: eff.Y.bee has opened so many doors for me that I would’ve never imagined from getting invited to speak at events, getting to meet with Founders and CEO’s of companies I look up to, to our bracelets getting featured on The Today Show. One of the biggest milestones for us so far is actually launching this month – a partnership with South Moon Under! It’s been one of my favorite stores since forever! Walking in and seeing our jewelry in their case will definitely be a major pinch me moment!
HC: What are the challenges, if any, that you face being in charge of your own business, especially as a female?
AK: The overall responsibility of it all – both success and failures are on you. You have to be willing to sacrifice financially, wear every hat, and have a thick skin at times.
I am so inspired by the incredible wave of girl power that has happened post-election. It’s an exciting and momentous time to be a female founder and a female owned and operated business. I couldn’t be prouder of the milestones my team and I have achieved – I feel the sky universe is the limit!
HC: Who is a female figure that you get inspiration from the most?
AK: My mom is my #1 inspiration. She immigrated to the United States from China in her early thirties, not knowing a word of English. Throughout my childhood, my parents struggled financially. Most of my toys were hand me downs and from yard sales.
My mom was a Doctor in China but had to start from the bottom with her career here- which as you can imagine was incredibly hard. I remember being a little girl playing next to mom late nights as she put herself through night school and worked long days to save every penny she could to make a better life for us. I witnessed her journey in building her own success as an independent and strong woman after my parents divorced.
My mom single handedly paid for my college education and provided an amazing lifestyle for us that she worked so hard to achieve. Her strength, tenacity, and determination to never give up no matter how hard times were ignited a fire within me – since I was a little girl – to do the same.
She taught me to be courageous, independent, passionate and a little fierce. Her story has always been living proof to me that when you believe in yourself and you work hard – you can and will accomplish anything you set your heart on.
HC: If you could give advice to anyone starting their own business, what would it be?
AK: Have confidence in your ideas and your business – if you don’t believe in it yourself, no one else will.
Stay focused – make a list of your yearly goals, quarterly goals, monthly goals, weekly goals, the more you break it down the more do-able it will be to accomplish. It’s very easy to get overwhelmed.
Have mentors that will motivate, inspire and guide you. Surrounding yourself with people that believe in and support you makes a world of difference. After all they say you are the average of the 5 people you spend most of your time with – choose wisely.
HC: What is your favorite eff.Y.bee product and why?
AK: Our bliss bracelets! They’re our signature line in our collection and what our brand is best known for.
It’s so cool to see the bracelets our customers design that have meaning to them – whether it’s matching “sister” bracelets or one with an arrow on it to represent getting through something – its inspiring and rewarding to see the emotional connection our customers have to our brand and our jewelry.
HC: When you’re not being a busy #girlboss, what do you like to do for fun?
AK: I love exploring NYC! Trying new restaurants with friends, seeing live music, (I live around the corner from Webster Hall which is super convenient), perusing through all the amazing boutiques in NoLita and LES, visiting museums – finding inspiration everywhere that I can. Oh, and definitely have nights where I love nothing more than cuddling up in a big blanket with a Netflix binge.
HC: What’s your favorite guilty pleasure food?
AK: Fried chicken for sure… and pistachio ice cream from Sundaes and Cones in the East village (my favorite ice cream shop in NYC!).
Photo Credits: All photos are from the interviewee’s personal & eff.Y.bee Instagram