We recently connected with Alexandra Agarwal and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Alexandra, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

After living in Europe for 6 years, and getting two design degrees I was searching for my dream job and applying to every design firm in London. During this time Brexit came into action, I lost my immigration status and was forced to move back home to Austin Texas. Out of desperation, I took a job that didn’t align with what I wanted to do. It was a well-compensated design job but super demanding with an emotionally volatile and toxic boss. Not living authentically and tolerating a job I knew wasn’t for me started to take a toll on my mental, I lowkey hated my life :). It was then that I decided I wanted to create a job for myself that afforded everything I wanted in a career and lifestyle. I wanted to travel to Europe regularly, I wanted to shop for all the vintage furniture I had studied while going to design school, and ideally, I wanted all of that to be an operating cost of my business. Ive always been someone who continues their education and by doing that I started to specialize in objects, artifacts, and aesthetics. Through trial and error, I learned I could be the person who assists designers on their projects by sourcing vintage furniture, lighting, and building materials for their projects. While this isn’t necessarily a job that anyone advertised a need for, it works because I sit in a niche that no one else does and I found a client base that values my specialized skill set.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Material Alyse was born from an appreciation of unique and beautiful objects, which has been shaped by years of living, working, and studying design across Europe. With roots in Austin, Texas, and the South of France, we offer access to an exclusive network of private sellers, expertise in international fairs, and a refined ability to acquire the very best furniture, lighting, and building materials for interior design projects.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

The best way to help build your social media presence is to define your brand. Give yourself a visual identity. Filter everything you do through the constraints of your branding. This way you’ll have direction and confidence in what you doing. In the beginning, the best thing to do is produce as much work as possible, the more you make the faster you learn. This way you have data on what works and what doesn’t. I know I am not a graphic artist or brand designer, so what would take me 1o hour to do mediocrely, a professional can do well in 2. I can’t wear every hat every day, so I outsource the work to someone more qualified and stay doing what I’m good at.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The best way to get clients for me is to meet them in person. I present well in person – I look good, act professionally, and talk about what I do passionately. I embody my profession as much as I can, I try to be the total work of art like my design heroes do. I keep business cards in my purse and make sure everyone knows what I do. By being confident and outward about what I do gain credibility. Be in the right place, at the right time, every time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.materialalyse.com/
• Instagram: @material.alyse
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-agarwal-186ba513a/

Image Credits

Alexandra Agarwal