Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyssa Stauble.
Alyssa, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I wasn’t sure what kind, how, or where, but ever since I was a kid, I knew I wanted to start my own business. After graduating from the University of Redlands in 2012 with a double major in Managerial Studies and Psychology, I moved to Orange County where I got a full-time job as an Assistant Teacher working for a non-profit school for at-risk youth. I simultaneously started an internship at Make-A-Wish Foundation, where I assisted the Development Team with fundraising and events. I loved both of these jobs and they each significantly impacted my life-especially working with the youth. Around this time I met my husband, Matt, who was about a year into starting Good Worth, and I was so inspired by what he had created and how he got there. After dating for about a year, Matt and I moved to San Diego together. He ran Good Worth out of our house in North Park and I started working at a Home Health Care Agency.
I wasn’t passionate about my job, and much more enjoyed the time I spent before and after work helping Matt with the business, where we would sit late at night packing key orders and throwing ideas and strategies back and forth. I would also join Matt when he went to trade shows and events and I realized how much I loved everything about the brand and the industry. My involvement with Good Worth happened pretty organically; Matt and I knew we had the potential to be a great team. He was well on his way to getting the brand to the next level and I knew I could help him get there. Matt is definitely more of a risk-taker between me and him, but I knew I had a huge opportunity to be part of growing Good Worth while also fulfilling my dream of running a business. Matt continued creating and expanding the brand while I helped him organize and get the business side of things in order. During this time, I went back to school to get my MBA. With the continued growing success of the brand, we eventually weren’t able to run Good Worth out of our house anymore, so we moved out the team and the entire company to warehouse in North Park.
Fast forward two years and I was now the co-owner of Good Worth & Co. Opening a retail store was something Matt and I always fantasized about but we had to wait for the right opportunity and time to do it. After living in OB for a few years, we finally decided to pull the trigger on opening our flagship store after finding the perfect fit for a storefront. We are now coming up on our two-year anniversary and it’s been so much fun creating the store and having a place for people to come experience the brand.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It’s been quite the journey, to say the least! Getting my MBA really helped fulfill my role(s) with Good Worth, but I have definitely continued learning a ton along the way since. While Matt experiences the pressures of maintaining the creative side of the business, it’s my job to make sure all of our ducks are in a row— upholding deadlines, season releases, managing employees, running the books, inventory management, etc. Together with our team, we have learned how to keep things running as smoothly as possible while also having a lot of fun. Owning a business with a spouse is a struggle of its own; we knew it wouldn’t be easy to keep our home and work life separate but we’ve made it work. The ideas are forever flowing and at times it’s really challenging to not talk about Good Worth once at home, and we still struggle with it now; sometimes it takes a reminder from the other to not talk business outside of the warehouse. If I were to give advice to a young woman just starting her journey, I would tell her first, that “if it were easy, everyone would do it,” and second, which my Dad always instilled in me, to “enjoy the journey.” If you want to do something great, it’s going to take hard work but if you stay focused on your goal and your passions, it will be well worth it. This is your journey that leads to your own amazing story!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Good Worth story. Tell us more about it.
Defining Good Worth has always been tough for me because we have ventured into and created so many different things. The brand first started with our “Best Wishes” key— a blank house key in the shape of a middle finger. Since then, we have created over 40 key designs and many other specialty accessories. Because of Matt’s background, Good Worth has a skateboarding influence but it is definitely not just a skateboard company, nor is it just an accessory brand. Good Worth has lifestyle products in the form of accessories, home goods, and apparel, all with a touch of edginess and humor. I personally am most proud of the niche we’ve created with our specialty products and keys— Matt has created products no one has seen anywhere else and it really sets us apart, which is really important in this industry. You can come into our store with any boring house key and leave with a rad custom Good Worth key that you can’t get anywhere else.
Who do you look up to? How have they inspired you?
My mom, my sister, and my girl boss friends are constantly inspiring me! My mom, who got her master’s degree when she was nine months pregnant with my sister, is the smartest woman I know. She always instilled in me to go for whatever it is that makes me happy, whatever ‘it’ might be, and it’s what keeps me going. My sister is also one of the smartest and most creative people I know, though she’d never admitted it. I’m so inspired by her trailblazing spirit. She has never been one to conform to the “standard” way of doing things, which is true as ever right now as she and her husband are opening the first Brewery in our home town of Lake Arrowhead. I’m also lucky enough to be surrounded with and inspired by my friends who are doing great things in their lives, whether they’re starting amazing new businesses or being bosses in their personal lives.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1859 Cable St.
San Diego, CA 92107 - Website: www.thegoodworth.com
- Phone: 909-844-8067
- Email: alyssa@thegoodworth.com
- Instagram: @thegoodworth
Image Credit:
Samantha Hoy
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