Aug 2, 2023
Our environment is important, which is why being more sustainable is key. In this episode of the Class E Podcast, we talked to Alexa Valdovinos ‘25 about her sustainable instrument reed company, Monte Valle LLC. From winning the 2022 Paladin Pitch competition to now, Valdovinos shares her entrepreneurial journey and plans for her company and discusses how she balances her life as both a student and entrepreneur.
Guest: Alexa Valdavinos '25
Host: Mary Sturgill
Producer: Isabella Martinez '24
TRANSCRIPT:
MARY: Hi there, everyone. Welcome to this episode of the Class E Podcast. I am your host Mary Sturgill. This is the podcast that is brought to you through a partnership between the Hill Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Communication Studies Department here at Furman University. And we're right in the middle of our summer series this summer where we talk to current Furman students and recent alumni about their entrepreneurial ventures. And today my special guest is Alexa Valdovinos, who was the winner of the Paladin Pitch Competition not this past year but the year before that and she is the founder of her company Monte Valle LLC. Did I say that correctly?
ALEXA: Yes.
MARY: Okay. Welcome to the show.
ALEXA: Thank you.
MARY: So, Alexa, tell us about Monte Valle and how you came up with the concept for that.
ALEXA: Yeah! So, it all started in high school. So, I have been a musician for eight years. I started off playing the flute and then I expanded into playing saxophone in high school. And so it all started off in my little band room during COVID… 2021, peak COVID. There were probably five kids in my class, so we didn't really do a whole lot.
MARY: Right.
ALEXA: And so I kind of sat there one day and I was like, you know, Mr. Stewart, who was my band director at the time, I wonder if we can make reeds out of something else like they have so much waste. I mean, you use them for like a couple of weeks, and then you just throw them away but there's so much waste with them.
MARY: Right.
ALEXA: And so we got to thinking and he was like, you know, I think you're onto something Alexa, but maybe you should wait until college to really like fully grasp and have more, you know, access to resources. I'm like, okay, I'm gonna do it and so I had joined FUSEA (Furman University Student Entrepreneurship Association) my freshman year because I just knew that I wanted to be an entrepreneur. And I remember Matt Reed at the time, who was working with the Hill Institute, he told me, okay, Alexa do you remember that idea that you had with the reeds? Because I pitched it in the fall semester at their little like Big Ideas Competition.
MARY: Right.
ALEXA: And that's when I really like kind of developed it a little bit more. And I was like, I looked at him funny, I was like, yes. And he's like, well, do you want to, you know, pursue it? I'm like, oh, 100% and so that's when, you know, I started working with the Hill Institute and I actually went to Charleston to compete in the SOCON entrepreneurial challenge. And that's when, you know, I had like three days to build the whole pitch deck and develop this whole product idea.
MARY: Wow.
ALEXA: Yeah. So that's when it fully I would say took off.
MARY: Yeah. So, you went down to Charleston before you won our pitch competition here, right? So they were just like here, let's, let's run with this and you're like, “absolutely.”
ALEXA: Yeah. So, what had happened is that they were taking Brooke Dominiak, who was the winner the year before me with To-Go Bros and she was in the profit portion. And they were like, well, we don't have anybody for the nonprofit portion. So, would you want to do it? And so I was like, I mean, a free trip to Charleston, sure. It'll be a good opportunity. So that's when I, you know, it was like, you know, Matt had told me at this event, you know, you only have three days and I was like, oh, okay, so that took long hours of making a pitch deck and, you know, working on everything. I think it was working up until like, one o'clock in the morning the night before.
MARY: Yeah.
ALEXA: So, it was a process for sure.
MARY: Yeah, yeah. So that was…was that the fall and then spring you won the Paladin Pitch Competition?
ALEXA: Yeah, Charleston… I went to Charleston, probably I think the February. That February in the spring and then I competed in Paladin Pitch that March.
MARY: Yeah. Excellent. So what… you've been working on the company for a little over a year now, diligently. And so, what kinds of things have you learned from this process?
ALEXA: I've learned quite a bit. I've learned that you know, there's a lot of different little nitty gritty details in order to start a business. You know, it's not easy to just say I want to start a business and do it.
MARY: I have a business.
ALEXA: Yeah, exactly. You know, like it takes you know, making it LLC approved, going through all the proper permissions, making sure that everything is legal…
MARY: The licenses and all that yeah.
ALEXA: …the licensing, the buying, you know, for my product, in particular, prototyping and researching, and a really important thing that I've learned is that not everything's gonna go how I originally thought it was going to go. I remember, you know, I had this huge vision. Like I wanted everything to be compostable, biodegradable, but Olivia Esquivel, who is the co-founder of Southern Pressed. She was one of the judges when I won and she told me, you know, like, going in the industry of the sustainability organic industry is hard.
MARY: Yeah.
ALEXA: And so not everything is gonna go how you want it to and that was hard for me.
MARY: Right.
ALEXA: And so realizing that you know, it's okay if things don't go the way that your blueprint ideas say it’s going to go.
MARY: Yeah. And just because they don't go that way right now, doesn't mean they won't in the future.
ALEXA: Of course, of course.
MARY: So what prompted you to create the sustainable portion of this? Like you could create reeds out of other things, right? But how does the sustainability play into that?
ALEXA: I've always, you know, so both my parents are from Mexico. I've grown up going there since I was really little, but I also grew up in the mountains here. I grew up in North Carolina, about 30 minutes from here.
MARY: Yeah.
ALEXA: So I've just always grown up around, you know, forest and mountains and my parents always taught me, you know, take care of what you have, you know, let's be sustainable, and let’s recycle and all that stuff. But it was really during COVID when I had a lot of thinking time and was like, you know, reeds… they produce a lot of waste. And it adds up because I'm just one musician out of millions on this planet who use like boxes of reeds over weeks of time, and each of those produce single use plastic, single use, you know, waste, and that's what really got me was like there needs to be change because I want to have a future. I want my kids one day to have a future and growing up in the mountains and if you know, we don't do something about it…
MARY: You're gonna lose them.
ALEXA: Yeah, we’re going to lose them. So that was my biggest I would say motivation.
MARY: So, you've been prototyping. How's that going? And what’s going on with it?
ALEXA: Yeah, so right now we are… I'm working with my old high school. And right now they have a reed machine, which is what helps create the reeds itself.
MARY: Yeah.
ALEXA: So right now they're gonna prototype those, prototypes for the material, use the machine, see how that's working… I'm also working with the middle school over there as well, to kind of do some researching with some 3D printing as well. So it's, it's going, you know, it was definitely a long process to figure out, you know, what we need, what we don't need, sourcing the material because that was something that was really important to me…
MARY: Yeah.
ALEXA: …was making sure that I source well.
MARY: So what are you… what is the material? What are you making them out of? Because I know originally in your pitch, and this is maybe how something might have changed is that bamboo grows really quickly. Let's do bamboo. It's a renewable source.
ALEXA: Yes, that's what we're hoping to use right now. We're also kind of just for the prototyping just to make sure that all the machines work and stuff, we're using cane but I'm also using mostly bamboo, which is what I originally had wanted to and what I told in my pitch.
MARY: Yeah, yeah. Oh, excellent. Excellent. So you're just setting all that up to be able to do the bamboo and then are you working with bamboo farmers? I mean, are there bamboo farmers?
ALEXA: Well, I'm working with…I worked with a small business right now to kind of start sourcing. I'm hoping that maybe in the future, I can work with bamboo farmers. I can work with the Veterans Healing Farm up in Hendersonville, North Carolina.
MARY: Oh, yeah. Yeah.
ALEXA: They grow bamboo on their farm and it's, you know, it's a nonprofit organization.
MARY: Love that, that partnership with the nonprofit and yeah, they're doing great things up there. That's awesome. Because I don't know of any bamboo farmers.
ALEXA: I don’t either. I just know people who always tell me to like Alexa like can you come, you know, like I have bamboo all in my backyard.
MARY: Can you come get it?
ALEXA: Yeah.
MARY: You'll be having everybody come, come ask you to do that. Here I have some bamboo for you. What do you think you've learned through this process that you were just like, wow, I'm so glad I learned that early on?
ALEXA: I would say it's what Olivia Esquivel told me is that it's okay if you compromise. You have to pick and choose your battles, especially with sustainability and businesses because you know, it's not cheap to start a business either. And especially, you know, if you want to get it off the ground you can't, you know, and you…specifically buying organically, it's hard. It's expensive.
MARY: Let's talk about this…packaging is one of the most not sustainable issues with the reeds, right? And so how are you meeting that problem?
ALEXA: Yeah, I'm also sourcing more sustainably. I'm hoping to use in the future some sort of like beeswax that will hopefully control the humidity and moisture because that's a really big thing…
MARY: Yeah.
ALEXA: …in reeds that, you know, in transit, they're very fragile. I'm hoping to also work with Bubble Paper. It’s a company that makes basically bubble wrap but it makes it out of cardboard and paper so I'm just trying to source and make it more sustainable more…not as like wasteful and reusable. Perhaps. Yeah.
MARY: And that makes sense because…and then you have to do some testing I would imagine to make sure that that moisture doesn't get in in transit.
ALEXA: Yeah, that's what we're hoping to do through this whole process with my high school throughout the summer. It's just once we test the reeds, test all the other material as well.
MARY: So, what advice would you have for other students who have an idea… because you very well could have sat back and said, oh, that's a great idea, but never done anything about it, right? And I love the fact that you're reaching back to your high school and they're helping you with it to get those high school students involved in this because I think that will probably influence the future entrepreneurs even more than you know, right? What advice would you give to other potential entrepreneurs who might have an idea but haven't acted on it yet?
ALEXA: I would say the biggest piece of advice I would give is take baby steps. You know, I have to do that a lot as a college student.
MARY: I started to say, yeah.
ALEXA: Yeah. As a college student, I don't have all the time in the world and you know, I'm involved in a lot and so knowing that it's okay, like it's okay to think…like it's gonna take time. It's gonna take time, but don't lose sight of your goal. Yeah, I know that there were definitely times… oh sorry.
MARY: No, keep going.
ALEXA: There were definitely times where I just got so caught up in college life that I was just like, oh my gosh, am I really gonna be able to do this? I've never done this before. You know, I'm a first gen college student like I don't… I can't even tackle that. Like, am I gonna be able to do this? But just remembering that, you know, you have an idea, and sticking to those goals and knowing that baby steps are okay, is the biggest piece of advice.
MARY: Yeah, that was gonna be my next question. How in the world are you balancing this because aren't you president of FUSEA as well?
ALEXA: Not this year.
MARY: You were last year.
ALEXA: I was the VP of marketing.
MARY: That's a lot, right? So how are you balancing all that?
ALEXA: Well, yeah, taking baby steps. Just like taking the time that I can. Like last year, last semester, I would focus on my school, but then take the time that I did, to just work on pitch decks, work on emails, doing that… just taking a little bit, increments of time.
MARY: Yeah.
ALEXA: And just working on it little by little. And in the end, it’ll add up.
MARY: Yeah, that’s true.
ALEXA: Also focusing like my mental health, making sure that I'm doing that and finding a good balance.
MARY: The… you know what I do? I work in Pomodoro’s, which I think I've talked about this before on the podcast. Because you do have to compartmentalize things like that when you're having all these balls in the air, right? And so, I work for 25 minutes on this project, and then 25 minutes on this project and 25 minutes on this project, and I get up between those projects, or whatever it is that I'm working on. And you know, go get some water, go have a quick chat with somebody or something like that. And then it refreshes my brain a little bit to sit right back down and get right back into it. So, those 25 minutes that I'm spending on that particular thing are really intentional and really focused on that thing, right? And so, I'm not thinking about anything else while I'm in that 25-minute time period. That's helpful and I love the fact that you're pretty much doing that at this young age. It took me a long time to figure that out.
ALEXA: It took me a long time too.
MARY: So, what's next?
ALEXA: So, after this… after I prototype all of my materials, do the proper research, I'm hoping that I can start selling, you know, get my online business going and hoping to distribute to high schools. That's what I'm hoping to do as well… sell directly to high schools and middle schools in the area and up in North Carolina. That’s where I’m hoping to get my start because you know, that's where I grew up.
MARY: Right.
ALEXA: And so that would be the next step to just getting the prototyping done, making sure that it's good to go and then selling.
MARY: This is… so this is gonna be totally online, right? And people from all over the world could find you, right? You just have to…
ALEXA: Yeah.
MARY: …help them find you a little bit.
ALEXA: Yeah.
MARY: Yeah. So, I love that because, I mean, I'm thinking of so many marketing ideas, which I'm sure you have a plan or are coming up with a plan for how to go about doing that. I love that. So, you did Greenville Starts. Tell me about that experience as a college student too because like you needed one more thing on your plate. Greenville Starts is a great program that helps entrepreneurs kind of launch their business no matter where they are in their business, right? And take it to the next level, but it is time-consuming. You are meeting you know, every week, right? So tell us how Greenville Starts kind of help you.
ALEXA: Oh my gosh, it was an amazing opportunity. They teach you just so many amazing things from that program. I learned leaps and bounds. You know, so many so much information that I wouldn't have learned on my own. You know, it definitely was like, you know, time… time…I had to learn time management a lot with that because every week I had to come down here, make sure I take an hour of my day, then come back, make sure I get everything done. But it was… all it was worth it.
MARY: Yeah.
ALEXA: I could say that. You know, I get to learn from so many other people as well.
MARY: Experts in their field.
ALEXA: Yes. And see so many different markets, see so many different levels. There's so many people there who you know, have a business already or are wanting to start one and it was all wonderful just to see all the different walks of life and all the different speakers that they would have come in helped so so much.
MARY: Yeah. What is the one big takeaway that you took away from them?
ALEXA: Oh, that's hard.
MARY: Because there's so many, I know.
ALEXA: There's so many. The biggest takeaway I got is planning…planning, planning, planning. You have to plan out everything beforehand. You have to plan out what your budget is going to be. You have to plan out where you want to distribute. You have to plan out what your pitch is, what your market is, and what your point of sales is going to be. Planning, planning, planning is what I learned the most.
MARY: So, when you… are you… how are you raising money? I mean, we know you won the pitch competition and so that's helped some.
ALEXA: Yeah, that's kind of where I'm starting right now. And I'm just hoping to kind of base everything off of my winnings from Paladin Pitch and then hopefully in the future if I do get it off the ground, that's where I'm hoping to..
MARY: When you get off the ground.
ALEXA: Well, yes. When I get it off. Not if…when.
MARY: Yeah. So, the sales then will hopefully maintain you.
ALEXA: Yes, that’s what I'm
hoping.
MARY: Yeah, for sure, for
sure. And I think you have found a really important niche too,
because we don't really think about sustainability in the music
industry at all. And I think you can come and broaden even beyond
the reeds. Have you thought about that at all?
ALEXA: Oh, definitely. I have also started prototyping guitar picks. They're made by a business named Steve Clayton. They've made guitar picks for the Beach Boys…for all these big names. And they have a line of guitar picks that are compostable…
MARY: Oh, I love that.
ALEXA: You just throw them in the ground, they're good to go. So I've been prototyping that. I'm hoping to make drumsticks in the future. I'm definitely hoping to expand because the music industry is, I mean, probably one of the most well established, if not the most established industry.
MARY: Yeah.
ALEXA: I mean it's been around for centuries, centuries. And there hasn't really been a huge change. You know, people find something that they like and they stick with it.
MARY: Right.
ALEXA: And they like consistency. So…
MARY: Yeah. And that may be your biggest barrier…is getting people to try the new thing.
ALEXA: Yeah.
MARY: The new reed because they’re so used to what they're used to.
ALEXA: Yeah, that's why I'm hoping to start in the school system because I know that…
MARY: Start them young.
ALEXA: Start them young. Show them that they… that they're good.
MARY: Yeah.
ALEXA: And they’re gonna keep sticking with them throughout their whole career.
MARY: Absolutely. Absolutely. I love the way that you think Alexa.
ALEXA: Aw, thank you.
MARY: Thank you so much for coming on.
ALEXA: Aw, thank you so much for having me.
MARY: All right. That does it for this episode of the Class E Podcast. Remember, if you or someone you know is an entrepreneur, check out the Greenville Starts program. Just go to the Furman website, the Hill Institute's website, and you'll see information there about it. If the fall cohort is full, then of course, we're starting a spring cohort. So, put your name on that list to get one of those cohorts and learn from the experts no matter where you are in your business. Also, if you're a student like Alexa, and you have an idea, don't sit on your laurels, put the idea together and join the Big Ideas Competition coming up in the fall. And then of course in the spring, the Paladin Pitch competition as well because what we do is we have you pitch for the big ideas and then each of those winners go into the big spring pitch. So, you could get some money like Alexa to launch your big idea. Listeners, thank you for tuning in today. You can watch us on YouTube. If you have not done that, jump on over to our YouTube channel. And of course, you can listen to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Remember this podcast is brought to you through a partnership between the Hill Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Communication Studies department here at Furman University. This particular episode was produced by our student producer Isabella Martinez. Until next time everybody, dream big.