If Alice Tillett’s career proves anything, it’s that there’s no predetermined path to success in the business world – and that armed with a healthy dose of entrepreneurial élan, there’s really no such thing as a wrong turn.
It may actually be an understatement to say that Tillett, the president of Madison’s Pacific Cycle since 2008, took a less-than-conventional route to the top of her industry. Tillett came to her position at Pacific Cycle by way of Huffy Bicycles – and that much at least makes perfect sense. But before that, she was a director of sales for Rubbermaid. Prior to that, she worked in sales for Gibson Greetings. And before that, she was … wait for it … a middle school teacher.
| “For a company of the size that we are, we have very much over time kept that entrepreneurial spirit, which allows us to be nimble and move quickly.” – Alice Tillett |
“I always say, I have a book there,” said Tillett, the featured speaker at IB’s Jan. 16 Icons in Business event at the Madison Concourse Hotel. “It’s going to be a great book, as to how you go from teaching seventh and eighth grade social studies to running a company.”
Yes, it could be a great book one day, when Tillett is less engaged with running an industry-leading company with 420 employees and a stable of brands that includes everything from the iconic Schwinn to Mongoose, InSTEP, and Iron Horse Bikes. But for now, she’ll have to settle for serving as an inspiration to anyone who’s not currently on the fast track to the executive suite.
A big history buff, Tillett expressed an early interest in teaching and coaching, earning her undergraduate degree in history and education before completing her master’s. It wasn’t long, however, before she realized that the profession wasn’t for her.
“I really struggled with the same thing day after day,” said Tillett. “I kept thinking, I’m not really sure that long term this is what I want to do. So I sent out résumés in the business world, and I got a call from a guy at Gibson Greetings, and he said to me, ‘hey, listen, you are a Miami University graduate, so I know you’ve got to be good. I’m willing to take a chance on you, but it’s a sales job and you have to start at the bottom of the rung. Are you willing to do it?’”
That was all the encouragement Tillett needed. She immersed herself in the sales side of the business and never looked back.
But that doesn’t mean her schooling and her early days as a teacher were a waste. The skills she learned then, she says, are ones she still draws on today.
“I’ve talked to many schoolteachers and said, you have no idea of the qualifications you have, whether it’s presentation skills, whether it’s organizational skills, whether it’s being able to think quickly on your feet, whether it’s planning skills,” said Tillett. “There are a huge number of those skills that actually help you as you move forward, or as I’ve moved forward, in the business world.”
And, of course, teaching junior high is bound to test one’s mettle, no matter where life takes you.
“I always say a retail buyer on a bad day looks good to me compared to seventh and eighth graders on a bad day,” said Tillett.
Pedaling forward
Now 46, Tillett’s teaching days – and even her days working outside her current industry – are faint memories. Her experience with Huffy and Pacific Cycle stretch back over 15 years, and it’s an industry she knows well.
In particular, she understands the competition that’s out there for people’s attention, and she sees Pacific Cycle as being fundamentally in the same position as Apple – an industry heavyweight that needs to constantly innovate in order to stay ahead of the pack.
“For a company of the size that we are, we have very much over time kept that entrepreneurial spirit, which allows us to be nimble and move quickly,” said Tillett. “I think the marketplace demands that, and I think the consumer demands that today.
“If you’re standing still, it’s just not a good thing in the marketplace, especially today. If you think about electronics and people’s viewpoint of the world and how things are constantly changing, whether it’s a new iPhone out there, a new iPad, a new game coming along, we in the consumer products side of the business have to do the same.”
To that end, one of Tillett’s key points of emphasis when she took over in 2008 – at the start of a brutal recession – was making sure Pacific Cycle focused on delivering the kinds of products consumers were actually looking for.
“One of the biggest things that we spend a tremendous amount of time on is consumer insights and understanding what that consumer wants, what they’re looking for, what’s going to make their ride easier or more pleasurable,” said Tillett. “And that can be everything from spec changes to a nice comfortable seat, nice comfortable grips, to the color and graphic and look of the bike.”
That strategy, says Tillett, has helped the company grow, even in a slow economy and in an industry that has seen relatively flat sales over the last 12 to 15 years.
“I was able to take over a company that was built and remained very successful, so I was very fortunate from that standpoint,” said Tillett. “I definitely had a vision and a strategic direction where I wanted the organization to go, and it had to do very much with putting a huge amount of emphasis around the consumer insights and driving the brands to match what those consumer insights are, and we’ve done that with both Schwinn and Mongoose.
“For me at Pacific Cycle, it was very much about growth and diversifying, not only the product line but also the customers that we had, and over the last year we’ve added right around 25 new employees and we’re continuing to see that growth because we’ve been expanding on that strategic direction.”
As for the strategic advantage that comes with being located in Madison, one of the premier bicycling meccas in the northern hemisphere, Tillett acknowledges that it does make a difference, particularly from a recruiting standpoint. The area also serves as a model for other cities when it comes to bicycling infrastructure and amenities, she said.
“I’ve said to many people, we would sell millions more bikes in this industry if everybody had the infrastructure like we have in Madison and the support from the community for biking like we do in Madison,” said Tillett. “It is absolutely hands-down fantastic.”
That same enthusiasm for bicycling, which seems almost palpable in Dane County, is just one of the things Tillett hopes to convey at her Jan. 16 Icons presentation, in which she will also share her experiences in leading her company.
“I think what I’ll be sharing is the passion for the industry, the passion for the product,” said Tillett. “I hope to take you back to a time where you remember what it’s like to be on a bike, where you remember what it’s like to learn how to ride for the first time, and to take those feelings and use them today in your everyday life.”
If you would like to see Tillett speak at the Jan. 16 Icons in Business event, click here for information on registration and event details.
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