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MassWIT Member Alyssa Dver -- Mother, Marketer, and Mountain Mover
by Michelle Brown
My mother used to always tell me that there are two kinds of people in the world: campers and climbers. Campers are the type of people that are satisfied with what they have. Whether it is the second-rate relationship they’re in or the dead-end job they’ve had for 9 years, campers are content with the norm. Climbers, on the other hand, are the type of people that are never satisfied with what they have and will stop at nothing to better themselves or their situation.
Alyssa Dver is, by all definitions, a climber.
Dver is the CEO and co-founder of Wander Wear Inc., a Boston-based company offering child identification tags. In addition to running her own company, she is also vice president and Chief Marketing Officer of a publicly-traded Pennsylvania-based software company, a special sections writer for BusinessWeek magazine, an author of a recently published book on software product management, and the parent of two young children ages 4 and 11 weeks.
In today’s tough business economy, nobody’s job is safe. When the software market began to get soft, Dver took matters into her own hands and shaped her future by creating her own job security. Using a combination of her creative talents and her ability to keep on top of current technology, she has built the framework for a very successful future.
“Regardless of your talent and commitment, sometimes you lose your job just by being in the wrong chair when the music stops,” said Dver. “I am not the type of person to just sit and wait for something to happen to me.”
“I really value my financial security but I also value working from a home office and having quality time with my family and friends,” she said. “To ensure this, I look for opportunities that allow me to work from home but also that can keep me marketable in a number of different but related areas. I have been blessed to be able to find a number of synergistic ways to earn a living while maintaining a lot of fun, challenge and security.”
Having worked in the software industry for over 15 years, Dver often received compliments on her writing and technical marketing knowledge. Seeing the opportunity to earn money as a writer, Dver began writing and gaining placements in industry journals on behalf of SEDONA Corporation, the software company where she is CMO. By writing a number of articles on topics including CRM, sales, and marketing, she built a large portfolio of bylines in a short amount of time. When a family acquaintance needed a replacement writer for some technology sections in BusinessWeek, Dver had the portfolio and expertise established to take the position quickly. She has since been contracted to do several follow-up assignments.
Taking what she considered the ultimate writing plunge, Dver decided then to write a book on product management. She penned “Software Product Management Essentials” during frequent Amtrak trips to her company’s headquarters. Documenting the often overwhelming role of the software product manager, she further focused on the challenges for those who work in small or mid-sized companies. The book is selling quite well and achieving high rankings on Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites.
So how does Wander Wear fit in to all this high-tech activity? Dver came up with the idea for Wander Wear when she was at a Boston Red Sox game last summer. During the game, it occurred to her that her young son and niece could very easily get lost in the huge crowd at the game. Instinctively, Dver wrote her cell phone number on two slips of paper and tucked one inside her son’s jacket pocket, encouraging him to have an adult call her cell phone if they should get separated. The problem arose, however, when Dver realized that her niece’s dress did not have a pocket in it for her to slip the paper. The idea of a child identification tag became quite obvious to her at that moment.
”I always felt that there was something missing in my career. I put so much time and emotion into my work that I really wanted to do something more humanitarian,” she noted. ”Wander Wear started out as a silly idea but the more we thought about it, the more we realized that not only would the product help children and their parents, but we could also build a network of salespeople looking for additional income but needing true flexibility.
”Most of our reps are stay-at-home parents that can sell tags while they are going places with their own children such as zoos, malls, or amusement parks,” added Dver. “They can sell as many hours as they want, when they want. I love the fact that we can provide this kind of employment to a great group of people who are incredibly passionate about the product and cause.”
In starting the business one year ago, Dver and her sister, Jennifer Tuttelman, spent months developing the Wander Wear child identification tag and researching product specifics. They currently have a network of approximately 15 sales representatives across the United States. They hope to grow the business aggressively, adding more reps across the country and raising the awareness of accidental child wandering to all parents.
“Wander Wear is the perfect example of taking a relatively simple idea and running with it,” said Dver. “It is great to work with my sister as we remind each other daily not to take the naysayers too seriously, nor let the challenges of pioneering be obstacles.”
In addition to selling the tags, Dver and Tuttelman plan to donate a portion of their ongoing profits to child charities and work with companies to use Wander Wear for fundraisers and charity events. Tuttelman’s experience as a registered dietician with the Department of Public Health ensures that Wander Wear stays focused on the greater good that the product and the company can offer.
Dver will be sharing her enthusiasm and flair for multitasking this fall when she begins teaching a software product management course at Bentley College. She has already received several requests to teach the class for executives and she is working on offering private corporate sessions.
“I’m really looking forward to branching out into teaching this fall,” said Dver. “People often tell me my enthusiasm and energy is infectious. That is the ultimate compliment. Through my classes, I hope to light up other people’s ideas and confidence as they seek new heights and challenge themselves to ensure fulfillment and security in their overall lives.”
What, you may ask, is next on Dver’s appointment book? Rock climbing.
Mt. Everest, anyone?
If you can catch her, Alyssa can be reached at: Email: alyssadver@comcast.net Phone: (508) 881-5664 or visit her web site at www.wander-wear.com AuthorMichelle Brown is the President of Steadfast Communications, a full-service marketing communications and public relations company in Limerick, PA. She has been published in Smart Business Now magazine and Simple Joy magazine. Visit Michelle’s website at http://www.steadfast-communications.com.
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
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