The LIKELIHOOD business team. You may not see them when you walk into our stores, but they’re the ones that keep the engine running every single day.

From fulfilling orders & checking in products to processing returns & customer service inquiries, they are truly the backbone of our brand, ensuring that every customer is satisfied from start to finish.

For this week's business team feature, we sat down with Capitol Hill Business Specialist, Alyssa Guzman.

 

 

 

What’s your name and how long have you been with Likelihood?

My name is Alyssa and I’ve been with Likelihood since May of 2022. 

 

What initially got you interested in working with the business team? 

Honestly, burnout from being a barista for so many years. I also used to work at American Apparel as a teen, during the peak of the Tumblr era, and I thought the business team was so cool! Now I’m one of them!

 

As a business team member, you get to handle a lot of different products. What are some of your recent favorites that you’ve seen come through the store? 

I love New Balances! I’ve also been really into Adidas Forums lately. Apparel wise, I love Undercover graphics.

 

When it comes to your personal style, what inspires you? 

Catholicism and Courtney Love. 

Regarding Catholicism, I like how theatrical it can appear - I don’t know if that’s the right word, but as someone who’s not a practicing Catholic, that’s one way I interpret it. 

Though I don’t consider myself explicitly religious, Catholicism is a big part of my family’s cultural background, so when I was growing up I was always in proximity to it. 

The boldness of colors and the rich history behind it feels sacred and protected. It helps me to feel more connected to my ancestors, the world around me, and to myself even. As I’ve gotten older I’ve settled into my own set of spiritual practices. 

I grew up on Tumblr around 2013 and I was never really able to dress the way that I wanted to as a teenager… Now I can, so that’s what I do! Whatever 2013 me would’ve thought was cool - that’s what I wear now. I feel like my taste has actually stayed really consistent over the years. 

And regarding Courtney Love… She and I have the same birthday actually! 

I can’t dress in my personal style here because my job requires a lot of movement [and I’m shy] but maybe one day I’ll have a store shift and can dress up.

 

 

What kind of creative projects are you currently working on? 

I’m currently working on a personal essay! I don’t write as much as I would like to… 

It’s so easy for me to feel discouraged and that I don’t have anything to say.  That, or that I’m not good enough at saying them, so someone else should. 

But I’m really trying to write more and finish that essay. 

My best friend, who's an editor, broke it down for me and told me what I need to do…

I know that writing is personal and requires vulnerability if you want to say something that means anything, but I didn’t realize how much it would require me to think and sit with these feelings and thoughts. Forcing myself to be seen is the scariest thing, so that’s probably why I should be doing it. 

In addition to writing, I’ve been roller skating! I’ve made some new friends through it, and I want some skates that light up. 

 

Who are some people who’ve had a significant impact on your life? 

My grandparents. I think anyone who knows me knows how much they meant and still mean to me. I’ve learned a lot about bravery and strength through them. When I think about a time in my life when I’ve felt safe, I think about my time spent with them in Japan. Oh and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. She wrote Fleabag, have you seen it?

 

As someone who works a bit more ‘behind the scenes’, what do you want the Likelihood community to know about you? 

Maybe not just about me but just all of us in general, is that there’s so much talent here. There’s so much more to the team than their ability to market and sell products, there’s true talent and skill. And they’re all such smart and good people. There’s always so much to learn. Everyone here is going to do great things, they already are. It makes me thankful to be a part of it.