Today we’d like to introduce you to Arleth Freitez.
Hi arleth, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My entrepreneurial journey began in 2019, when I founded Alfieyewear with a simple idea: to create a brand that would make women feel confident, stylish, and empowered.
What started as a sunglasses business has grown into so much more than a product. Over the past seven years, I’ve learned what it truly means to build a business from the ground up. I’ve been involved in every part of the journey, from product selection and branding to website development, digital marketing, customer experience, and business strategy. I’ve experienced the exciting moments, the challenges, the setbacks, and the constant process of learning and adapting.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that entrepreneurship is about much more than having a great idea. It’s about resilience, understanding people, making decisions with limited resources, and having the courage to evolve when something isn’t working.
As I grew as an entrepreneur, my skills and perspective expanded beyond Alfieyewear. I began applying what I had learned to help other businesses build their brands, strengthen their digital presence, and connect with their audiences. That experience opened the door to new opportunities and allowed me to develop a broader vision of business and marketing.
Today, I see myself not just as the founder of a sunglasses brand, but as a multifaceted entrepreneur who continues to build, create, and explore new opportunities. Alfieyewear will always be an important part of my story because it was the business that taught me how to turn an idea into something real.
Seven years later, I’m still growing, still learning, and still building. My journey has taught me that success isn’t always a straight line, and sometimes the most valuable thing you build along the way is the person you become.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not at all. One of the most challenging moments in my journey was having to close two of my physical stores after the company we were operating with went bankrupt. It was a difficult experience because, as an entrepreneur, you invest so much time, energy, and resources into building something, and sometimes circumstances beyond your control can change everything.
That experience taught me an important lesson: building a business is not just about creating something successful today, but also about learning how to navigate uncertainty, adapt to unexpected changes, and find new ways forward.
Over the past seven years, I’ve also invested in strategies that didn’t always deliver the results I expected. I’ve had to rethink my approach, test new ideas, and learn that hard work alone doesn’t guarantee success. You also need strategy, flexibility, and the ability to recognize when it’s time to evolve.
I think one of the biggest challenges of entrepreneurship is continuing to believe in your vision while being honest with yourself about what needs to change. Those experiences have shaped me into a more resilient and resourceful businesswoman, and they’ve taught me that sometimes moving forward means rebuilding, starting again, or seeing an opportunity from a completely different perspective.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
One of the things I’m most proud of is seeing how much Alfieyewear has evolved since 2019. We’ve grown in the quality of our products, refined our brand identity, and continued working to offer stylish, quality eyewear at accessible prices. I believe that great style shouldn’t have to come with an unreasonable price tag, and that philosophy has remained an important part of our brand.
But what makes this journey even more meaningful to me is that Alfieyewear has become about more than sunglasses. Through our commission-based program, we’ve created opportunities for women to earn additional income while working from home and building something of their own. Knowing that our brand can be part of another woman’s journey toward greater financial independence is something I genuinely value.
Looking back, the journey has been incredibly interesting because the business I started seven years ago has evolved alongside me. I’ve learned to adapt, explore new strategies, overcome unexpected challenges, and recognize opportunities beyond the original vision I had for the company.
I’m also proud of expanding my work beyond my own brand and using my experience to help other businesses grow. For me, entrepreneurship has never been about doing just one thing. It’s about staying curious, recognizing opportunities, and being willing to learn new skills when a challenge calls for them.
Ultimately, what sets me apart is that I understand both sides of the equation: the business owner who wants to grow and the marketing strategist who has to figure out how to help make that growth possible. I know what it feels like to invest in an idea, question a strategy when the results aren’t there, and keep looking for a better way forward. My goal is not simply to help businesses spend more on marketing, but to help them build stronger foundations so their growth can become more intentional and sustainable.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Something that might surprise people is how much of what I know today, I learned by building my own business. People see the brand, the products, and the final result, but they don’t always see everything that happens behind the scenes, including the personal challenges that come with the journey.
Over the years, I’ve learned how to build websites, develop marketing strategies, manage e-commerce, analyze advertising performance, and figure out solutions to problems I had never encountered before. I’ve had to become comfortable being a beginner, learning new skills, and stepping outside my comfort zone over and over again.
But something people may not know is that I’ve also been navigating my own struggles with anxiety, panic attacks, and the tendency to overthink things. Building a business while learning to manage those challenges hasn’t always been easy. There have been moments when my mind made things feel much harder than they needed to be, but I’ve never wanted those struggles to define what I’m capable of achieving.
I’m still learning, still growing, and I know I have a long way to go, both personally and professionally. But I’m proud that I haven’t allowed the difficult days to stop me from evolving, pursuing my goals, and becoming a better version of myself.
I think people sometimes assume you need to have everything figured out before starting a business, but my experience has been the opposite. I’ve learned many things because I had a business that needed them, and I’ve grown as a person because I kept showing up, even when things felt difficult.
In many ways, Alfieyewear has been more than a brand to me. It has been my classroom, my biggest learning experience, and a huge part of the person and entrepreneur I’ve become. I’m not sharing this because I have everything figured out, but because I believe you can be a work in progress and still build something meaningful.
Pricing:
- Sunglasses start at $45
- up to $50
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alfieyewear.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alfieyewear/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alfieyewear/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/alfieyewear/
