Back in March 2004, while still practicing law in Chicago, my wife and I sat our breakfast table and asked ourselves why I had to pay so much for a damn necktie. Seriously, how much could this thing cost to manufacture?
So we came up with a business premise – could we possibly enter the world of fashion with no relevant experience or ecommerce background and successfully sell our own branded neckwear?
Had we thought about it, the answer would have been “no”. But we didn’t think. At least we didn’t OVERthink it. And that’s why just 6 months later, our business was launched and fully operational. We had our inventory, our software, our website … all of it. Done.
We launched The Tie Bar in 2004 and never looked back. By time we got bought out in 2013, we had become the largest brand of men’s accessories sold on the internet. That’s right – no experience in men’s neckwear and somehow we ended up becoming the largest in our industry.
But I wasn’t done.
Then in 2015, I was back at it. I launched Thread Experiment, the world’s 1st ever brand of home bedding dedicated to men. And once again, I’m going through all the ups and downs of a startup and…I love it (most of the time.) So I know exactly what you’re going through now.
Having run a startup brand and website, I made a lot of mistakes. I learned a lot. I read a lot. I listened a lot. And with all this, I now know a lot. Not everything, of course. But possibly more than you.
So let me be that business partner you don’t have but always wanted. You know, that second set of eyes you always needed.
And the best part about me – I won’t collect your profits. But I’ll be damn proud of them as they increase following our work together.