Forgetful Gentlemen
Brett Nicol and Nathan Tan
Darden School of Business, University of Virginia
At the beginning of each semester at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, professor Saras Sarasvathy tells her Starting New Ventures class the same thing: "The next seven weeks will be the first seven weeks of your life as an entrepreneur. It doesn't matter if that is the only seven weeks, but get started on something doable and worth doing." When Sarasvathy gave the familiar lecture in the spring of 2009, Brett Nicol and Nathan Tan were listening.
At the time, the two were in the midst of on-campus job interviews. After each interview it was common courtesy to send the interviewer a note thanking him or her for the interview opportunity. As they met with more and more potential employers, the list of required thank-you notes grew. "My first thought was, 'Mom would be so disappointed in me,'" Nicol says of having a stack of half-written notes on his desk at home. "My second thought was, 'There must be a better way.'"
Using Sarasvathy's lecture as a pep talk, Nicol and Tan started developing an idea for a high-end line of stationery tailor-made for men. They designed a set of cards, found a local printer, and ordered the first round of 50 sets. To ensure the stationery would be masculine enough, they drove to every cigar store in the area and bought the stores' leftover wooden cigar boxes to use as holders. They called their venture Forgetful Gentleman.
In spring 2009, the two applied to the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership/Batten Institute at Darden, and by that summer they were part of the 10-week incubator program. The incubator provided office space and equipment, and that summer Forgetful Gentleman officially formed as an LLC.
Today, a Forgetful Gentleman stationery set—ranging in price from $35 to $75—includes 12 letterpress-printed cards made of 100 percent cotton paper, 12 envelopes, and four prestamped envelopes, all encased in a hardwood box. Neiman Marcus began carrying the line last May, and the set was selected as a "Top Gift for Him" for the 2010 holiday season. Nicol and Tan are planning to expand the brand to include men's clothing, accessories, video tutorials, a gift-giving service, and an e-magazine. --Sommer Saadi, posted Jan. 31, 2011
Darden School of Business, University of Virginia
At the beginning of each semester at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, professor Saras Sarasvathy tells her Starting New Ventures class the same thing: "The next seven weeks will be the first seven weeks of your life as an entrepreneur. It doesn't matter if that is the only seven weeks, but get started on something doable and worth doing." When Sarasvathy gave the familiar lecture in the spring of 2009, Brett Nicol and Nathan Tan were listening.
At the time, the two were in the midst of on-campus job interviews. After each interview it was common courtesy to send the interviewer a note thanking him or her for the interview opportunity. As they met with more and more potential employers, the list of required thank-you notes grew. "My first thought was, 'Mom would be so disappointed in me,'" Nicol says of having a stack of half-written notes on his desk at home. "My second thought was, 'There must be a better way.'"
Using Sarasvathy's lecture as a pep talk, Nicol and Tan started developing an idea for a high-end line of stationery tailor-made for men. They designed a set of cards, found a local printer, and ordered the first round of 50 sets. To ensure the stationery would be masculine enough, they drove to every cigar store in the area and bought the stores' leftover wooden cigar boxes to use as holders. They called their venture Forgetful Gentleman.
In spring 2009, the two applied to the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership/Batten Institute at Darden, and by that summer they were part of the 10-week incubator program. The incubator provided office space and equipment, and that summer Forgetful Gentleman officially formed as an LLC.
Today, a Forgetful Gentleman stationery set—ranging in price from $35 to $75—includes 12 letterpress-printed cards made of 100 percent cotton paper, 12 envelopes, and four prestamped envelopes, all encased in a hardwood box. Neiman Marcus began carrying the line last May, and the set was selected as a "Top Gift for Him" for the 2010 holiday season. Nicol and Tan are planning to expand the brand to include men's clothing, accessories, video tutorials, a gift-giving service, and an e-magazine. --Sommer Saadi, posted Jan. 31, 2011
