Entrepreneur Interview: Brett Nicol and Nathan Tan, Forgetful Gentleman

Business Name:

Nathan Tan

Brett Nicol

Forgetful Gentleman

Website URL:
www.forgetfulgentleman.com

Year Founded:
2008

Business Partners:
Nathan Tan

Number of Employees:
2

What does your company do?
Forgetful Gentleman helps the modern man become a gentleman in today’s digital world by making it easier to write and send handwritten correspondence.

In today’s digital age, it’s easier to contact someone than ever before.  But it’s harder to truly connect.  Forgetful Gentleman’s flagship product is a revolutionary correspondence system that removes the obstacles keeping the modern man from writing and sending meaningful handwritten correspondence.  Selected as a “Top Gift for Him” by Neiman Marcus, Forgetful Gentleman is available at Neiman Marcus stores across the country and online at www.forgetfulgentleman.com.

Who is a forgetful gentleman?  He is a classy, sophisticated modern man whose busy lifestyle often interferes with his well intentioned plans.

Was there a specific turning point when you realized your business was moving to the next level: The turning point was when we were selling our products at a farmer’s market in Charlottesville, VA.  Everyone kept telling me “I know a forgetful gentleman!”  The concept resonated with people, that’s when we knew we could grow the company.

What processes or procedures have you implemented that have helped grow your company?
We use a weekly and monthly scorecard that tracks our processes across all key parts of the business including supply chain, fulfillment, sales, marketing, finance, strategy and technology.  By constantly assessing what we are or are not doing well, we are improving every day.

What is most rewarding about running your business?

I love that running your own business is your very own tabula rasa. It’s your blank slate, and you can take the business any direction.  It’s entirely on your shoulders, and I love that personal accountability.

What challenges have you faced and how have you overcome them?
By far the biggest challenge has been finding quality suppliers that meet our customer’s high expectation.  We are extremely picky with the paper, the writing guides, wood boxes and packaging.  There are a lot of moving parts in creating a Letterpress Correspondence System, and we’ve learned a lot in tackling this challenge.

If you were starting over today, what would you do differently?
Spend less time developing the perfect product, and more time pounding the pavement.  Iteration of the product and the business is a necessity, and there’s no better way to iterate than through customer interaction.

What advice do you have for other business owners?
If you don’t have customers, you don’t have a business.  Don’t worry as much about creating a business plan or the perfect product.  Instead, pound the pavement.

Please list any favorite books, tools or resources (software, website, etc.) you would recommend for others?
Our favorite professor from Darden Business School, Professor Saras Sarasvathy, has been both a strategic advisor and personal mentor.  Her work in the area of entrepreneurship is a must-read for every entrepreneur.

What is something that people might be surprised to learn about you?
I own a second business called Empower the Athlete that provides college counseling to high school athletes.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
Most men have good intentions.  It’s the follow-through that they struggle with.  Nate and Brett, b-school buddies and self titled “original forgetful gentlemen,” founded the company at Darden because, well, they were being forgetful.  As part of Professor Saras Sarasvathy’s “Starting New Ventures” course, they were tasked with bringing a new product to market.  Being in the midst of on-campus interviews, Nate and Brett found stacks of half-written thank you notes to potential employers.  Brett’s first thought was “My Mom would be so disappointed in me.”  His second thought was “there must be a better way!”  Therefore, Nate and Brett created a product for themselves and, ultimately, for all the men struggling to become more gentlemanly in today’s busy world.