* Originally posted on UWeekly *
For any college student, picking out your first professional outfit can be an intimidating but necessary experience. For guys, a good suit is all you need for your countless interviews. One local clothing store can make the shopping trip much less painful.
Pursuit, formerly located in the South Campus Gateway, aims at narrowing down suit options to help young adults feel less overwhelmed. They also sell colorful suit accessories such as bowties and socks and even offer custom tailoring.
Amidst the opening of Pursuit’s new location in the Short North, we sat down to talk with the store’s founder, Nate DeMars, for an exclusive on what students can learn from their success. The move to the Short North Arts District was fueled by a desire to embrace the locally made spirit of Columbus. Suit up and learn from DeMars’ sentiments about his path to success as a business owner and a buckeye.
Shrink The Concept: Take an idea that has big potential and map out how it can be started without a lot of money. The original pop-up store made it so that Nate and his team could get their product in front of their prospective demographic for feedback. Their initial investment cost was $25,000 versus the millions that most people believe is needed to start a business from the ground up.
Be Open to a Change in Scenery: Pursuit’s store move was driven by the momentum of the Short North. While the store did well in the South Gateway location, it only served a specific market. Lately, the Pursuit team has been working on expanding the brand and has, also, been watching the Short North’s growth. A variety of self-made businesses and people who support local products in the neighborhood create an exciting and dynamic environment.
“We want to be Columbus’ favorite suit store. It sunk in that we were missing out on the neighborhood so we got in there, because no one is doing what we do there.” DeMars stated.
Embrace the Power of a Team: What has allowed Pursuit to thrive is the right team of people, DeMars said. He had no personal experience in the business of suits or fashion period. However, the team saw an opening in the market and came into the business with consumer perspective.
DeMars attributes their success to everyone’s passion, from the amateurs in a starting position to the students and student interns who were all willing to deal with the ambiguity of a startup’s future.
Don’t Be Afraid of a Detour: The idea of entrepreneurship is every business student’s ideal, but coming up with a business concept causes the most anxiety for those who plan to pursue it, according to DeMars. His advice, from his personal experience, is to embrace the professional roles where there is an opportunity for growth, especially in the skill sector. DeMars himself spent four years working a corporate role at Whirlpool, in a position that required speaking to a variety of people. Although it wasn’t a part of his original plan, it helped him develop skills that have benefited him as an entrepreneur.
Listen to your Inner Voice: DeMars said it’s a priority to make time for the things you’re passionate about, otherwise your own success might not take off. When it doesn’t go directly as planned, as something is bound to go wrong in the process, readjust and move forward. If you’re serious about your business or even your personal goals, he said to be all-in so you’re willing to make sacrifices.
Stay True to your Day-One Supporters: As alumni of The Ohio State University, the original team at Pursuit has been heavily connected with the university from the brand’s conception. The support of students and the University District community has fueled the brand, from its days of surviving to its time of thriving now.
“We’re grateful for the support we’ve received, and because we’re buckeyes people were more willing to support us. We’re not trying to get away from campus; it was a great way to get this started.” DeMars said. “We’re hoping that since we’ll only be a mile down the road that we’ll still be connected.”
For any college student, picking out your first professional outfit can be an intimidating but necessary experience. For guys, a good suit is all you need for your countless interviews. One local clothing store can make the shopping trip much less painful.
Pursuit, formerly located in the South Campus Gateway, aims at narrowing down suit options to help young adults feel less overwhelmed. They also sell colorful suit accessories such as bowties and socks and even offer custom tailoring.
Amidst the opening of Pursuit’s new location in the Short North, we sat down to talk with the store’s founder, Nate DeMars, for an exclusive on what students can learn from their success. The move to the Short North Arts District was fueled by a desire to embrace the locally made spirit of Columbus. Suit up and learn from DeMars’ sentiments about his path to success as a business owner and a buckeye.
Shrink The Concept: Take an idea that has big potential and map out how it can be started without a lot of money. The original pop-up store made it so that Nate and his team could get their product in front of their prospective demographic for feedback. Their initial investment cost was $25,000 versus the millions that most people believe is needed to start a business from the ground up.
Be Open to a Change in Scenery: Pursuit’s store move was driven by the momentum of the Short North. While the store did well in the South Gateway location, it only served a specific market. Lately, the Pursuit team has been working on expanding the brand and has, also, been watching the Short North’s growth. A variety of self-made businesses and people who support local products in the neighborhood create an exciting and dynamic environment.
“We want to be Columbus’ favorite suit store. It sunk in that we were missing out on the neighborhood so we got in there, because no one is doing what we do there.” DeMars stated.
Embrace the Power of a Team: What has allowed Pursuit to thrive is the right team of people, DeMars said. He had no personal experience in the business of suits or fashion period. However, the team saw an opening in the market and came into the business with consumer perspective.
DeMars attributes their success to everyone’s passion, from the amateurs in a starting position to the students and student interns who were all willing to deal with the ambiguity of a startup’s future.
Don’t Be Afraid of a Detour: The idea of entrepreneurship is every business student’s ideal, but coming up with a business concept causes the most anxiety for those who plan to pursue it, according to DeMars. His advice, from his personal experience, is to embrace the professional roles where there is an opportunity for growth, especially in the skill sector. DeMars himself spent four years working a corporate role at Whirlpool, in a position that required speaking to a variety of people. Although it wasn’t a part of his original plan, it helped him develop skills that have benefited him as an entrepreneur.
Listen to your Inner Voice: DeMars said it’s a priority to make time for the things you’re passionate about, otherwise your own success might not take off. When it doesn’t go directly as planned, as something is bound to go wrong in the process, readjust and move forward. If you’re serious about your business or even your personal goals, he said to be all-in so you’re willing to make sacrifices.
Stay True to your Day-One Supporters: As alumni of The Ohio State University, the original team at Pursuit has been heavily connected with the university from the brand’s conception. The support of students and the University District community has fueled the brand, from its days of surviving to its time of thriving now.
“We’re grateful for the support we’ve received, and because we’re buckeyes people were more willing to support us. We’re not trying to get away from campus; it was a great way to get this started.” DeMars said. “We’re hoping that since we’ll only be a mile down the road that we’ll still be connected.”