Whereas women nationwide are burdened with their daily debate of which shoes will go with which accessories, men must decide how long they can go without wearing the same tie to work again. Two University of Alabama Law School alumni have answered that question with their tie rental company TieTry.
Scott Tindle and David Powers were law students who spent a lot of time in search of the perfect business idea before they were supplying men nationwide with fashionable rental ties.
Since the company’s birth, there has been some discrepancy as to where the idea came from.
“There is a television show called ‘Shark Tank’ about entrepreneurs, and in the show, there was a lady that created basically the Netflix model but with children’s toys,” Tindle said. “Parents could rent the toys, then she would send them out. When the kids were done with the toys, the parents would send them back, and she’d sanitize them and send them out again. We spurred the idea from that.”
Many people had wondered if the idea came from the television series “The League,” where one character had brought of the idea of tie rental on an episode about three weeks before the launch of TieTry.
“We did not take the idea from ‘The League,’” Tindle said. “We really appreciate The League running that episode, however, because it advertised the concept for us. It aired in mid-December, and our website launched about three weeks later. We take it as a huge compliment that people think we could pull this off in three weeks.”
The website offers ties from many different fashion industries, rather than one particular trend. Currently, they offer a wide variety, ranging from higher-end Italian ties to smaller Southern companies, which serves as a major attraction to consumers nationwide.
“I think it is a very interesting concept,” said Jake Anderson, a UA alumni. “If they are able to continue to grow their overall tie selection to keep customers interested, I think it could be very successful.”
TieTry aims to satisfy customers in more areas than just the south.
“We want to be able to meet as many needs as we can, because at the end of the day, guys are wearing ties for different reasons, because impressing a client in New York requires a different tie, rather than when you are hanging out in Tuscaloosa,” Tindle said.
Tindle said there are about 10 million men who wear a tie to work everyday. TieTry would like to capture just one percent of the 10 million by their five-year anniversary.
Consumers can sign up for packages ranging from $11.99 with one tie per month to $29.99 with five ties per month.
“This service is so great because it offers higher-quality ties that would normally cost a high amount of money for me to have to purchase,” said Dennis Sumrall, a TieTry customer. “Instead, I can get them for a really reasonable price. It is also really nice because I don’t ever have to be seen in the same tie at work. They have a great variety, and I am very happy with them.”
Because they were once aspiring businessmen themselves, Tindle and Powers urge UA students to pursue their ambitions.
“The main thing is, when you think you have a good idea, you have to follow through with those ideas,” Tindle said. “Ideas in themselves are great, but until they are put into action, they are fruitless. You don’t need to put everything into practice, because sometimes you start mapping it out, and you find it isn’t worth the time and money to see if it will work. You have to put the work in and see if it feasible and go out and make it happen. That’s the difficult part.”
Tindle said there were three things he wanted UA students to remember about TieTry.
“One, we are both Alabama graduates,” Tindle said. “Two, this is not just for people who wear ties everyday. We are trying to cater to as many different people as we can. And third, we feel that we have a social responsibility to give back, and we are open to working with charities. People can always email us and recommend charities, and if its something we believe in, we are more than willing to work with them.”
