Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben Martin.
Ben, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My journey into starting Martin Etiquettes came originally in college. I always had a desire to start my own business but had no clue where to begin. My daily schedule gave me many hints though. My days would be overwhelmingly filled with internships, fraternity/club meetings and class. Throw some occasional formal events, speaking engagements and honor ceremonies in there and it was hard to ever catch me in clothes that weren’t formal or business casual. I enjoyed dressing up as an expression of myself but always wondered how cool it would be to make my own formal wear. In that thought grew my passion for pursuing teaching myself to sew and create ties by hand. Fast forward to 2018 after I graduated college, got married and moved to Dallas, TX, my wife bought me a sewing machine for my birthday which gave me the kick start I needed to stop dreaming and actually do something. She took the excuse away from just not having the tools to make my dreams come true and put the ball in my court. From that point forward, I dedicated myself to learning how to sew and creating a process for making my own bow ties. Fast forward to the winter of 2019. My wife once again surprises me by filing for my business paperwork with the state and gifts it to me for Christmas. With my business paperwork complete along with a process and skills developed, I opened Martin Etiquettes for business and haven’t looked back.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My path hasn’t been smooth but it hasn’t necessarily been brutally tough either. In my field, the biggest challenge was learning to embrace consistent failure. I lived by trial and error for close to a year and a half before I was anywhere near confident enough to put my product out for sale. I spent countless hours working on ties only for them to end up with many flaws. Instead of giving up, I had to see every attempt as a lesson to learn from in order to improve the next project. I built perseverance going to my regular job during the day then coming home to spend my whole evening only to often end in failure. This can be very disheartening but my motivation to keep grinding away stemmed mainly from the dream of opening my store and my wife’s constant support.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Martin Etiquettes seeks to provide professional yet authentic handcrafted neckwear accessories to enhance any outfit, while also offering education on excellence in manners and behavior. I want to be your choice for perfecting your look at any occasion and an advisor for the proper etiquette. Whether it’s for work, wedding or whatever, I’m here to help you look and display your best impressions. Thus far, I’m most proud of selling over seventy plus bow ties within only six months of operations. I definitely believe what sets Martin Etiquettes apart from others is the quality of the materials we use at a very competitive price that fits into anyone’s budget. Combine that with the education we’re beginning to offer for men and women entering the professional world and you have a business that’s truly here to provide and serve the community in a way that most formal wear companies haven’t even considered.
What were you like growing up?
I grew up in an environment where my parents wouldn’t allow me to limit my potential in any aspect of life. I was deeply involved in everything you can think of from multiple sports, community organizations, honor societies and churches. This mindset instilled a spirit that gave me the audacity to approach any situation with a confident demeanor that believed my success was inevitable with the right amount of motivation, passion and effort. This mindset also came with its own set of drawbacks. With this mentality stuck in the mind of a young teenager, it would easily drift into a place of arrogance. As you could guess it would also become the root of most of the trouble I would get into as well so in a way, it could be seen as a gift and a curse. As I matured, with experience and perspective, I was able to balance my confidence with a more secure understanding of self which has created the man I am today.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MartinEtiquettes?ref=search_shop_redirect
- Email: martinetiquettes@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martinetiquettes/
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