Greg Shugar of Beau Ties Ltd.: From Attorney to E-Commerce Trailblazer
Greg Shugar is no stranger to reinvention. After leaving a stable career as an attorney, Greg became a pioneer in online menswear with The Tie Bar in 2004—before most people even trusted buying clothes online. Now the owner of Beau Ties Ltd. of Vermont, Greg has led two e-commerce brands to incredible growth through scrappy resilience, market intuition, and a commitment to adapting with the times.
In this episode of Clicks & Bricks, Greg shares the inspiring journey of building a $19M-a-year business from his basement, selling it at the peak, and later buying a competitor just before the pandemic—and still growing 500% despite the chaos.
Episode Takeaways:
- Still growing & adapting: From tote bags to scarves, he’s now exploring how to evolve a men's brand into a lifestyle brand for women—without losing the original customer.Started from a tie-ruined morning: The idea for his first business came from a ruined tie and the realization that neckwear didn’t need to be expensive.
- Built with zero funding: Greg bootstrapped the business with a $50k home equity loan—never raised or borrowed another penny.
- Pivoted hard during the pandemic: When bow tie sales disappeared, he shifted to masks and scaled production using old tie designs.
- Rebuilt with purpose: Greg rehired furloughed staff with earnings from mask sales and expanded the product line to serve a new female customer base.
- Still growing & adapting: From tote bags to scarves, he’s now exploring how to evolve a men's brand into a lifestyle brand for women—without losing the original customer.
Watch Greg’s full entrepreneurial journey and get inspired to make your next pivot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTpFAPRQ9_E
Memorable Quote:
“The number one attribute of any entrepreneur is being resourceful.”