Hey everyone, it's Tyler. I'm taking over the blog today to speak to you directly and tell you a little bit about my story and how I started Ugly Christmas Party.
My story is all about figuring it out. Growing up, I didn’t do well in school, and at one point I had a 1.6 GPA. Always the class clown, I would do anything for a laugh. Entrepreneurship was not my goal. But after entering the corporate world, I found I was a natural leader and people were always asking me what to do next even though I wasn’t a manager or owner. I started a side hustle on my nights and weekends flipping name brand product on eBay and Amazon. That business grew quickly, and soon I was able to leave my job to pursue that full time.
After roughly 8 years selling other people's products, I decided to start my own brand, and Ugly Christmas Party was born. Just three years ago, we started off with our three original styles, and now we're up to 50!
I never imagined becoming an entrepreneur as a kid, but my personality did not allow me to take orders from someone else. I always felt like I was a rat in someone else's maze. Although I didn’t set out to be an entrepreneur, it was inside of me the whole time and I just had to accept who I really was.
It wasn’t until I met my wife that it felt like all the puzzle pieces aligned. My wild and crazy ideas mixed with her analytical project manager brain were the perfect combo.
What you are witnessing in our brand is not just designs on a sweater but you’re watching a love story play out. This brand and this business has taken on a life of its own and is no longer simply an expression of me, but the sum of all my parts: father, husband, entrepreneur, just trying to figure it out.