Nicholas Wheeler: “I lost more money in three months than I’d made in the past three years”

The Founder of Charles Tyrwhitt tells us all about his biggest mistake...

Even as a schoolboy, Nick Wheeler was a natural entrepreneur — he ran a photography business, made bespoke shoes, and flogged Christmas trees to his friends’ parents. In his second year at university, Nick founded Charles Tyrwhitt, a mail-order shirt business. His friends and family thought he was mad.

Thirty years later, the company is a bastion of British menswear and a heroic success — but at one point, it very nearly folded. Here, Nick tells us how a single lapse in focus almost cost him everything he’d worked for.

One danger of running your own business is that as soon as you get good, you get bored...

Become a Gentleman’s Journal Member?

Become a Gentleman’s Journal Member?

Like the Gentleman’s Journal? Why not join the Clubhouse, a special kind of private club where members receive offers and experiences from hand-picked, premium brands. You will also receive invites to exclusive events, the quarterly print magazine delivered directly to your door and your own membership card.

Click here to find out more

Further reading