A tailor-made opportunity for Management Graduate Tom

— 05.12.16

by Jody Dalton

Entrepreneur and Co-founder of Olympvs (a lifestyle and performance brand providing casual clothing for athletes) Tom Eastman (pictured above) graduated from the Management School with a first class BA Hons degree in Business Management in 2015.

As a keen sportsperson and inspired by his own love of Rugby, Tom’s business idea stemmed from the notion of muscular athletes not being able to wear ‘normal’ fitting clothes comfortably. He told us about his busy year from graduation, to running a successful start-up today.

The company and my role

Since graduating, I've started up a clothing company called Olympvs. We create high performance casual wear, tailored for athletic body shapes. The clothes are designed with a unique athletic fit which flatters muscular shapes and are constructed with technical stretch fabrics for comfort. I’m a one-man band from designing the clothes, marketing, to operating the business day-to-day.

My time at Sheffield

I visited Sheffield on a sunny open day and really took to the lively campus and city. The timing also seemed right for me with the exciting new facilities like Endcliffe and the new Management School building being opened at Crookesmoor. My fondest memories of studying at Sheffield are the societies and friends I made along the way. I was heavily involved in Unicef on Campus Sheffield and HHRUFC, both of which played a large part in my university experience. From the fun of joining the teams as a fresher, building great friendships throughout, to eventually leading both societies in my final year; they were fun and fulfilling experiences which I miss.

About my career so far

I wouldn’t describe it as much of a career yet! I landed a grad job in Houston, Texas, headhunting energy traders for the first five months out of university. Despite it being great experience, ultimately it wasn’t for me. I now have tunnel vision on starting up Olympvs. There have been highs and lows, but with a lot of hard work we have come a long way from the initial idea back in my student bedroom! Receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback on the products I have designed and made has certainly been the highlight so far for me.

“I’m a one-man band from designing the clothes, marketing, to operating the business day-to-day.”

Tom Eastman BA Business Management 2015 and Co-founder of Olympvs

What I gained from my degree

Undertaking a Business Management degree certainly helped me develop the skills and knowledge needed to set up the business. The original idea was generated whilst I was studying Dermot Breslin’s Enterprise and Entrepreneurship module. Dermot’s guidance and help to get the idea off the ground was pivotal. It’s cliché to say but that particular class has probably changed my life forever. Overall, my degree naturally gave me a solid grounding for starting the business, despite there being gaps between theory and reality.

The future of Olympvs

I’m currently working hard to push Olympvs to reach its full potential. The vision is to bring the athletic fit concept to a full range of clothing; from jeans and shirts to suits, the lot. Whatever the end game, I hope I’ll be creating a valuable business and still trying to help others along the way!

And in my spare time…

Starting a company doesn’t leave much room for spare time! But I manage to fit in the gym a few times a week and try to read non-fiction/ personal development books as much as I can. I have recently enjoyed The Chimp Paradox by our very own Dr Steven Peters.

I also chill out with friends regularly and am partial to a Netflix binge… I recently got into Narcos and can’t stop myself. And just recently, I was delighted to be asked back to the school to deliver a talk to students studying the very module where the business idea evolved just over a year ago.

You can find out more about Olympvs at www.olympvs.co.uk or @olympvs_fit on Instagram.

11.07.16

Alumni perspective: six years after graduation, by Jodie Cook

12.05.16

Business Management students’ expertise to help local charity

01.02.17

Volunteers for 'Achieve More' - an interactive module for our students