New Collar

The past 12 months — year three of running his own company, after a decade in the global fashion industry— has been the biggest learning curve yet for Geoff Argue.

The former head of women's knits at Chico's FAS, one of the largest departments at the Fort Myers-based retail giant, Argue and a business partner in 2015 launched Batch. The idea for the company: Make and sell high-quality men's shirts, with style and a price tag under $100, then sell the shirts in small quantities, only online. Argue compared the model to the craft beer movement. What's lost in sales volume is made up in creating a brand that drafts raving fans.

While Argue says he never thought it would be easy, some challenges, and lessons, have surprised him. For one, he looked at Batch like many other businesses. He would need to prove the concept, get the inventory, then sell the stuff. “Like a hot dog stand,” Argue quips in an early December interview.