Skateboards, snowboards, wakeboards, a moose head and a dog named Gus are the passions of Ross Tisdale, class of 2006. So naturally, he wanted to include these things in the store he opened on Southwest Parkway in College Station. The merchandise he sells takes care of the skating, snowboarding and wakeboarding, and the name of the store is a combination of the moose head and Gus — Moosegus.
“The moose, shot by my grandfather who was the class of 1929, was in the garage for three and half years just taking up space and I wanted to put it in the store,” Tisdale said. “I knew it would be weird if there was just a moose in there, so I thought about how to incorporate it.”
After about a month of playing around with words, Tisdale combined the word “moose” with the name of his five-year-old English Bulldog, Gus. The name was just one of the many ideas Tisdale had for the store, but he said he knows running a business takes much more than a simple idea.
“You have to put it on paper,” he said. “My business partner, Joey King, is brilliant and knows finance so well. I can’t do it without him. You’ve got to have the right people. You have to be able to rely on friends and family and then you have to be able to do finance.
You have to sit down, plan it all out and see if it’s doable. If it’s not doable, re-work it.”
Tisdale said his time at A&M helped prepare him to run his business, but he said there were some classes he wishes he had taken.
“I was a business minor, and some of the business classes did help,” he said. “The main thing about college is that it makes you think and helps you solve problems — you’re able to look at things differently. You get through A&M and you think you can conquer the world, so you come out with confidence and that always helps. Looking back there are so many things I wish I would have done. There are so many opportunities at A&M.”
Tisdale said being an Aggie has helped his business so far.
“The Aggie network is always fun,” he said. “I don’t wear my ring, I keep it in my pocket. I don’t want someone to buy something from me just because I’m an Aggie, but it never hurts.”
Joseph King, who graduated with his MBA in 2006, is chief of staff at the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, and he helped Tisdale get Moosegus up and running.
“This is something we had talked about for quite a while,” King said. “This is something he is really passionate about, and he really thinks more Aggies and more kids in the community should get involved in these types of sports. In the past few years, he’s seen a real increase around the world in snowboarding, wakeboarding and skateboarding, and it was something he wanted to do in College Station.”
Tisdale wanted the primary characteristic of his store to be a friendly atmosphere. On the wall, there is a television set up for people to come in and play video games. He also saidmany of his customers will come by simply to ask questions or talk about the sports.
“Overall, the community has been dying for something like this,” Tisdale said. “We want to be a facilitator for the community. We have plans for creating a community where people come in and find friends they can ride to the lake with.”
Tisdale’s brother Rhett, class of 2010, worked in the store and said he liked the social aspect of the store.
“I think we’re pretty chill, so it doesn’t matter what kind of person you are, you’re welcome,” he said. “I think it’s a cool atmosphere, there’s something for everyone. We’re always willing to hang out and have a conversation.”
Tisdale said he is excited about making his dream become a reality, and he wants all Aggies to be able to go after what they want.
“Go get involved in what you want to do,” he said. “If you don’t know something, ask questions; find out. Continue to learn. There’s nothing wrong with starting somewhere small and working your way up. You have to put the time in to learn about it.”