Fresno State grad receives student entrepreneur of the year award for Sparkle Ties

A recent Fresno State graduate is being recognized with a special award after starting a specialty necktie business. Daniel Malcolm, creator of Sparkle Ties, is the recipient of the 2018 Student Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

The award is given out each year by the Fresno Chamber of Commerce during the Valley Business Awards Luncheon. This year’s luncheon is taking place on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at the New Exhibit Hall.

Malcolm, the oldest of 12 children, launched his business, Sparkle Ties, while studying Business Administration and Entrepreneurship at Fresno State’s Sid Craig School of Business. He was inspired to create a line of men’s neckties that feature rhinestones and Swarovski crystals after purchasing similar ties while living in South Korea.

“As a missionary, I wore a necktie every day,” Malcolm said. “I didn’t want to wear the same tie every day, so I began collecting.”

When Malcolm returned to Fresno in 2010, he had no intention of going into the fashion industry. “Since my freshman year of high school, I had been fascinated with the medical field and planned to be a doctor,” he says. “I transferred to Fresno State as a chemistry major, but eventually realized that I no longer had the same passion for chemistry that I did when I was in high school. After I married my wife, Hyunjin in 2014, I decided to try a semester of studying business. I loved it! Everything seemed to just click and make sense to me.”

The Malcolms have two children, 2-year-old Mina and 9-month-old Daniel III.

“This is a family business,” Malcolm says. “We do a lot together. My sister-in-law places the Swarovski crystals on our custom ties and samples.”

Sparkle Ties are available online and are also sold at Orloff Jewelers in Fig Garden Village and Fresno Lexus. The ties range from $39.99 to $120. The more expensive are made of silk and feature higher quality jewels.

“Sparkle Ties are the ties that sparkle,” Malcolm says. “They really stand out. We have a range of more conservative ties to a little bit more dynamic.”

Malcolm hasn’t quit his day job yet. He works in sales for his father’s ag publishing business. “I have always had a passion for business growing up,” Malcolm says. “I did all the classic kid businesses: lemonade stand, car washing, recycling, and produce stand.”

In the future Malcolm hopes Sparkle Ties become available in more retail and specialty stores. He believes the business award will be a good launching pad. “I was amazed when I learned I was awarded Student Entrepreneur of the Year,” he says. “It feels incredible.”

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Photos courtesy of Daniel Malcolm.