15 replies to this topic

[Chris Webb]

January 2012 will be the eighth anniversary of both my current business as well as my being a full time kiltman ... and being a kiltman has been a major factor in my still being in business, particularly with the collapse of the new construction housing market. I started this thread mostly to give other Brothers and Sisters here who have small businesses a chance to converse about the effects, positive and negative, of wearing kilts as part of their business persona, uniform or marketing strategy. Of course all are welcome in this thread.

I'll start off by simply providing a link to my company webpage, it ain't much, but it is what everyone who looks at my business on the web sees. Here it is: readyfordutyhauloff.com Anyway, if I can help any other Brothers or Sisters to kilt for both fun and profit I'm glad to do it. And I hope to learn from the experiences of others as well.

Kilt ON!

Chris Webb

[bikeolounger]

At work today, a couple came in looking for a bike for her. As we talked, HE interjected that she should buy a bike from me, if for no other reason that I was wearing a kilt (UK original in black) with Vibram Five Fingers shoes.

[Sathor]

bikeolounger, on 29 August 2011 - 09:49 PM, said:

At work today, a couple came in looking for a bike for her. As we talked, HE interjected that she should buy a bike from me, if for no other reason that I was wearing a kilt (UK original in black) with Vibram Five Fingers shoes.

Can you even wear socks with those, or is that not how they work. Those things confuse me.

[Spc. Scott]

I have socks I wear with mine, depending on how I feel. Injini toe socks/liners. They seem to make it easier to put them on, especially when you first get a pair. My pinky toe on my right foot still doesn't like "being alone".

[Grendelmor]

Then try these...

http://www.jcpenney....ku=822341a77b7e

Your two small toes fit in the same slot, but otherwise, they work the same as the Vibrams.

[KT]

Grendelmor, on 30 August 2011 - 10:19 AM, said:

Then try these...

http://www.jcpenney....ku=822341a77b7e

Your two small toes fit in the same slot, but otherwise, they work the same as the Vibrams.

got a pair of those...LOVE THEM!!

one word of warning though: if you get them wet do NOT wear them for hours on end after. The seams in the toes will tear your feet apart if they get and stay wet and you are hiking/walking a lot.

[Chris Webb]

I also thought those would be AWESOME to wear with kilts but I couldn't get the danged things on. My little toe wouldn't cooperate and the 'shoe guy' finally said, "Old guys can't always wear these." Bikelounger., I can see how the combination of the uniqueness of both a kilt and 5 finger shoes would make you even more interesting to do business with ... down deep inside many people admire those with the courage to be unique and even have a sense of wanting to reward such courage ... sometimes that reward is to do business with them.

My second biggest account came to me directly by a superintendent of a large company wanting to hire me simply because I was wearing a kilt. His name is Leck (he is now a missionary in Central America). Leck would tell the story of how he met me near one of his jobs and how he told his higher ups that he just HAD to have this kilt guy working for him. Leck is the best example in my personal experience of how my wearing a kilt at work directly resulted in business ... Leck has move on but I'm still working for V-Fine Homes to this day.

Kilt ON!

Bikelounger, by the way, I've told a couple of friends of mine who own and/or work at bike shops in Fort Worth about you and your kilts ... both of these guys have been eyeballing my kilts for years and threatening to start wearing kilts themselves. Now they know that someone else in their line of work is DOING it, who knows, it might just be the push needed for yet another businessman of two to enjoy the business multiplier that wearing kilts to work can be.

[bikeolounger]

Spc. Scott, on 30 August 2011 - 08:15 AM, said:

I have socks I wear with mine, depending on how I feel. Injini toe socks/liners. They seem to make it easier to put them on, especially when you first get a pair. My pinky toe on my right foot still doesn't like "being alone".

+1 on the Injinji socks. I tend to use them at work, but the pair of Five Fingers at home has rarely seen socks.

[Chris Webb]

I have to wonder if the guys who make those five finger socks and shoes wore kilts or included kilts in their advertising if it would help or hurt their business ... what are the rules on vendors here, do you have to make kilts or are other social rebels and wardrobe malcontents also welcome? Somebody needs to invite these guys to join up.

Obviously there is a market for their products in the kilted world, a market, by many accounts outside of it, that is actually bent on wearing items that fly in the face of the status quo. Certainly 5 finger socks and shoes are just as unique as kilts, one makes 'leggings' for toes and one eliminates 'leggings' for legs, seems like a marketing match made in heaven. Un-bifurcated 'p@nt$' and pentfurcated 'socks and shoes', what a combination!!

Kilt ON!

Chris Webb

[Sathor]

I am beginning to think you guys are only wearing those funky shoes because you are taking the 'no underwear' thing a bit too far. Sock are allowed, you know. (Unless you are wearing sandles)

[Kilted Carver]

I am trying to bring socks with sandals into "being cool" It hides my boot tan line from work....very embarrassing.

[Chris Webb]

Kilted Carver, on 01 September 2011 - 01:13 PM, said:

I am trying to bring socks with sandals into "being cool" It hides my boot tan line from work....very embarrassing.

My work boot tan line is so distinct it looks like I'm wearing socks anyway.

By the way, I picked up yet another Remodeler today as a client! He called and the first words out of his mouth were, "You're the guy in the kilt, right?" There is simply no denying that my wearing kilts all the time makes me easier to remember ... kilts don't get me hired, but kilts make me and my business stick in the memory of those who see us working, kilts are a powerful identifier that are very hard to forget.

I did pick up another BIG client a few weeks ago that apparently had nothing to do with kilts. In this case it was my being a Veteran that got me the work. I was recommended by a non-military veteran to a builder who does HUGE homes and million dollar remodels, but he described me as 'that military guy' ... the first day I met this builder he said he'd heard I was in the Army, I said, "Yep, and this is the U.S. Army Tartan!" He grinned and saluted.

I really don't know if all this 'sock talk' in my thread about kilting and business is just an innocent coincidence or a contrived kind of way of making light of me, but I'm out here doing it, Brothers and Sisters, and have been for years. Laugh at me or learn from me, either way I'm heading to the bank and I'm headed there in a kilt.

Kilt ON!

Chris Webb

[Sathor]

Chris Webb, on 01 September 2011 - 02:40 PM, said:

I really don't know if all this 'sock talk' in my thread about kilting and business is just an innocent coincidence or a contrived kind of way of making light of me, but I'm out here doing it, Brothers and Sisters, and have been for years. Laugh at me or learn from me, either way I'm heading to the bank and I'm headed there in a kilt.

I was going to comment on wondering just how it got off topic in the way it did, but, well, those dang shoes creep me the hell out.

[Chris Webb]

Today I worked on the house that one of my clients is building for the pitching coach of the Texas Rangers baseball team! The builder introduced me to the coach who immediately starting asking me questions about kilts! I told him all about them and how they play a part in my business. Afterwards he asked me if I got many photo ops ... I said, "Hell yea, I sure do, folks want to take my picture alot and sometime want my picture taken with them!" It wasn't until later that I realized (or wondered) if he was actually offering to take his picture with me, being that he's famous and all!

When we were done working I waived at him and he waved back with a big smile on his face. I wonder if he's telling the story to his pals of how this kilt guy trash man thought it was a bigger honor for a pro baseball coach to have his picture taken with a kiltman that for a kiltman to have his picture taken with a pro baseball coach. Personally, I think it's a wash.

Kilt ON!

[Rob Soderman]

Nice website Chris. To bad you are way down in texas, I've goit a ton of stuff in my house to get rid of. Maybe I'll just do a big yard sale and then I can afford the boots I want.


http://www.sodhoppers.com/index.html

I tried these on once at a ren faire and they were great. They actually take a cold cast of your foot and design the boot around it. Son of Sandler has a sole with better traction but the designs are pretty close. I see alot of ren faire performers wearing these.

[Chris Webb]

Rob Soderman, on 10 September 2011 - 09:16 PM, said:

Nice website Chris. To bad you are way down in texas, I've goit a ton of stuff in my house to get rid of. Maybe I'll just do a big yard sale and then I can afford the boots I want.


http://www.sodhoppers.com/index.html

I tried these on once at a ren faire and they were great. They actually take a cold cast of your foot and design the boot around it. Son of Sandler has a sole with better traction but the designs are pretty close. I see alot of ren faire performers wearing these.

Thanks, Rob! Cool boots too. You can get Cowboy Boots here in Texas that are made the way you described, custom fitted, custom made, but very expensive. I've even seen a few guys at Scots Festivals wearing them with their kilts, it looks surprisingly good.