Window Cleaners in Kilts

Vancouver Canada: Window cleaners see bright future in . . . kilts. 'You need to stick out from the crowd,' entrepreneur says. So, when is a gimmick not a gimmick? When there's substance behind it. That's the message from Nicholas Brand, co-owner of the Richmond-based window- and gutter-cleaning company Men In Kilts (meninkilts.net), which expects to do more than $1 million in business next year. Their secret? Keeping clients happy, of course. And the allure, or mystery, of guys in kilts. As one ad puts it: "No peeking." "A lot of our success is word of mouth," Brand, 30, said in an interview about his company, whose tartan-painted vans are increasingly seen throughout Metro Vancouver. "Our customers have fun. They have a laugh. But it's not just a gimmicky thing. "To me, gimmicks come and go and we've taken it beyond a gimmick. If we weren't doing a good job, word would spread just as fast in the opposite direction. And a huge percentage of our growth is from referrals." However, Brand fully understands the recognition that a company can get by sending out men in kilts to clean gutters or wash windows. "All businesses need to be remembered. You need to stick out from the crowd if you go into business. And we're not doing brain surgery here, so let's have fun." Partner Brent Hohlweg, 39, agreed: "It's about a service experience. But from the moment our employees step out, clients see good-looking guys in kilts. "And our employees have got to love the kilts. They've got to love the freedom."
Hohlweg, who joined the company as a business partner three years ago, said Men In Kilts had $450,000 in total revenue in 2007 and is on pace for $750,000 this year. He estimated revenue will top $1 million in 2009. The company has six trucks and 16 full- and part-time employees, all of them bonded. "I chose window cleaning because there were no big national players," said Brand. "Secondly, window cleaning can have a bad reputation. It can be the grubby guy who smokes when he's up there. Some customers have told me that before they hired Men In Kilts they'd followed people around because they didn't trust them. "We hire the kinds of guys you'd like to have over for Sunday dinner." Brand said half the company's business involves cleaning windows and gutters at houses; the other half at strata-title apartments and townhome complexes. "We also do a small number of offices." Brand said Hohlweg - a former client of Brand's who ran a small property management company - came on board because he needed a partner. "Starting a business and growing a business is too much for one person." And the future? "We're hoping to open a new office in Langley next year," said Brand. "But our ultimate goal is franchising. We want to open a test franchise in Victoria."

MEN IN KILTS (Nick & Brent above)
- Year company founded: 2002.
- Total revenue in first year: $20,000.
- Total revenue in 2007: $450,000.
- Projected total revenue in 2008: $750,000.
- Projected total revenue in 2009: more than $1 million.
- Number of employees: 16.
- Number of trucks: six.

Other news on Men in Kilts here & here. You may be interested to know of another window cleaner named Chris Turner that works in a kilt, called Celtic window cleaning based in Castle Rock, Colorado.
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