Eye-catching work wear has helped a home improvement franchise capture a solid market share and an expansion into Vancouver Island this month, with Alberta on the radar.
Vancouver-based Men In Kilts, a full-service window and exterior cleaning franchise, prides itself in high-quality work with a tongue-in-cheek attitude. All the employees wear - you guessed it - Scottish kilts. Usually only seen on men playing bagpipes or the occasional Halloween party, these workers can be ogled climbing ladders to get at the gutters, windows and sidings of residential and corporate buildings.
The theory behind the head-tilting kilt? The kilt is memorable, recognizable, worn by the employees and is sure to get a few stares from females and anyone else passing by a worksite.
According to CEO and franchising professional Tressa Wood (credited with helping propel 1-800-GOT-JUNK? from growing from $15 million to more than $130 million in revenue), it is this differential approach that is garnering Men In Kilts such phenomenal interest in the brand and the business model.
"Nowadays, we are so inundated with marketing and advertising that in order get our attention it is critical to be bold and think outside the box," said Wood. "Having an eye-catching brand takes the complexity out of marketing and generates organic interest and excitement."
The franchises are currently in a phase of hyper-growth, with their focus on the western territories. Men In Kilts currently operates with a Vancouver franchise, a Fraser Valley franchise, one in Seattle and one set to open in Victoria this month (February). Prime targets for further expansion include Calgary, Edmonton and Portland, Oregon.
The initial investment to start a Men In Kilts franchise can begin at $49,000 and goes up to $104, 000 depending on the territory and needs. Men In Kilts provides full training, marketing and PR, customer support and access to KiltNet - a custom-developed web-based scheduling, dispatching, crew tracking and reporting system.
from Western Investor February 2012
