A TikTok viral video last month showing an awesome employee in a company’s office in Richmond had a reaction similar to many who first met Men In Kilts – surprise followed by amusement.
It’s a familiar experience for new clients of Sara Richmire-Kint and her husband Kristian Kint.
A year ago, the couple opened their own franchise of Men In Kilts (MIK), an outdoor cleaning service where workers wear kilts, the knee-length, short men’s dresses that come from Scotland. Their franchise is located in Richmond and serves Fort Bend County.
“You can’t beat wearing a kilt, especially in Houston,” said Kristian. “That is definitely an eye-catcher. It’s one of our greatest marketing tools. When we’re in public, people stop, take photos and talk to us. ”
MIK was founded in 2002 by Nicholas Brand, a resident of Vancouver, Canada, of Scottish ancestry. Since then, the company has grown nationwide, but the only other cities served in Texas so far are Bryan and College Station.
Kristian said the main area for his location is Pecan Grove and adjacent areas south of the Westpark Tollway.
“We’re pretty much all over Fort Bend County right now,” said Kristian. “We do not reject anyone who is not in our territory.”
Sara, who heads MIK’s marketing and day-to-day business, said she and Kristian have plans to expand their franchise.
MIK offers services such as outside and inside cleaning of windows, gutter and downpipe cleaning, high pressure cleaning and a “soft wash” house cleaning so that houses and buildings look like new without the risk of high pressure cleaning.
Kristian previously served in the US Marine Corps for four years and has experience in construction and the oil and gas industry. Sara also has extensive experience in the energy sector, mostly as an engineer.
After working from home at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, they both thought it was time to try something new. You’ve lived in Richmond for about a year and a half and made the leap to franchisee last year.
“We just decided that we want to do our own thing,” said Kristian. “We wanted to have our own business. We wanted to be good owners, good managers, and treat our employees with respect. And that led us to a franchise. We just fell in love with the brand. “
Kristian and Sara both said they appreciate that Men In Kilts aims to promote a veteran and family friendly environment.
“The franchise itself is definitely very family oriented,” said Sara. “We like the area, we like the community, so we decided we wanted to settle here.”
The kilt is compulsory for all employees, with the exception of commercial occupations that require long trousers.
“Most of the people we interviewed have never worn one,” said Kristian. “But we only have one other employee at the moment, and he really likes to wear it. That was what attracted him to the job. You need to have some confidence and boast about yourself to do it. But you get used to it. The first time I put it on by myself I thought, ‘Oh, that’s weird.’ But now I turn it on every day and it’s nothing. “