Men In Kilts Closes Out Groundbreaking Year With 12 Franchise Units Sold and Double-Digit Systemwide Sales Increases

Men In Kilts, North America's leading residential and commercial window and exterior cleaning franchise backed by parent company Threshold Brands, is wrapping up a groundbreaking year. The brand sold 12 franchise units this year, including six with new franchise owners and six with existing Threshold owners, and also saw year-over-year sales grow by double digits. Those new signings also introduced the Men In Kilts brand to two new states: New York and Virginia. 

“It has really been an amazing year for us,” said Men In Kilts President Rachel Southard. “We’ve done more in this past year than many other brands do in their whole lifetime. It has been a productive and exciting time for the Men In Kilts brand.”

Positioned to serve the growing demands of the multi-billion dollar cleaning and building maintenance industry, the Men In Kilts concept is about building a national brand that delivers an unparalleled level of professional service. Today, Men In Kilts now has over 47 franchise locations sold across North America with aggressive expansion plans in place. 

In addition to bringing on new franchisees, Men In Kilts has also spent the past year building out its leadership team at the corporate office. “We have hired new marketing experts, business coaches and operational leaders,” said Southard. “We have some very talented people on the team now as we build out the brand, which is helping franchisees grow their businesses as well.” 

The exterior cleaning brand also solidified two key strategic partnerships this year, including a digital marketing agency and a field service software partner. “Those two vendors together are really a game changer, both for the consumer experience and for the sales process the franchisees have at their fingertips,” said Southard. “At the end of the day, the goal is to drive more revenue for franchisees. Our owners will now have tactical tools that they didn’t have before. Time is money, and if we can make those processes more efficient, it will be better for everyone.” 

This year also saw Men In Kilts undergo an award-winning rebrand as Southard worked to shift the brand into something that would be even more appealing to franchisees and clients alike. 

“Our branding is our strongest asset; we are wearing kilts, after all,” said Southard. “Having a strong positioning and branding that really resonates with consumers keeps us relevant. It is not just about cleaning windows — it is about working together with our franchisees to create extraordinary experiences for our consumers. That is the foundation of growing this brand.”

Nowhere is that foundation more apparent than in the story of Men In Kilts founder Nicholas Brand, who is still a franchisee today in Vancouver and is seeing greater success than ever. “He has been such a great advisor through this rebranding and system-wide changes,” said Southard. “He started something great and is a big ambassador of the brand. You don’t hear that very often — the founder is a franchisee with the brand. He is also about to hit a big revenue target that he has been working towards for a while. I’m really excited to see him take the lead in this milestone.” 

Looking ahead, 2023 is set to be the year of reinforcement for Men In Kilts, according to Southard. “2022 was a big year of change for the brand — we rebranded, rolled our new technology, updated the operations — we really ripped to the studs and built it back up,” she said. “Now, it is about reinforcing. We are going all in on learning those new tools and making sure all of our franchisees have what they need to be successful. All the hard work we did is going to pay off tenfold next year.”

From a growth perspective, Southard says the Men In Kilts team is looking for passionate and qualified franchisees in key target markets across the Sunbelt. “We aren’t slowing down by any means,” she said. “We are really just starting to hit our stride with Men In Kilts, and we are excited to keep that momentum going and exceed the growth numbers we experienced this year.” 

ABOUT MEN IN KILTS

Mwn In Kilts is North America's leading residential and commercial window and exterior cleaning company. Positioned to serve the growing demands of the multi-billion dollar cleaning and building maintenance industry, the Men In Kilts concept is about building a national brand that delivers an unparalleled level of professional service. Men In Kilts was started in 2002 by Nicholas Brand, a Vancouver-based Scotsman who fashioned a hand-sewn kilt and put a visual to the otherwise faceless window cleaner. By 2009, his business had grown to over one million dollars in revenue, and in 2012, the first franchise location was sold. Today, backed by parent company Threshold Brands, Men In Kilts now has over 50 franchise locations across North America with aggressive expansion plans in place.