Men In Kilts Goes Back to Its Roots with Founder Nic Brand at the Helm

When Nic Brand launched Men In Kilts, the exterior cleaning franchise with nearly 50 units, in 2002, he was looking to take control of his professional life. In his late teens and early twenties, Brand saw both of his parents be laid off from companies they had worked with for decades due to restructuring. On the flip side, he had an uncle who retired at 55 after building and selling a company.

“I thought, ‘Okay, I want that.’ I want to have my future in my control,” explained Brand. “I liked what I saw with my uncle, so I knew I wanted to start my own business. At this point, though, I was in my early twenties and didn’t have millions of dollars to start an elaborate operation.”

Brand had worked in restaurants for years. While he enjoyed working in the kitchen, he explained that he found equal fulfillment in the instant gratification of cleaning the restaurant windows. At the time, there were no major players in the window cleaning space, just “Chuck in a truck” type models, and Brand knew he could launch the business without a major investment. With this knowledge, he decided to launch a business that would fill a market gap with high-quality window cleaning services and a great, stand-out brand image. Thus, Men In Kilts was born.

About four years later, as traffic was increasing, Brand welcomed a business partner to the team. With a background in art and design, this partner leveled up Men In Kilts’ branding even more, and the team began using its first tartan-wrapped truck. This was just the beginning.

From a Team of One to $1 Million in Revenue in Four Years

This was a turning point of sorts for Men In Kilts. Brand had long established great operational processes that allowed him to build a strong customer base, but honing the brand and growing the team is what allowed the business to truly explode.

In 2010, the team opened its first test franchise with the guidance of a franchise expert who had previously been in leadership at 1-800 Got Junk. Men In Kilts continued to grow with passionate local owners, and Brand took on a few territories as a franchise owner, himself. 

Within the past decade, he decided to fully pivot and sell his ownership shares to business partners in order to fully focus on his local operations.

“I liked running my franchise,” said Brand. “I was running locations in Vancouver along with my corporate role, but I started this business to run a window cleaning business. That’s what was special to me.”

So, for seven years, Brand was solely a franchise owner. With five Men In Kilts locations and two MaidPros, he was focused on building the local Men In Kilts businesses that he already knew so well while learning and growing his MaidPro locations as a new owner. Then, in early 2023, Brand was approached by Threshold Brands with an opportunity to return to leadership.

Given the passion he had for the brand and his personal experience of taking control of his future with the help of Men In Kilts, Brand was excited to step up and guide the brand, helping others find that same confidence and control that he was seeking when he first started.

Men In Kilts Goes Back to Its Roots

“I loved the idea of going back to the beginning — like the circle of life,” explained Brand. “I think what will benefit our brand most right now is operational guidance, and that is my strength. When the offer came around, it was an instant ‘yes.’ I love and believe in this brand, and there was never a doubt in my mind that this is what I need to do right now.”

Now, he is serving as Brand President with plans to support the nearly 50-unit system in continued growth across major markets across the U.S.

With what Brand calls “one of the most passionate groups of franchise owners in the industry,” he said he looks forward to stepping in and supporting the team in building a strong foundation as the franchise pursues its next phase of growth.

In addition to having the founder back at the helm, Men In Kilts has embraced new technology (water-fed carbon poles) that makes the job even more efficient and allows local franchise owners to focus on the safety and happiness of their employees, ultimately promoting an even better customer experience.

Brand encourages prospective owners to learn more about the franchise and consider joining at this inflection point. The brand is on the brink of another growth spurt, and the market is primed for its expansion.

“We all know that the economy is a challenge right now, and a lot of people look at that as a negative, but for us, it’s a major upside,” said Brand. “These circumstances will prompt many of our competitors to pull back on their development. If you can start a business in this economy, which I’m very confident you can with our support and expertise, when the tide turns in a couple of years, you’re going to be set up to catch the wave. It’s a great time to start. If you set yourself up now, you’ll be able to keep paddling, catch that wave and find huge success.”

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit 1851franchise.com/meninkilts/info