My Collar Company Hit the $1M Milestone [Update]
This is a follow up story for Million Dollar Collar. If you're interested in reading how they got started, published almost 6 years ago, check it out here.
Hello again! Remind us who you are and what business you started.
I’m Rob Kessler, the inventor of Million Dollar Collar placket stays and the co-founder of goTIELESS, the only shirt designed to be worn without a tie. After viewing my beach wedding photos and being disappointed in my shirt, I vowed to create a fix. Ironing and scratch just don’t last, and no amount of interfacing inside of the shirt can prevent the weight of the collar from collapsing the placket of a casually worn dress shirt.
Most men, most of the time, wear their dress shirts without a tie but still want to look good, which is why they put on a dress shirt in the first place. So I took the idea of a collar stay, made it 9” long, and shoved it down the front of the shirt where the buttons and holes are. This gives much-needed reinforcement to prevent the dreaded collar collapse. It took 3 years and 100 ruined shirts to patent and perfect the material that is Million Dollar Collar.
We just completed our 8th year of sales, and we hit a couple of milestones. 2024 has opened the door to some very big conversations. We are now just a year or two away from being an overnight success.
Within 5 years, we’ll have a thriving Business Casual Brand under the goTIELESS name, where you’ll be able to shop head-to-toe online. No matter what event you are going to, you’ll be one of the best-dressed people in the room.
Tell us about what you’ve been up to. Has the business been growing?
We hit 2 major milestones this year. We sold our 500,000th set of Million Dollar Collar and we hit $1M in revenue. This is especially hard because our customers have to buy our product, wait for it to arrive, and then go find someone to sew them into their shirts just so they can experience the difference. The goal has always been to license the product and have it installed at production, but the stubborn brands said “prove it” before they would consider our technology.
Well, we’ve proven it.
Because we are so committed to the growth of the brand and to solving our client's issues, we launched our shirts with the technology already built in. They are called goTIELESS and they are the only shirt designed to be worn without a tie.
Last year was our first year of sales after a few years of testing. We’re proud to say that we sold 1,200 shirts organically, had to reorder stock 3 times, and launched an additional color bringing the selection to 4 essential colors.
As we roll into 2024 we have already landed a few key partnerships with influential people from Jeremy Piven (Actor), Jamaal Lewis (Barbie Movie), Bruce Shepperson (Stuntman) along with a host of others through our affiliate network. The best part is most people are natural customers and feel so strongly about the way the shirts make them look/feel that they want to spread the word.
As always I do a ton of podcast interviews. It is a great way to get in front of new audiences and show the shirt in action. My total is now over 70 and I get more and more comfortable every time I do one.
LISTEN TO A RECENT EPISODE HERE
What have been your biggest challenges in the last year?
We’ve always struggled to tell the story of MDC and overcome the installation part. Sometimes the right solution to a problem takes a little extra work. We’re not deterred, though. We have a lot more brands reaching out to us to add MDC to their shirts.
So, we took the initiative to have a factory rep, make a tutorial on how to install MDC during production, and then I had it translated into multiple languages so that we could have the most clear message right at the source.
Our marketing efforts are shifting now from the consumers of MDC, which are pretty predictable now, to the finished shirts on the goTIELESS website. We will use MillionDollarCollar.com as more of a business destination, and goTIELESS.com will be the consumer site. 2024 will see an expansion of UGC and people other than the founders in videos and ads.
This is helping to clean up the messaging and make the buying process smoother and more concise.
Surround yourself with people smarter than you. I love being the dumbest guy in the room. If I am the smartest guy, I am in the wrong room. Find people that can help you grow. Some people want to just tear you down, but truly successful people are not threatened by your success.
What have been your biggest lessons learned in the last year?
I am pretty impatient and overly optimistic. It has been very humbling to watch this business grow so “slowly” and incrementally, but I know in the end we are going to change the dress shirt industry forever. Everyone I talk to says they love the product and that it should be in every shirt. 8 years later, we’re NOT in every shirt, but that doesn’t slow me down.
Adding in the shirts has helped build some confidence, and it gives us a sample to show to any brand the best-case scenario on how to install, what the shirt should look like, and that it works! If these brands don’t want to license my technology, we’ll just build a monster brand around it.
I hired a business coach this year and it has helped to keep the team focused on the task at hand. I know that I don’t have all the answers and having an independent eye helps to ensure we are on the right path and consistently working toward the goals we said we wanted to achieve. We have weekly meetings and we have made a lot of strides in the right direction. Action Coaching has been a great addition to our arsenal.
What’s in the plans for the upcoming year, and the next 5 years?
I am looking to add 2 more colors this year. We started production in China and we have already moved to Sri Lanka. They make a better product and have a better reputation but they have significantly higher minimums.
We are going after businesses with our dress shirts as well as end consumers. So, we are looking to add embroidery services this year so we can sell a logo shirt and keep it all in-house. Our goal is to grow the shirt brand 5X, which means it will be moving out of my house and into our own office space, with employees.
I am also reaching out to brands weekly and working on the licensing side. Once that happens it will be a massive boost to our revenue, but is very unpredictable.
Within 5 years, we’ll have a thriving Business Casual Brand under the goTIELESS name, where you’ll be able to shop head-to-toe online. No matter what event you are going to, you’ll be one of the best-dressed people in the room.
What’s the best thing you read in the last year?
I recently read “The Energy Bus'' which is all about positivity and getting everyone on your team working together towards the same goal. I am working on the foundation of the company so as we grow I am ready to lead us through a long run of successful growth. Having employees can be challenging, but I know it is the only way to get to where we want this brand to go.
Advice for other entrepreneurs who might be struggling to grow their business?
Keep with it. If you are truly passionate about what you are doing it won't be as hard to make it through the tough times. I always look at my businesses through the customer's eyes. How can I make it easier? How can I make it better? Are there any obstacles I need to overcome to get more people to give us a try?
Surround yourself with people smarter than you. I love being the dumbest guy in the room. If I am the smartest guy, I am in the wrong room. Find people that can help you grow. Some people want to just tear you down, but truly successful people are not threatened by your success. Find those people and absorb as much info as you possibly can.
Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now?
Not yet, but 2024 is the year we begin to hire. Later this year we’ll be looking to grow the team. It may be distribution or any other type of office help. If we have a physical location, you can bet there will be a showroom for people to shop in.
Where can we go to learn more?
If you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!
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