Hi Bill, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
In the mid 1980’s, I found a pair of original WWII khakis at an army surplus store down the road from my college in Ohio. Those khakis were the best I ever found. At the time, the product category was flooded with commodity goods. Even premium brands strived to make khakis for less and therefore there was no brand known to be the “best.” So I decided to build a business by taking a craft approach to a commodity category. That idea turned into Bills Khakis.
Like blue jeans, Khakis represent a piece of Americana. This story, and the values within, continue to resonate. It’s never been about tan pants to me, but rather about designing and manufacturing a product you believe in.
Last year, I launched a new brand called PennBilt which I describe as a “new authentic.” As a brand owner, I’m excited by the challenge to reinvent an old idea faithfully to modern standards. PennBilt is a reference to my home state Pennsylvania and my name Bill Thomas. Peterbilt (trucks) gave me grammatical permission to drop the “u”.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
So far, so good. I’ve seen this movie before so I know what to expect and feel pretty lucky I’ve avoided the pot holes thus far. There is a lot that can go wrong, especially with production. The more up front work you do, the lower the chance of mistakes. I’ve absorbed a few glitches, but nothing I haven’t been able to work through.
Other than capital, make do with less starting up, especially marketing budgets. It’s more work than you think it will be and it will take longer than planned to get going. The hardest part is making ends meet along the way. There’s an old advertiser’s disclaimer that says “don’t try this at home.” You may start there, but this message rings true.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’ve worked for some large companies – Leo Burnett in Chicago, Levi Strauss in San Francisco and Oxford Industries in Atlanta. Some people want or need the security and structure of receiving a W2 and the benefits that come with it. But I feel most comfortable on my own, even if I’m running scared sometimes. That’s the price of freedom.
As a business owner, I’m part creative, part operator, part salesman. I guess that makes me an entrepreneur. I’m most motivated and fulfilled by my own ideas, not for the money, but for the sport of it. The money is a way of keeping score.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I’m not a big reader. I tend to be too absorbed with what I’m doing to sit and read a book. I am, however, reading David Coggin’s new book “The Believer” which is about everything other than fly fishing. I read about five pages at a time which is great because I rarely have a book to read and it will take along time to finish it. I’m enjoying that.