Work Boot Warehouse is also a Mighty member. We sat down with Michael to talk about growing up in the family business, competing with online retail from behind a real counter, and the boot he's most excited about.
Michael's answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Michael: Well, my dad started the company 36 years ago. He started off repairing old military boots in the swap meets with his dad. Then he graduated college and did insurance, and hated it. He decided he wanted to be his own boss, so he opened up the first store, which is this one in Canoga Park. There's five total stores now, and two shoe mobiles. And I became the owner of this one in April.
Michael: We have the largest selection in Southern California. We have Red Wing, which is really popular. Timberland Pro. Wolverine. Caterpillar. Georgia. We have a lot of Carhartt clothing as well, which is really popular for fashion and work, so we've got t-shirts and jackets and things. Our biggest wall is the Wolverine wall, you can see all the selection there. Thousands of pairs of boots.
Michael: Our biggest challenge is basically just competing with online retailers, and people coming in the store and saying, match this price. But the way that we differentiate ourselves from that is our customer service. You can't get that online.
Michael: Our customers are mostly just blue collar workers. Aerospace industry, plumbers, construction workers. And they love coming here because we always have boots in stock. We have a large selection, and medium and wide widths, and we just have the best customer service.
Michael: I want customers to feel comfortable when they come into the store. No pressure to buy, but give them all the options that we have and let them make the choice. Just an easygoing atmosphere.
Michael: The most important value in running my business is just treating customers the way that I would want to be treated. The golden rule. Giving them all the options possible, not cheating them on price, and giving them a big selection. And we love our repeat customers, because that means we're doing a good job.
Michael: We're going to just continue to grow our business. Get more account business from all the companies in Chatsworth and Woodland Hills, and just expand and grow.
And we've been making our own products for quite a while. This is one of my favorite ones that we're going to be coming out with. It's a Chelsea boot, and it's just very flexible and a great product. It looks amazing.
Michael: With Mighty, I decided to move forward because we do a lot of shipping, on a weekly basis. And the initiation fee to Mighty, I was able to recoup in my first bill with FedEx, because they're saving me money with the great deals that they provide.
Michael: My biggest piece of advice would be to cut your costs in as many avenues as possible, especially when it comes to shipping. Which is why Mighty has been so great for us, because we saved money on shipping right away, on our first bill. And on utility services and different things like that. Just limit how much money goes out compared to how much money is coming in.
Michael: My favorite shoe. Well, I'm kind of lazy, so I like shoes that don't have laces. Little slip-ons. I'm even wearing them now. Easy on and off. And our house brand is nice for the lazy people too, it's got like a snowboarder kind of a twist on the lacing system.
Work Boot Warehouse is a family-run work boot and workwear store in Canoga Park, California, and one of the many small businesses Mighty helps. Every Mighty member gets an Authorized Mighty Rep, a real person who comes to your business in person. Find out more at joinmighty.com.
