Of the tens of thousands of Kentucky-themed T-shirts sold by Kentucky for Kentucky over the past decade, the company’s most popular design features just one word: Y’ALL.
“We got that Y’ALL party started,” said Whit Hiler, cofounder and partner of the homegrown Kentucky-centric business.
Entrepreneur Griffin VanMeter is the other cofounder and partner. In April 2011, Hiler and VanMeter created a Facebook page for the T-shirts and prints they were selling at a pop-up shop at the former Morris Book Shop in Chevy Chase.
That September, along with cofounder and friend Kent Carmichael, they launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $3.5 million to crowdfund a Super Bowl spot to promote Kentucky with the tagline “Kentucky Kicks Ass.”
Kentucky for Kentucky cofounders Whit Hiler and Griffin VanMeter.
The goal fell short and the commercial didn’t get made, but the stunt raised awareness of the fledgling brand and the business of selling cheeky Kentucky-themed apparel and home goods was underway. Now the company is more than viable, with an e-commerce website, a retail store on Bryan Avenue called the Ky for Ky Fun Mall, a printing facility, events, offices, a thriving wholesale business and 11 employees.
“We refer to our business model as a modern day souvenir shop — kickin’ ass for the commonwealth!” Hiler said.
In the early days of selling fun and quirky Kentucky gear in 2011, Hiler says they had little, if any, competition.
“Fast forward to today and there’s now a ton of places out there doing what we do — and some of them doing it exactly like we do it,” he said. “It’s definitely been annoying over the years, but I think that competition has been really good for our business.”
And business has grown consistently over the past decade.
Today more than 30 percent of online orders come from out of state, and the company has a strong wholesale business with hundreds of retail partners across the country. It also has a toe in the patterned sock business with its companion company, Southern Socks.
While Kentucky for Kentucky is known for its T-shirts, the company also produces a number of home goods and novelty items, including attention-grabbing creations such as a preserved Kentucky Derby horse turd and a shirt tie-dyed with real gravy from Kentucky Fried Chicken.
“One time we shipped six gold-plated Kentucky Fried Chicken bone necklaces to Dubai,” Hiler said. Ky for Ky has also sent some fried chicken-scented candles to England. “While we’ve dropped a lot of hits over the years, we’ve had our fair share of duds,” Hiler said.
Examples include a “Bourbon Belly” T-shirt and one reading “I don’t wear a mask because I’m a selfish idiot” (um, which camp would actually wear it?) and a prototype of a cost-prohibitive pool float in the shape of Kentucky.
While launching and running Kentucky for Kentucky has been a lot of fun, growing the enterprise into a sustainable business has also been challenging at times, Hiler said, adding that the company is more organized and energized now than it has ever been.
“While Kentucky for Kentucky is still pretty immature on the outside, we’ve matured a ton on the inside,” he said.
COO Anna Bard, who joined the company in late 2017, has helped with that growth.
Last summer, Bard implemented the trademarked Entrepreneurial Operating System, or EOS, created by “Traction” author Gino Wickman.
“As a team we were hungry for more direction and structure, so EOS was an easy sell,” Bard said. “EOS has been integral to our growth and continued success.”
The EOS model has helped Kentucky for Kentucky build core values and cast a long-term vision, “while setting practical priorities and building accountability within the team,” Bard said.
During the shelter-in-place months of 2020, Kentucky for Kentucky saw online sales soar to fourth-quarter levels.
“We were bracing for the worst but really thrived due to our amazing audience and fans,” Hiler said.
Without in-store shopping and event merchandising capabilities, the company had the chance to “really focus on e-commerce, our vision and helping others by giving back to the community, all of which has strengthened our brand,” he said.
“Probably the best thing to coming out of 2020 is the health of our team,” Hiler said. “We have found new ways to enjoy, appreciate and support each other and even new ways to laugh together.”