Kikkor
What’s the Kikkor?
So what's "What's the Kikkor?"? WTK is the blogging space for Kikkor's founder, James Lepp. There's no real plan for topics to be discussed on WTK - it could involve anything from March Madness to the Masters, or global politics to future golf shoe trends. Hopefully there will be something for everybody, and as always, the comment board is open to everybody! If you have any suggestions to James, feel free to email him at james@kikkor.com.
I am a Nerd
If you’re from the Lower Mainland in British Columbia, like I am, you’ll know that the weather here lately has been unseasonably cold and blustery. Temperatures down to -15 Celsius (5 Fahrenheit), blizzard like conditions, and now this morning, freezing rain. Yumm.
For me it actually is yummy. I’m fascinated with the weather, so when the conditions are ‘interesting’ like they are now I’m usually spending at least an hour every day monitoring temperature trends, winds, radar, satellite, computer models, and even atmospheric soundings. If you know what atmospheric soundings are, you know that you're a weather nerd.
As I alluded to in my last post, this unusual weather inspired a new Kikkor Tips Video to come out on how to golf in the snow. Today we’ll be editing the footage, but I just couldn’t help myself to give you guys a little preview. And for the record, I own three of those suits.
Maybe I’m just a nerd in general.
Meteorologist James Lepp
Jan 20, 2012 at 6:09 AM
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Comments (1)I Found my Voice in China
Let me first say that I have no legitimate excuse for taking so long between blog posts. Of all the things that I’ve learned about building a business in a social media era, the predominant tip seems to be “make sure you blog regularly.” I suppose my regular is once every 3 months? I guess my excuse is that I lost my voice. Yeah...that’s it. #lame
It’s 2:30AM in the morning when I write this. And it’s not because I’m a night owl, but more because I’m severely jetlagged from a recent trip to China. I just woke up actually. I feel funny, like that kid after he visits the dentist.
Speaking of China, have you ever heard of KTV? It’s their equivalent of Karaoke. Here I am rocking some JT. Chinese talent scouts have been emailing me non-stop ever since.
Upon my return to the Motherland the other day it proceeded to snow quite a bit. Yes, Kikkor is based in Canada, but we’re on the West Coast near Vancouver, so snow is actually pretty rare. Just think Olympics of 2010. Snow was trucked in...even to the mountains. Anyway, the snow got me thinking...how would somebody play golf in the snow? What tips would they need? Then the brain started turning.
While I can’t give you all the details, I can share with you that the following two images will have something to do with the next Kikkor Tips video.
Alright, time for a 3AM breakfast.
Stay awesome,
James Lepp
@jameslepp
Kikkor at the US Junior
To the few, the proud,
When watching golf on TV I often find myself thinking, “Oh, I remember playing with that guy back in the day”, whether it was in college golf or mini-tour golf, or even junior golf. I recall my only US Junior in 2001 and it being the biggest tournament I had played in up until that point. I played decent, losing in the second round 1 down to Spencer Levin. I was 1 up with 2 to play too, only to have Spencer chip in from a difficult position on 17 to draw all square and then beat me with a birdie on 18 to win. Jackass ;-) Actually, I respect Spencer a lot, mainly because he's not afraid to get a little fired up on the course:
Now Spencer is on the PGA Tour and I’m sitting here pressing “Shift F7” so that Microsoft Word can provide a more powerful word than I can.
I claim that I’m only semi-retired from golf knowing that there is a chance I could return; however, right now it is Kikkor. Kikkor reminds me of what junior golf was like 10 years ago – new, exciting, fun, and simply a great learning experience. And ironically enough it’s bringing me right back to the US Junior.
Kikkor will be providing all 156 players a pair Kikks at this year’s US Junior in Bremerton, Washington. Whether they play in them remains to be seen, but regardless, there will be many future Spencer Levins owning a pair of Kikks. I can’t remember what I received back in 2001, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a cool pair of golf shoes.
Side note: I’ve been invited to the Sunday night dinner special on the USS John Stennis, a 1,092-foot nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that can hold up to 85 planes and stands 20 stories high from water level. This ship has its own zip code! Literally!
I’ll be updating from the venue this weekend if I don't get lost on the ship.
JL
Masters Week
The Masters took over my life this past week. Even some of my friends who don’t care much for golf found themselves glued to CBS this past weekend and rightfully so. From Tiger’s charge on the front nine to Rory’s unfortunate collapse, from half the field being tied for the lead midway through the back nine to Schwartzel’s eventual sprint to the finish, it was definitely a Masters for the ages. As with any major, it ignites some golf passion inside of me making me want to get out there. Especially since Augusta is built for the saucer pass!
Fittingly, my coach from University of Washington sent me an interesting text as he was walking the Augusta fairways on Saturday saying, “At Masters. You should be playing. You can win this. Not even exaggerating.” While I don’t see this happening in the next 5 years, I have a sneaky suspicion that one day I’m going to try to get out there. We’ll see.
But right now, it’s 100% Kikkor. And Kikkor has been busy! So busy in fact that I haven’t posted anything for the past couple months. That’s a blogging no-no. My apologies.
So what have I been up to? Well....
Making videos....
Photo shoots....
And of course, at the end of the day, selling shoes!
Stay awesome out there,
James Lepp
@jameslepp
The Bar is now Closed
Wow! What a show it was!
I’m just going to say right out of the gate, that we utilized our space the best out of all the booths at the PGA show this past week. I mean, just look at the setup below...
And if you build it they will come! Was that ever the truth. I’ve never had a time in my life where I was unable to pull out my phone for an entire day because I was too busy. It was borderline chaotic at times! A positive chaos though. Controlled chaos...kind of like driving in China - every man for himself, but in the end, everybody gets to where they’re going. In our case, everybody got their order in...I think.
And now...2 weeks minimum of follow up. I really shouldn’t even be blogging right now, but I know a lot of you have been looking for an update. So you’re welcome. Ha.
Ideas were rolling through our heads at the show regarding booth ideas for next year. As per usual, if you have any clever suggestions, please let me know below.
Thanks for staying awesome out there. Kikkor is officially on the map.
Bartender Lepp
Ni Hou - Update from China
Ni Hao,
That's "Knee How" by the way. It's the new way to say Hello. Or if you're from China, it's the extremely old way to say Hello.
The reason why I'm speaking Chinese is because that's exactly where I'm writing from! The 2011 product line is nearly complete, and I'm here making sure that the product is up to speed. I spent some time yesterday on the assembly line, and the shoes are looking fantastic! Here's a couple pics that I took:
All of those shoes and boxes will be leaving the factory in a couple weeks, set to arrive in North America around the middle of February. Many of you have purchased already at the discounted pre-order price, which will only be available for a few more weeks. So if you haven't purchased yet, before it's too late...grab a pair!
I know when I started this whole operation a couple years ago I had no idea about the whole production process. It's been an awesome learning experience, and I'm only learning more and more about it every day. We've come a long way, even since the 2010 product was launched. If you're interested to learn more about how the shoes are made, simply comment below and I'll be happy to answer any questions you have...to the best of my ability.
Xie Xie!
What's up with Kikkor?
WTK Readers,
One sentence in and I’m already struggling. I am trying to figure out what “person” I’m supposed to write these blogs in. I’ve been spending a lot of time composing documents, business plans, investor packages, and so forth, which are all written in third person. It actually feels weird to write “I”. Clearly I’ve already decided that this is in first person. There’s no i in team, but there’s one i in Kikkor? Something like that.
With the 2010 season coming to a quick end pretty much everything that I have been working on has been focused on next year and even 2012, all of which looks very promising.
First, there’s the PGA Show coming up in January of next year. This is the trade show of all trade shows in the golf industry and Kikkor is a rookie this year. As Tiger Woods said when turning pro, “Hello World.” Just like product design, or marketing ideas, it’s fun to come up with concepts for the booth that are truly unique. The Kikkor booth, although relatively small, should be just that.
Speaking of booth size, some of the exhibitors at the show go a little crazy with their booth. I think Under Armour plans on having a 4000 square foot space. Kikkor? 200. Haha. Still big in its own right. After all, it’s not about how big it is, it’s what you do with it. You can check out Kikkor’s listing for the show here.
And as mentioned already, with the help of some qualified footwear experts we’re already putting the pieces together for the 2012 line. We’ll continue to do many of the same things that we’ve done already, but with future shoes we’re going to get a little more performance-oriented. The goal with the 2012 shoe is to have every young tour player out there wishing they had a pair.
In closing, if you have any cool ideas for Kikkor’s 10x20 booth this year at the PGA show, please do share them below.
3 Simple Keys to 'Woo' that Waitress on Wheels
Greetings Gents,
We've all been there - standing over a shot with our mind elsewhere thanks to that cute beverage girl patiently waiting on the adjacent cart path for your order. You're not thinking about the shot; you're thinking about something clever to say to her as you exit the tee box and walk towards her idle service station. Well boys, it's time to turn your beverage cart bogey to a beverage cart birdie! Here's 3 tips to help you out:
Tip 1: Buy Something
When the Waitress on Wheels comes through to your group for the first round of the day, ORDER SOMETHING, even if you don't really need or want it. This way you can start a tab and get in some good quick conversation early in the round. Don't wait until the end of your day to strike up a conversation because all she will really be thinking is that you are a waste of time for not buying anything from her earlier on. If you buy early, she will have your credit card and knows you will be buying so she will be back more frequently to serve you and the other three gentleman you are golfing with. Lastly to my point: She will need you to sign your receipt at the end of the day which is a great time for you to ask for her number.
Tip 2 - Avoid Talking About Golf
Try your hardest to avoid "Golf" as the topic of your discussions. This poor girl does not care that you birdied the last hole or that you can out drive the other guys in your group. I understand it is hard to come up with something else to talk about but get creative. She is going to get the same lines and questions from all the other old dirty men who are going to hit on her that day...so be unique!
Tip 3 - The Back 9 Maneuver
Find out early on in the day if she is working the entire course or just the nine that you are on. A lot of courses will have two cart girls so you might only have 9 holes to seal the deal. (DO NOT HIT ON BOTH OF THEM!) These girls definitely talk throughout the day and you will sewer yourself if you try your game with both of them. That being said if you can pull it off let me know. (Free pair of Kikkors!) If it is just one girl working the entire course then wait until later in the day to ask her out. Even if she says yes early all you can do is ruin things with stupid comments for the remainder of the day. Remember: Flirt Early! Close Late!
Happy Hunting!!!
- Wheeler
P.S. A pair of Kikks will help you get noticed. My choice - Eppik White:
Master Launch
The Masters, Fred Couples Golf Shoes, and Kikkor's Launch
How about the first day of the Masters!? A bunch of old farts atop the leader board...what's that all about? Here I was thinking that Augusta was setup for the "bombers" of the PGA Tour, granted Freddy is still a bomber, but what is Tom Watson doing??? He's in a different realm! Really impressive. Let's hope that Freddy can keep his putter going 'cause we all know that his ball striking never fails.
Speaking of Boom-boom, what do you think about the shoes that he's wearing? We've had our fair share of emails wondering if Freddy's sporting some Kikks, when in reality he's wearing the new Ecco Street Premier shoes. I've tried this shoe in person, and it's a beauty, not going to lie. However, the price point is redonculously high! Ecco has always made products that are higher-end, so I guess making a shoe around the $100 mark is out of the question. At any rate, the style is still tremendously cool and shows where golf footwear is headed.
Amidst all this mayhem was Kikkor Golf's official launch. A lot of "early adopters" already made purchases, and to all those peeps, I say thank you! There's going to be more funky stuff to come, so be sure to stay tuned here and on our Facebook Page.
Until next time, Go Freddy!
First Words....
It kind of feels weird writing to the world like this. Yeah, Kikkor’s that big already…so I’m totally writing to the whole world. Ok, maybe not…probably more friends and family reading this than anybody else. And to them I say, “Dragon Fort for lunch tomorrow? 11:45? Call me.” I really don’t know where this blogging voice is going to go, but if you’re like me, you’ll want the postings to be concise, authentic, and straight to the point. Already I feel like I’m babbling on too much. 0 for 1.
To all those who helped bring Kikkor to life, thanks for your support, and to those who want to help keep Kikkor stay alive, grab a pair! Do we sound desperate already?
TTYWITTY (Talk to you when I talk to you)
Feel free to email me at james@kikkor.com.
-JL
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