Military Veteran Patrick Smith Serving His Community Through Men In Kilts

Patrick Smith , a Syracuse Men In Kilts franchise owner, found the brand after a series of career changes, including the United States Military. Smith served in the US Air Force for 25 years, flying on rescue helicopters and fighting fires. During his service, he earned three Associate’s degrees, two Bachelor's degrees and a Master's degree. After military retirement, he became an elementary school educator and earned an additional master’s degree in special education.

“After 10 years of teaching and after COVID, I decided it was time for a change,” Smith explained. “My son worked in construction and would observe how terrible the post-construction clean-up crews were. We started researching starting a business and came across several franchises that we kept on the back burner. We started seriously looking at Men In Kilts and felt the concept and services would be a perfect fit for the Syracuse area.”

Smith’s business officially opened on September 1, 2022, and is currently operating as a father-son team with hopes of hiring another technician in early 2023. As the duo operates in the Syracuse area, offering house washing, window cleaning, gutter cleaning and pressure washing, they are off to a strong start, handling tough-to-tackle cleaning jobs for their community.

“We’re excited to have Patrick and the entire Smith family on board,” said Ron Bender , Chief Growth Officer of Threshold Brands. “Veterans make incredible sacrifices during their service, and we are proud to provide support and methods to empower veterans in their entrepreneurial dreams. Patrick is a prime example of this trajectory and an invaluable addition to the Men In Kilts network.”

Though Smith was navigating the onboarding and training process while still working full-time as an educator, he says the onboarding team helped with any unexpected hiccups and that the training team did an excellent job ensuring they were fully prepared to open.

Smith was also able to leverage his military experience to navigate challenges and prepare for business.

“In the military, you are put into situations and tasks that you must complete. There is no saying, ‘I don't want to do that.’ You are given your orders, and you will complete them,” he said. “The military pushes you into leadership roles and helps you become a leader/manager.”

Now, he says the entire family has “totally bought into the Kilt.” Smith and his middle son are currently working in the business, while his daughter, who graduates from business school in one year, will soon be joining the team after graduation. His eldest son? Currently serving in the Navy. He “plans to put on the kilt after he retires in seven years” and follow in his father’s footsteps.

To other veterans who may begin exploring franchise ownership, Smith advises preparation. Understanding what licenses, permits and insurance will be required, making yourself aware of the due diligence processes to come and building a financial “safety net” are all valuable steps to take.

“When starting any business, there is going to be a period of time that you are spending money and not bringing much in,” he explained. “You need to have money set aside to live off of.”

With all of these tools and information in hand, however, franchising provides a path to business ownership that is generally regarded as much safer and quicker than building from the ground up, especially for veterans who are well-versed in understanding and implementing processes and protocols.

The total investment required to begin the operation of a Men In Kilts franchised business ranges from $127,460 to $222,950. This includes $38,000 that must be paid to the franchisor. For more information about Men In Kilts, visit .