Hi everyone, welcome to the twelfth company spotlight!
This time I had the opportunity to interview King Killers, a fightwear company based in Florida.
Without further ado, here is the interview I did with Michael Hecker, the founder and one-man-army behind the fast-growing King Killers company!
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Why did you choose the name King Killers?
Choosing the right brand name is the first & maybe most crucial part of creating a successful brand! We decided the name ‘King Killers’ was perfect for what we wanted to create; Premium Athletic Apparel Inspired By Combat Sports & Designed By Combat Sports Athletes! A Group Of Athletes Always Striving To Take Out Whoever Is On Top Of Their Division. Kill The Kings!
Tell us a little bit about your brand. Who are you and what do you represent?
King Killers Is An Apparel Company, Creating high quality athletic apparel inspired by combat sports & elite athletes.
What are some of your proudest moments in developing your brand?
Developing a brand has so far been a pretty wild ride. Doing everything by myself from day 1 has taught me a ton about branding & the moments that make me the proudest are directly after running into a problem & finding a way to figure it out. Every single time that we overcome an obstacle instead of throwing in the towel, I get extremely proud of myself.
How do you spend your time building your company?
When it comes to building up King Killers Apparel, I find myself trying to connect with other like minded people in the industry, share my story & offer help to anyone that needs it. I find building real relationships & growing a community is the best form of marketing on the planet. Besides that I am always working on new creative designs, training with fighters & creating content at the gym!
What are some of the hardships that you have faced when building your company, and how did you- or are planning to-overcome them?
The hardships fortunately have not been anything we can’t handle. The biggest hurdles we have came to so far has to be lining up a supply chain. We are still in the process of optimizing our supply chain to the point where we have new product arriving the day we sell out of the old. This will be a work in progress and will only improve with every shipment.
Where do you see your brand in 5-10 years? If you could summarize your brand in a quote, what would it be?
Looking ahead 5-10 years into the future; King Killers will be a recognized name in the combat sports world. We will have a roster of fighters we sponsor & work with to help with training expenses so the fighters are able to focus on what matters; WINNING & Remaining safe & healthy. I would summarize King Killers as “A Premium Apparel Brand Created & Inspired By Combat Sports Athletes For Combat Sports Athletes.”
What advice would you give to your past self when you first started the company?
I would tell myself to focus on the community from day 1 & worry about the sales once the community starts to become familiar with the brand and what we are all about!
Are there any particular types of athletes you had in mind to sponsor?
When we think about the types of athletes we want on our team, what comes to mind immediately is Work Ethic. We are looking for the athletes that did not have the easy path carved out for them, but rose to the occasion regardless. The ones that never quit, no matter what the results are, you are back in the training room improving & focusing on what’s ahead, not what’s already been done. We also have a list of athletes that have been supporting us from day 1, they will all have a special place on the team as a way for us to say THANK YOU FOR BELIEVING IN US WHEN NO ONE EVEN KNEW OUR NAME!
What do you look for when sponsoring someone?
When we look at athletes to sponsor, we want confident, motivated athletes with a will to win & unstoppable work ethic. Active social media & a growing fan base are big as well.
Do you have any projects or products you are working on or would like to promote?
Currently we are releasing our Men's Athletic Shorts & we couldn’t be happier with the results! Training Shorts that are truly made for athletes by athletes. Our Hybrid Shorts Come With Built in compression shorts To Enhance Blood-flow & Muscle Activation. Our Lightweight Mesh Shorts are our best seller at the moment. Crazy one of a kind designs & high attention to details has been a great selling point.
Is there anyone you would like to give a shout out to?
On behalf of myself & King Killers Apparel I would love to give a shoutout to my partner on the designs @drypdesigns ! Also @mosburgboxing who has been a brother to me for years, a huge supporter of the brand & the best boxing coach in the Midwest! He’s got a huge line up of fighters about to make some noise in Kansas June 18th!
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Love the article & Love King Killers Apparel!