the impact on a customer.

I'm still surprised at what a big impact a small thing can have on a person's life.  Relating just to our simple little ball cap business, I see it much more often than I would expect. I wonder how many other online retailers get personal emails from their customers...thanking them, or telling their stories, or sharing the impact of just one small purchase.

What brought this home recently, was the return of a ball cap order. A customer bought an American Captain's ball cap for his 82 year old father.  It was just before Christmas, and he got the address wrong....it wasn't going to get there for the Holidays.  He emailed me, and I simply boxed up another and sent it to the corrected address.  I didn't charge him, and just said "it'll probably come back to me."  Well, three months later it was returned. I was a bit amused that it finally made its way home, so I emailed the customer to let him know and to ask about how his Dad liked the hat.  He said that it was the best gift he could have given him, and that his Dad wore it "all the time".  Then he added the "Dad was even wearing it when he died, two weeks ago!"

That just floored me.  Knowing something so small that I did (which was just routine business) would have such an impact.  I emailed him back sending my condolences, and reminded him how lucky he was to have had his father for as long as he did, telling him how I lost my Dad when I was 28. 

His Dad was a retired pilot, and even in the last few months of his life he held on to that pride, and maybe even re-lived a few of the good-old-days. 

So we don't have a bottom line.  We don't worry about our profits, even though year-over-year profits have consistently grown (by 40% again last year).  We haven't raised our prices or cut corners.  We just do the right thing, every sale, and every time. So our largest profit margin is achieved by those emails and occasional phone calls, with a story, a thank you or just a silly "pilot joke".  Thanks to all of our friends and customers who make it worth while!

Six years....already?

You know I don't post much.  Only when I have something that strikes me, moves me, or humors me enough to put fingers to keyboard do I bother to bore others. But this month marked six years of watching an idea turn into a hobby, and then turn into a small business.

Six years ago I wanted a simple ball cap.  I've always worn them when I fly, and we had just announced a merger between my company (Northwest Airlines) and Delta Air Lines.  New rules... new procedures... new uniforms. Being naturally nostalgic, I wanted a visible reminder that I was a Northwest pilot.  I searched the web for anyone who produced such a thing.  They didn't exist.  Anywhere!

A new solution was to have one custom made for me.  At that time I believe it would cost me about $35 for one hat! So like any good (cheap) pilot, I decided to spend $400 and have a bunch made. Now the only question was how to get rid of them.  Word of mouth and eBay worked for awhile, but I wanted a website. So with some help from Will Henderson and others, pilotballcaps.com was born. But you can't just have a website for ONE product. I really liked the hats that our manufacturer made, so I had Air Force and Navy pilot ball caps made. So now I had 5 designs, with more great comments from customers coming in weekly.

Now as I sit in our pilotballcaps.com office, I look around at the 40+ designs, most in different colors. Six years ago it was just for pilots, but now we have Aircrew, Navigator, Squadron and Airline hats. I'm surrounded by over 1500 hats sitting on the shelves, 100s of shipping boxes and everything we need to serve our customers. Most important are the hundreds of great aviation stories I get from my customers, and thousands of satisfied aviators around the world that are wearing our hats...that just kind of happened into being.

So Happy Anniversary to our fledgling business, and thank you to all of our (very) loyal repeat customers! We'll keep on "Selling the Best ball caps to the Best Aviators in the World...because everybody deserves a great ball cap!"

And this hat started it all!

The Military Family

Mom, Dad...what did you do when you were in the Air Force (Army, Navy, Marine Corps...)? What did you learn and what were your responsibilities? I was thinking about these questions as my wife Connie and I recently visited the BX and Commissary at Selfridge AFB not too long ago. If you were raised in a military family, or raised your family while you were in the service, there were certain expectations.  A discipline, instilled by commanders and peers alike, and filtered down to the kids.  Rules and respect were the norm. Sacrifice was just how it was.  Your choices were limited and endless at the same time.  There was one movie theater, but it could be in Europe, Asia, or Minot ND.  Friends changed with assignments, but there was that common thread that you shared.  Just like the servicemembers, the family had bonds with everyone in their situation. Rules.... responsibilities....discipline and caring for each other.

What did you do?... Well, I was a Pilot (Crew Chief, MP, Ranger....) and my responsibilities were X,Y and don't forget Z. You could get all of that from your last OER, OPR or Fitrep (insert any appropriate DoD Form number).  But that never tells the story, just the summary.  You were responsible for your job, and that of your squadron mates.  To cover them as they did for you.  And that extended to the family.  When Lt. Smith was deployed, Capt. Jones and SSgt. Johnson and their families checked in. Made sure lawns got mowed, carpools ran and babysitters were on time.  We cared for our own, and that always included the family.

What I learned as we walked around the Base Exchange was the difference in the families shopping. Broadly the same demographics as my own home town, they were...different.  Courteous, for the most part. The kids may have been thinking about throwing a fit, but it was always under control.  The parents didn't need to either yell or coddle.  A simple look, a quick and understandable explanation and it was over.  The kids weren't bugging for that candy or toy, as they seemed to know it wasn't in the budget.  If it were, they knew they would have it.  If they needed it, they got it.  And appreciated it.  Great lessons for all of us.

One of the many things that struck me was our walk to the car.  In the whole parking lot, there was ONE shopping cart.  You just didn't leave them for someone else to deal with. You (or your 10 year old) took it back and put it where it belonged...for the next family to use.  No trash in the lot, or in the carts.  There were rules, responsibilities and discipline.  And that's what I learned from my time in the service.

By Spud at pilotballcaps.com

what my Pilot Ball Cap customers do for me...

It's been awhile since I've rambled on. We've had a lot going on, and still do but I was just thinking about what my customers do for me and thought I'd share it.

Since this business is more of a hobby, it allows me to be in touch with aviators from all backgrounds and experiences.  My guy Georgio, who flies ultralights in Italy (yes, I have pictures on our site).  Nails, who saved a Marine Corp unit under fire by VC...just he and his crew, his helo and flachette rockets (thus the call sign "Nails"). Stories about flying DC-6s and 707s back in the days when airline careers were legendary. A ball cap sent to someone's Dad who flew Lancasters for the RCAF and another to a Grandfather who flew Jugs and Mustangs for the Air Corps in WWII.  It's amazing who you get to know just from selling a few ball caps. George and Ike, both 'old fighter pilots', who have now passed on to fly west. I just wish I could hook up my Chaplain friend with their families! As he would say "Blessings from Father Jeff", but I still like to call him Padre! We have an ongoing list of folks who "checked in" with their call signs on our home page. Which reminds me that I've got to update that list again.

Back to the point of the story though.  Many of my customers become acquaintances, and some even become friends.  It usually starts with a note from me, thanking them for their order and maybe commenting on something I notice about their order or home town. The feedback I get for such simple observations is amazing, and our conversations begin. Since we're always looking to pass the word, I usually ask this of my customers, and sometimes they overwhelm me. Like Roger from Dallas who is a retired Delta pilot. He liked my hats and service enough to recommend our site to his group. The next day we sold out of Delta Captain ball caps and had to re-order.

We don't just get recommendations and great stories.  I've got standing invitations to visit from around the country, Germany, Canada and Australia. If I only had the time to get to those places (and NOT while having to work flying there and back).  Just this week I got the book "Steel Beach" signed by its author Jeff, who is a cancer survivor like my wife Connie. This gift was what brought me to write today! I've gotten USAF bag tags, patches from different units and even from the Gathering of Mustangs.  Hats, pictures, articles... these folks I call customers are just too much. Too kind.  I think it's just the common ground we all share. We've all been there, or know someone who has. Whether it's flying, or work, or just surviving your worst fear. I guess that's why I still do it. My wife says I enjoy it too much. She encourages me, supports and loves me...and understands when I take an hour (or two) out of my day just to communicate with folks I may never meet.

I wish to thank my wife Connie, who tolerates all of this, and really helps keep things moving in the right direction. And I thank you, my customers and friends. You make this business not only possible, but worthwhile.

Find us at pilotballcaps.com

What is your business?

I had an interesting conversation with another pilot a few weeks back.  The kind of chat that causes you to think.  He had been to a conference with the featured speaker being Ray Kroc years ago.  Someone had asked Mr. Kroc "how's the hamburger business?".  The reply was surprising.  We're not in the hamburger business, we're in the real-estate business. If you notice, most McDonald's restaurants are in important, well placed locations.  The franchisees are in the hamburger business, but the corporation seems to make its money from the fees and rent generated from their real-estate holdings. (I can't verify this conversation, since it's second-hand, but it still caused me to think about my own business).

I wracked my brain to figure out what the basic purpose was for Pilot Ball Caps.  Do we just sell ball caps? We're not selling them to generate a profit from shipping (as many companies do).  We're not selling anything that's not related to professional aviators and pilots, so that limited my view.  The stories I get back from my customers are fascinating.  Wide ranging, from general aviation pilots to retired airline pilots...to World War II pilots who flew all manner of historic aircraft in interesting and dangerous situations.  Navy and Air Force pilots from the Viet-Nam and Korean wars.  And (like me) the Cold War, Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom.

Then it came to me.  Pride. Esprit de Corps. Memories. Valor.  The things that my customers all share, is a desire to remember, to acknowledge their accomplishments. And sometimes to share those memories with other pilots, aviators, friends or family members.

I may be selling ball caps, but my product and purpose is a memory, a proud moment that may be gone, but never forgotten. It's that purpose that keeps me in it. There's no real profit in it, so I guess I get the same thing that my customers get.  Pride.  Satisfaction in a job well done or knowing that someone can take a trip back memory lane with their son, daughter, wife or grand father. I just provide the symbol of their journey. Just another ball cap.  But it's theirs and they earned it. And they found it at pilotballcaps.com .  I guess we aren't just another online vendor.  And I share in that pride.

It's personal...

Yes, I did get called out to fly this week....thanks for asking. Winter storm in Detroit, and I get a 0500 report to start a 3-day trip.  The good part is we have a long Cancun layover and I have an excellent first officer. The bad part is my wife decided not to risk getting stuck in Atlanta and she stayed home.

Yesterday morning (first leg) was one of those flights where nothing was as simple as it should have been. We push-back from the gate and find out that even though they deiced the aircraft earlier, they didn't use an anti-icing agent and we still get to go to the deice pad....yeah! Oh well, we'll just get it over with. I decided to start both engines because of the slick taxiways, which was a good decision. After starting the second engine its bleed air valve wouldn't open. We went through the hoops, called maintenance and did our procedures.  I guess it just had to warm up a bit, because on the fourth try it opened and we were off. By now the visibility went down to 1/4 mile which made for an even slower taxi. This wasn't in the forecast, so we had to get a takeoff alternate from dispatch while on our way to deice. At times now the vis was only about 1000 feet or less, but the deicing went without a hitch.....and still no word from dispatch about out alternate. (a takeoff alternate is required when the visibility at your departure airport is too low to make a Cat I landing in the event of an engine failure on takeoff). The F/O sent another request as we crept along, and we finally got Columbus, OH as our alternate by the time we reached the end of the runway.  Visibility was between 1200-1800 feet now, above our minimum for that runway (500 feet vis required on 03R) so off we go. As we climbed out of the snow and clouds, the sun was just barely starting to rise...and I enjoyed that moment, because I knew that we had done everything right, step by step, to make sure our flying customers were safe and comfortable.

A beautiful flight down to ATL and on to CUN as well. Uneventful, which is how I like it! The Boeing 757 lands sooo very nice. Even with the gusty winds in Atlanta, she just wanted to make me happy. And once we get to CUN, all I could think of was how great a nap would be!  After getting a short (and much needed) rest, it was a typical layover. Check in with Connie, answer emails, get a little lunch and have a couple of beers with Jim (F/O) since we had 24 hours off down there.

By now you're asking "What about the title? What makes this 'personal' ?"  It wasn't just the trip.  It was about reading some business articles online and some reflection on my (very small) business (pilotballcaps.com). Over the past week I've had several emails, recommendations and phone calls with customers. My biggest take-away from all of these contacts is that I must be doing something right. Not one of these conversations was about a problem!  I guess that's why I keep doing it.  Not for the money (there isn't much in selling ball caps). It's knowing that, in some small part I can give our customers a good experience (whether it's flying OR selling ball caps), without gouging them to make a profit. One customer even suggested that I charge more for my hats, since my competition was "over-priced, lower quality, and slow to deliver".  I just told him (Bill) that I still wouldn't charge more than what I'd pay for a nice ball cap. Repeat customers and their referrals make up over 25% of my business.  Now is not the time to screw that up just to make a buck.  So you see....whether it's flying or my business.... It IS Personal...

Sitting reserve...and looking forward.

It's been awhile for the blog....so I'm getting back to it.  So far, sitting reserve is treating me alright.  Some months I get to fly every week and other months it seems that all I do is wait for the phone to ring. A few months ago I missed a call from crew scheduling, so I listened to the message.  My wife asked where I was going, and I told her it was probably a charter since I was laying over in Charleston. After checking my schedule online, I realized that too many years were spent flying domestic...instead of going to South Carolina, I was going to Paris!  What I heard was Charleston (CHS), but what the scheduler said was Charles de Gaulle (CDG). This all meant that I needed a nap!  Report time was in 6 hours and I was going to be flying all night.

Show up, meet the crew and get it all started.  Great crew...I've flown with one first officer before, and the other was a transfer from the Cincinnati base. Everything went off without a hitch, just as planned.  That's how the majority of our flights go... you plan it out, fly the plan...and move on to the next flight.  Sure there are hiccups... but for the most part we just keep the tempo, follow the procedures and read the checklist. 

Weather was good for the overwater crossing.  And the thing I love about this international flying is the last hour or so when we make landfall and knowing that we're almost there.  When the weather is good and the sun is coming up....it's beautiful (like it was on this flight).  Other times, all you see is the gray/white undercast and your first glimpse of Europe is when you break out and see the runway. Like all landings in the 767...it seems to just want to roll on.  I guess it's just too many years of flying the DC-9 (close to 20) when each landing seemed like its own challenge.  I loved that airplane, but I have a new respect for how hard I worked before, and how much easier life is when you're flying fewer flights but more flight hours.

For tonight, I'll keep my phone near by...and be happy whether I get to fly or get to stay home. Staying home allows me to work on the business...and hang out with my wife. As always, be sure to check out my site, because I can always use the hits... http://pilotballcaps.com