Posted by | 18 May 2011

Scott Kilmartin

Haul

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On Scott Kilmartins blog he describes himself as: "maker, merchant, madman and media whore - who's trying to build something riveting, it's a long haul".

Scott Kilmartin started and runs independent design brand haul, who turns advertising billboards into lifestyle accessories and innovative corporate gifts. 

In October 2008 haul won the City of Melbourne B3000 Business of the Year. This week, HatchThat had the pleasure of interviewing Scott.

When you sold your first recycled number plate journal, did you think that haul would become what it is today?

Yes! I just didn't think it would take this long, I was thinking more like 3yrs.

I always envisioned the business becoming a design brand that would sell into a global marketplace.

haul now incorporates a large online store, two retail spaces, a wholesale business & a corporate arm where we make products for companies from their used materials. Think document satchels from billboards used for conferences. From a single recycled number plate journal haul now upcycles vinyl billboards, truck inner tubes, rubber print blankets into laptop messenger bags, macbook & ipad cases & luggage tags.

It's a long way from working in the family garage with my mum sewing bags and selling from a card table at Salamanca Market in Hobart - which we still have by the way, my dad Keith is still part of the team that works it every Saturday. I joke that we've recently become an overnight success story....10 years in the making.

How do you market haul?

I describe the business as being a design brand making unique product from industrial materials. One of the great things about our products is that no two are ever the same. The advertising artwork on the billboards that we cut up mean that if we make say a messenger bag from it that will be the only one exactly like it. That one-off-ness is our unique selling proposition and the strongest thing we market.

We've never advertised & nor will we anytime soon. Instead we give product to and sponsor things like graphic design competitions or festivals and work hard media whoring for editorial coverage in mags like MacWorld, Qantas inflight mag and Desktop. haul products have also shown up in TV shows from Offspring to Packed to the Rafters and music videos. Speaking at gigs has also helped to spread the haul gospel.

Over the past few years social media has really become a great platorm to get the brand known internationally. Bloggers, reviewers & marketing websites have all given the business and products great coverage. We were relatively early adopters to social media Twitter, Fbook, 4sqr & Instagram they have been great for communicating with our punters. My dog Gus has come to the workshop with me since he was a puppy and has become an (ugly) face for the haul brand, initially off line by laying in the front window and then online. Now he's our personal shopping assistant at the haul store in North Fitzroy.

Where do you pull your creative inspiration from?

I love factories and their workings and that's where I get lots of ideas from unusual materials for product.

I've got a bunch of friends that are doing interesting things from photographers and ginger beer makers to lighting designers and those guys help ideas percolate away. Driving with me used to be dangerous because I was either looking down at number plates or up at billboards. I"m fortunate enough to travel a fair bit and there's lots of crazy stuff going on out there that gives me a spark.

What is the biggest challenge you have had to face and overcome so far in your journey?

Like a lot of businesses haul has come close to going under a few times. A few years back I ran out of cash and even had to get a job delivering donuts in the early hours of the morning so I could keep the wheels greased enough for the doors to stay open. I spent awhile broke, sleeping in the factory living off a fuel card. Not fun but it makes you more determined.

Being a sole owner has been both good and bad, great that you can run with your own decisions but sometimes lonely. Manufactoring in Australia and with inconsistent materials have been difficult and probably the biggest hurdles to growth. Educating our customers about the materials we use, has been a real challenge. for example lots of people believe billboards are made of paper (they are actually vinyl) which is important because you probably wouldn't want a paper case for your macBook. It's been a long haul.

What advice would you give to someone else looking to start their own line of products?

• Make shit punters want to buy, not what you think they're going to buy
• There is a big difference between people telling you they'll buy something and actually handing over their hard earned for a product
• Temperature test the waters - the web and markets are great for this
• Get a wise ol owl to sit on your shoulder and bounce ideas off
• No one knows or cares about your proudcts, so you need to be constantly finding ways to engage customers & stand out or they won't find you. Communicate stories about your business even things you may not think are that exceptional. Punters love to find out what's under the hood of your business. - Manufacturing is tricky. The transition from making small runs yourself to larger scale production is a difficult leap
• Build your brand online - even before it exists off line. 

Where do you see haul in 5 years time?

More physical retail: Bucking the trend of opening more retail stores, becuase of the unusual materials used in the haul products a good percentage of our customers want to touch and feel what a billlboard or rubber print blanket is.

Retail stores in Sydney, NYC, LA, London, Tokyo, Shanghai & Hong Kong -some of which will be pure retail (small & kiosk like) others will include boutique manufacturing and be art galleryesue - think:

• Winery celar door. 
• Customised product service.
• An international coporate business working with multinationals to make innovative products.
• Manufacturing bases in areas closer to where we source the materials.
• Design collaborations with artists from graffiti, to skateboarders to architects.