Today we’d like to introduce you to Julian Brown.
Hi Julian, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
My Name is Julian Brown, Owner/Founder of Kicks Klinic, a Premier Restoration Company specializing in Footwear and Accessories. I was actually born in Corpus Christi, Texas raised in Hackensack, New Jersey. I have Lived in Richmond, Virginia since 2010 when I started college at Virginia Union University which is an HBCU. Kicks Klinic is new to the Houston market by way of Swapz Houston. A Premier Sneaker/Retail Boutique currently located at Tanger Outlets Houston in Texas City. Soon we’ll be in a new location closer to the Downtown Houston area. We will be starting to take drop-off orders there by the end of the 2nd Quarter of 2023. So make sure to give them a follow on Instagram to stay updated on that move!
My love for sneakers started in my youth, always wanting to have the freshest kicks that my parents could never afford. It was then I learned that I had to appreciate what I had until I was able to get more. It was then I started the practice of cleaning my shoes with an old toothbrush and soap with water. While my methods of cleaning have changed drastically since then, the objective remains the same. Kicks Klinic is here to help sneakerheads nationwide Protect Their Investments. It’s just the smart thing to do; you want to protect and preserve the thing you care about for as long as you can. And most people care a lot about their shoes and other prized accessories.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
A smooth road? Not so much for me. This has been a journey for sure. Entrepreneurship was very new to me when I started my business as Ju Kleans Kicks in January of 2021. Just in regards to skill, initially, I thought I was cleaning well. Until I started following other restoration pages. I immediately realized I had to step my game up. There was more to the game than just using a 1 size fits all solution to clean all materials or just throwing your shoes in the Washer Machine (Which I’ve never done lol). Once I studied proper techniques, started learning from the industry leaders at NuLife Kicks, and started applying those methods through the reps, I improved.
Another struggle I had was me being shy, overthinking content, worrying about the outside perception. It took me a while, but it finally hit me. Shy people don’t get paid or noticed. I realized that I had to kill that fear, stop caring, and shoot my shots daily. Shooting shots via posting and promoting my business on social media. As well as, while I’m outside, anyone that I come across that appears they need my services, I’ll spark a conversation and give them my business card. In order to reach more people, you have to do more simply put. People will never know what you have to offer until you tell them or put it their face.
Once I made that change in my approach and mentality, I saw a change in my traction…I started getting more transactions.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I consider myself as an Artist. My work is multi-dimensional with a couple levels. The first level would be the restoration side of Kicks Klinic. Restoring old/dirty shoes or items back to new-like/improved state is an art, there’s really a beautiful science to the sneaker restoration game. I love it for real.
That second level is going to be content creation. Putting out quality content isn’t easy, it takes time, effort, and a lot of practice. Practice doesn’t make perfect, but it does make improvement. And I’ve seen a lot of improvement in my content creation game. But the act of shooting and recording content, editing it, making it your own piece of work very much so make it an art that I now claim and identify with. Content is King and is super essential for business growth as you know.
That last level for me is going to be what I’m specially known for, which is going to be my voiceovers that create for my content marketing my services. I started getting outside of my box doing voice overs on reels at the end of 2021. At first, looking back it’s cringe hearing/watching some of those, but it’s beautiful at the same time because those early reps helped me get to where I am today as an artist. My word play and catchy bars at times all came through a lot of practice through creation reps. But truth be told this isn’t really new to me, I’ve always been a rap fanatic and have been freestyling since I was in High School. But showcasing or presenting my voice on a public stage hasn’t been done until I had to promote my business differently.
I’m most proud of my growth from where I started to where I am now as an entrepreneur and multi-dimensional artist. It took a lot of late nights, sacrifice, being uncomfortable, as well as growing pains to get here. And I’m far from Finished…The Marathon Continues.
What sets Kicks Klinic apart from others is our vibe, the energy we provide, and the high quality of work & high-level customer service just hits different. We care about your footwear like it’s our own. We take pride in being able to assist people nationwide in joining the movement of “Protecting Your Investments.”
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I want the readers to know that Kicks Klinic isn’t a me thing, it’s a we thing. We wouldn’t have made it this far without the support of our Family, Friends, and all the Clients who have trusted us so far with their sneakers. Even anyone who has taken the time to watch one of our reels/posts, share it with a friend, comment, speak on us to anyone they know it means a lot to us on the highest level. We wouldn’t be able to continue our reach and growth without everyone’s help, we appreciate you.
For anyone reading this and wants to support our movement. You can follow us on our social media platforms attached to this article. Visit our website and book with us to get your shoes restored, and or tell a friend about us. Any one or all we would be thankful for! Thank you to Voyage Houston for the opportunity for us to tell our story, we appreciate you!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kicksklinic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kicksklinic_/
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Kicksklinic
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kicksklinic
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/kicksklinic
Image Credits
The Natural Skate & Co.
