Sunday 24 June 2012

How do you wear yours?


Here I am, Sunday afternoon, sitting nursing a few aches and pains after playing (and winning, good job Rodents!) at the Edinburgh 10’s rugby tournament, desperately trying not to think about the 5 shirts that need to be ironed for the week ahead. I know that I am not the only guy going through this dilemma every Sunday night as the Monday fear rapidly encroaches. 


Rodent Rugby competing in the Edinburgh 10s
 Do you iron them all now? Do you iron a couple and the rest mid week? Or, if you are like me, do you just get up that little bit earlier each morning and iron one before you go to work?! I know the answer.
This got me thinking. Why do I even wear a shirt to work? When I do wear a shirt, why does it have to be ironed? Why don’t I just wear my favourite comfy t-shirt or something easy that can be washed and good to go? I’m still the same guy, grafting hard with the same knowledge of property, opening up ACE Property Management every morning whether I am suited and booted or in shorts and t-shirt.

I sometimes wear a tie, I sometimes wear a jumper. I seldom wear a smart pair of jeans and I have not worn a suit in years. ACE has been built on providing a good service. We haven’t always hit the mark but where we have missed we resolve any issues or complaints quickly and to the best of our ability because we want our clients to recommend our service to others. Six years down the line, we have a successful business, getting busier year on year. I don’t think that the clothes I have worn to work have had any effect on the integrity of our business.

At the Edinburgh 10’s tournament there was a team playing called ‘Foul Fashion’ ( www.foulfashion.co.uk   check them out!) I took this from their website:
  
“We take a multitude of leftover materials from the world's best know fabric producers (Chanel, Gucci...the people who make your Auntie's curtains), chuck them in an enormous mixer, and then apply our ingenious Foul Fashion formula to create each foul garment”  

Now if I were to meet a new landlord, through a recommendation from another client, to discuss the management of their property, would they care that I was wearing a suit and tie combo that Krusty the Clown would be proud of? I would like to think that it would lighten the mood, possibly create a bit of a giggle but then it would be down to business. 

A lot of my competitors are shirt and tie companies but others are smart casual, both equally do just as good a job. I have walked into offices before and been treated rudely by the front desk clerk. When I tell them I’m there to meet their boss or MD they pay a little bit more attention. Would they judge me differently if I walked in wearing an expensive suit and shiny shoes? To be honest, I don’t actually care. It’s what I’ve got to say and the knowledge of my industry that counts and earns respect.

Have you ever thought about the clothes you wear to work? Are people judging your appearance before they meet you?  Do you wear what you are told to wear by your boss or what society deems appropriate?

FYI- You’ll be shocked to learn that this blog post has successfully distracted me from the ironing long enough (any excuse!) that I’ve decided to sack it off and feast instead...the alarm has been set 15 minutes earlier, grrrr, and a shirt will get done in the morning! As they say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, Cooper “DOWN....stay, STAY...........good boy!”.

I also don’t have a ‘Foul Fashion’ suit so I’m sticking to the shirts..........for now!

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