Meet John & Kristine Pitts of Firehouse Moustache Wax

Today we’d like to introduce you to John & Kristine Pitts. 

Hi John & Kristine, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was 21 when I first started growing a moustache in 1987. I went on vacation with my dad and brother for a week and didn’t shave…and haven’t shaved the stache since! I’ve used moustache waxes off and on during that time. Twice I ran into the problem of finding a moustache wax I liked, only to find they no longer were selling/had gone out of business. I couldn’t find any waxes that could withstand the weather conditions in Mississippi and rigors of firefighting, as well as being a farrier/horseshoer. So, I started experimenting. It probably took about two years off and on, but I eventually came up with a formula that worked really well. The guys at the station got right in the middle of it, often offering ideas. Thus, how I came up with the name for our product, Firehouse Moustache Wax. 

My goal was to make a mustache and beard wax that would have great hold, but be workable and easy to apply. Since working outdoors as a fireman and a farrier in Mississippi, where the year-round humidity and summer heat wreak havoc on moustaches/facial hair, I had a challenge ahead of me. It didn’t happen overnight and took a while to come up with the right formulations, but it was worth it once I did. 

We’ve been selling the wax on our website since 2006. At the time, I told my wife that we should try to market it on the internet. She said sure, but all the while was thinking, “Who in the world is going to buy moustache wax?!” She found out that people actually do! Enough where she was able to eventually quit her job and do the wax biz full time! As a side note, Kristine has never been particularly fond of my moustache and has never seen me without it. To my satisfaction and her dismay, she hasn’t been able to say anything about my ‘stache, particularly since she runs the business end of the biz! We’re still a very small ‘mom & pop’ business, but sell all over the world and have been blessed that it’s done well.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
As most things in life, it hasn’t always been a smooth road. Learning how to make the 3 waxes was definitely challenging. It’s almost like having 3 brands. One of the biggest challenges is the wax ingredients can change due to natural variances, so I’m always having to tweak the recipe to keep the consistency and quality the same. This inhibits us from being able to increase production, so I continue to make the product in very small, handmade batches. With working more than one job, it can be difficult keeping up or finding enough time, but all you can do is try the best you can! 

With working out of our home, it’s hard to expand our product line or inventory because of space constraints. I make the wax in a quaint, rustic cabin on our property but, other than the wax-making supplies, we keep everything in our home. The cabin was meant to generally be a ‘guest cabin,’ but became Firehouse Moustache Wax Central Headquarters! There’s no central heat or air in the cabin, so I make do with the fireplace and gas heater in the Winter, and wall/window unit for a.c. in the very hot MS summers. I keep the windows open for ventilation from the constant wax smell, so it can be quite cold in the Winter while making wax, and blazing hot in the summer! We have considered renting a building for wax making and storage, but we live pretty far out in the country, so we can’t beat the convenience of working from home as well as saving money on renting a space, drive time, gas, etc. 

Over the years we’ve also experienced suppliers discontinuing or changing products or supplies we need, or raising prices. Like everyone is experiencing these days, that’s become more of an issue, along with delivery issues. Just have to keep plugging along and sometimes find alternate means to get what’s needed in order to keep going. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I’m John Pitts, owner and founder of the eCommerce business Firehouse Moustache Wax, LLC. I’m also a firefighter by trade as well as a farrier/horseshoer. Can you say looking forward to retirement? Lol 

We offer 3 kinds of specialty, handmade moustache/beard waxes: Light, Dark & ‘Wacky Tacky.’ Wacky Tacky is our best seller/customer favorite. (‘Tacky’ for short) Each small batch is personally/specially made, hand-poured, and hand-tested by me at our home in Mississippi. Generally speaking, the Light is for blonde/gray hair, the Dark for brownish/reddish, and the Tacky for brown/black hair. There are no added fragrances or dyes in our waxes so both the color and scent come naturally from the waxes used. This is a “real” wax and not a cream or paste, so it is stiff and has an excellent hold. It will help tame, train, and style any unruly hairs! 

We sell to individuals through our website as well as various retailers. We sell and ship to all parts of the world, but the majority of our sales are here in the U.S. Our Amazon orders also provide a nice portion of sales. We started out as website sales to individual customers only, and the business grew exponentially from there. We basically started the business as something to try for fun on the side, and never dreamed it would become the business that it has. Sales have been less for various reasons over the past 2-3 years (Covid being one of them!), but we are still humming along and thankfully staying afloat. 

We started in March of 2006 with just a website that Kristine taught herself how to create. She was eventually able to quit her full-time job to run the business after many years of juggling both. I make the product on my days off from the fire station and she pretty much runs everything else! The business has required a lot of hard work and time spent but has created a decent way to make a living.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My advice would be never surrender and don’t give up. Find something that you like or interests you and keep at it. You’re going to have disappointments and setbacks, but keep persevering. Don’t be afraid to fail, but learn from your mistakes. Be willing to work hard, put in the hours, and have patience. You’ll need that more than anything else when starting a business. Find whatever works best for you. For instance, I’m one of those people that prefers getting up before the rooster crows and getting my day started. My wife is the opposite and would rather sleep in and work late. Find your balance. You’ll have to work hard, but run the business and don’t let it run you. Also, if you can start your business when younger I highly recommend! I’m 56 and I can assure you having the energy of when you’re younger is very beneficial for the long hours and workload you’ll probably encounter when having your own business. 

Once you get started, go above and beyond for your customers to provide excellent customer service and responsiveness to their feedback, questions, or issues. Respond quickly, care about what they have to say, and ship your product (if applicable) the same or next day when possible. Trust me, going above and beyond with customer service pays off. We have gotten to know so many of our customers personally over the years, and customers love having that personal aspect to a business as well as top-notch customer service. 

If a customer has any kind of issue, make it right. In our case, incorrect application of our product can many times cause issues, so take the time to offer helpful, detailed advice, reship them the product free of charge (in our case to see if it does better in case they received a defective or bad tin), or refund their order if need be. Making sure they’re happy is key! They will reward you ten times over. Our customers wanting to spread the word about us and supporting our business is a main reason for our success.

For customers that are loyal, love your product, spread the word about it, do free videos or advertising for you, etc., let them know you appreciate them. We like to send free products or swag in appreciation for some of our great customers. Yes, when you’re a small business and money is tight, you’re losing money by doing this, but it’s worth it in the long run. We also regularly give free products and swag for all the various moustache and beard competitions. A great way to get our name out there, have potential customers try/use our wax, and hopefully get hooked! 

If you can, find something that shows a personal side to your business along with a little bit about the person behind the product or what’s important to you. I wanted to be sure and give back to our communities, so we donate a portion of our proceeds to a charity of the year each year. We do 25¢ a tin and 50¢ per t-shirt/sweatshirt/baseball cap, but it surprisingly adds up. On the website, we do a write-up on the charity and usually how/why it has meaning to us, along with a tally of how much has been raised so far. At the end of the year, we send the lump sum to the designated charity. It’s extra work, and money we could put in our pocket of course, but as they say, it is better to give than receive! And it really is. Plus, customers usually like knowing they’re also helping a good cause by purchasing your product.

We also love to show our appreciation to our military, so we give our product free to active-duty military. Any order that has an APO etc. address we’ll email to see if they’re active duty. If they are, we’ll send it for free and ask if any of their buddies want some, and tell them to spread the word. We wish we could do it for all military, past, and present, but we do have to stay in business and have to draw the line somewhere! Anyway, we found that customers tend to enjoy seeing a little of what you’re about, what’s important to you, or what interests you, so try incorporating that somehow into your business if possible. 

Pricing:

• $13.50 per tin of wax
• $19.50 t-shirts
• $15-16 baseball caps
• $34 hoodie sweatshirts
• ~$3 stickers

Contact Info:

• Email: john@firehousemoustachewax.com
• Website: www.firehousemoustachewax.com
• Instagram: @firehousemoustachewax
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FirehouseMoustacheWax