Michael Wilson, Niall co-founder and CEO, discusses the meaning of ‘made in the USA,’ making luxury watches and more
Name: Michael Wilson
Occupation: Niall co-founder, CEO and product architect
Twitter handle: @wilsonspeaking
Hometown: Born in Texas. Raised in Kansas.
Current neighborhood: Overland Park
What I do: I am on a quest to build the next great luxury brand. Everything I do supports that purpose.
What’s your addiction? Business
What’s your game? Business. Yes, I love business that much. When I’m not trying to stay on top of my game, I usually spend time with my kids, which opens us up to a whole new list of games.
What’s your drink? Green tea, water, whiskey — not all at once.
Where’s dinner? Rieger Hotel, LuLu’s or Arthur Bryant’s
What’s on your KC postcard? A picture of 1810 Cherry with the cityscape behind it.
Finish this sentence: “Kansas City got it right when …” They invested in the Crossroads.
“Kansas City screwed up when …” The last time I answered this honestly, I got hate calls and Facebook trolls hounding me for two weeks. I’ll bite my tongue here.
“Kansas City needs …” A focus on something other than software. Frankly, Kansas City’s biggest opportunity is to focus on the next generation of American manufacturing. This will be Niall’s soapbox and platform for quite some time.
What are the first two terminal points on your KC rail system? From Niall to Arthur Bryant’s. Frankly, that would be an added benefit for paying the increased tax burden on the streetcar, right? Access to your favorite restaurant from your office.
“In five years, I’ll be …” 36 years old. I’ll be running a multinational luxury brand, Niall. My two daughters will be going to elementary school, and then things will get very, very real.
“I always laugh at …” Key and Peele.
“I’ve been known to binge-watch …” Game of Thrones, House of Cards and Breaking Bad.
“I can’t stop listening to …” Hip-hop on Spotify.
“I just read …” Rethinking Prestige Branding: Secrets of the Ueber-Brands by Wolfgang Schaefer and J.P. Kuehlwein.
What’s your guiltiest pleasure? A tobacco pipe. For tobacco.
The best advice I ever got: “It’s not a good idea until somebody buys it.”
Worst advice: “Taking outside investment is a bad idea.”
My sidekick: In business, Shake and Bake, Mark O’Renick. In life, my wife and kids. Since birth, my father, Rob Wilson.
Who (or what) is your nemesis? “Real G’s move in silence.” — Notorious BIG
What’s your greatest struggle right now? The irony of running a watch company. Time.
My dating triumph/tragedy: Turning a first date that was going pretty bad with a very gorgeous but quiet girl into my future wife.
My brush with fame: What I’m stepping into now. Most people in Kansas City know about Niall, so there’s no longer that moment at a party when someone asks, “What do you do,” and you have to give a lengthy response. I usually say, “I’m the co-founder of a luxury watch company,” and then the questions roll from there. Which is fun and flattering. Frankly, everyone in Kansas City has been super-supportive of Niall, and I’m thankful to have started this company here.
My soapbox: The term “made in the USA” means very little anymore to the average consumer because it’s been abused far too much. If America wants a strong export economy, there needs to be a clear definition and process for what “made in the USA” means. Much like the laws that exist in Switzerland or Germany. It’s my belief that “made” means “manufactured.” Not just assembled.
What was the last thing you had to apologize for? The time I mistook Joe Roetheli for Barnett Helzberg. It was at the UMKC Entrepreneur of the Year Award Dinner. I was 21 years old and had my wires crossed. I tried to dig myself out, but it failed awfully. My date at the time shamed me the whole way home. No, we never went on another date after that.
Who’s sorry now? Those that slept on opportunities that seemed too lofty to be real.
My recent triumph: Handing a Niall timepiece to a person within the Swiss watch industry who then asked me which Swiss manufacturer made it.
