A New Venture Is Launched!
Welcome, everyone! My name is Brian Piorkowski, and I am the CEO of newly created Maximilian Enterprises LLC, the parent company of the Vanguard Belts product line. After several months of learning, building, testing, and preparation, I am pleased to introduce to you a new product based on an old familiar concept: the belt.
You can read the Vanguard Belts story in our About section on this website, so I won't rehash all of that here, but suffice it to say that I am very excited to bring a unique type of belt to the public. Vanguard Belts are made of a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) coated webbing material. Yes, I know that's a mouthful, and may not sound very interesting, but I assure you that this material will astound you in its superiority over the common leather belt, as it has astounded me. I have been wearing belts made of this material for nearly two years, and I have been amazed at the resiliency of TPU-coated webbing. I have no intention of buying another leather belt.
I was so inspired by the durability of TPU belts that I decided to develop, test, and launch my own line of belts made with it. It would be dishonest of me to tell you that Vanguard Belts is the only company making belts with TPU-coated webbing material. In my research on the material, I sought out other belt makers using TPU, and I found several. I am merely another entry into that market, but it is safe to say that I did not find very many competitors out there. It is my belief that the reason there are so few belt makers using TPU is that the public is simply not very aware of the material's existence or its properties. It is also my belief that the public doesn't know what it's missing. I hope to change that.
These belts are great! In my prototyping phase, I built belts for friends, family, and co-workers, and asked for honest feedback after they'd all had some time to wear the belt around for awhile. Let me repeat that: I asked for honest feedback. In fact, I demanded it. That meant I welcomed good or bad feedback. I needed to know how people truly felt about this unique belt material, especially as it compares to their experiences with common leather belts. If my testers hated the belt for any reason, I needed to know why.
Significantly, the overwhelming response was extremely positive. My testers truly seemed to love the belts I made for them. I heard great feedback on the attractive appearance and finish, as well as the strength and durability. With around a dozen belts in my testing group, I had made those wearers converts to TPU. Even though my first dozen belts were a bit sloppy in craftsmanship (since I was just learning the craft of belt-making), they all still wear those belts to this day.
The worst feedback I think I heard from one wearer was that he had been working up on a hot rooftop on a very hot summer day, and he could feel the black TPU belt absorbing all that heat from the sun and the roof, making his work on the rooftop that much more miserable. I can certainly see that happening, but I can also tell you that I have worn my own TPU belt on sweltering hot summer days while mowing my lawn, and did not seem to notice any unnatural absorption of heat from the environment in my own experience. I believe another minor complaint was in reference to the buckle being somewhat pinched at the end of the belt, causing it to bind a little and not move as freely as it should. That particular belt was an early prototype (the 4th one I ever built), and I have since made corrections to my belts to resolve that issue. The buckle end of the belts that I make now are improved as a direct response to that important feedback. I will continue to gather feedback and improve my belts if I should hear of any other issues or complaints, although at this point I do not expect to hear any. Let's face it: belts are not very complicated!
If you are in need of a new belt, and you're tired of throwing good money at leather belts that just don't hold up over time, please shop here for a Vanguard Belt. You will not be disappointed. I will stand behind my products, and if you are unsatisfied in any way with the product, I will be happy to work with you to make the situation right, whether that means exchanging, replacing, or modifying the belt, or issuing a full refund. I want my customers to come away from a transaction with Vanguard Belts feeling that they either got their money's worth, or that Vanguard Belts was honest enough to make a bad situation right.
I would like to take a brief moment to tell you that I have never attempted anything like this venture before. I already have a day job as an IT networking analyst at a major manufacturing company. My interest in launching Vanguard Belts was as a way to supplement my income via a small home-based business, most of which I hope to conduct online via the store you see here. I may also gather up my inventory of belts and try my hand at selling them at local gun shows or craft shows from time to time, so if you are a resident of northwest Indiana that frequents gun shows or craft shows, you might see me at a vendor table selling my wares. I'd love to meet you and hear your horror stories with leather belts, and I'll be happy to introduce you to my products, so please come say hello. If I know that I'll be working at such a show, I will try to post information about that here or on social media.
I have never run my own home-based business before, nor have I ever produced a product for sale to the public. This is all new to me, so I would ask for your patience with me and my company as I fumble my way through newfound entrepeneurship. I will be learning a lot about order fulfillment, shipping, e-commerce, billing, and the like. I will make mistakes at first. But I will do everything I can to make things right and correct my mistakes.
Mostly, I hope that the public comes to embrace a better belt. You deserve a better belt than what you are used to with leather. Vanguard Belts will not disappoint.
If you have any questions about Vanguard Belts, feel free to contact me at: brian@vanguardbelts.com
I look forward to hearing from you!