HATVENT DAY 5 - Roy Smoothe

Secrets under the Red Hat

Roy Smoothe, the man with a hat that works.

This is not just any hat; this red bowler hat reflects the person, his brand, his values and his identity. Roy Smoothe is a cool dude. It’s not just an image, there is so much more. Donning his slick brimmed bowler, he completes his attire. Roy explains how he reached this point in his career, as his brand has become synonymous with his work.

A sharp dresser, even as a young boy he loved to look smart. His dad bought him a three piece suit at the age of seven. From then on, he has had an eye on fashion and started to develop his own style. A determined young man, he worked hard and moved naturally towards fashion. An opportunity to show his talent in styling was rewarded. Managing a large number of men’s fashion retail concessions with over a 5 million turnover each year. He went on to own a chain of fashion boutiques. He moved on to become VP International Business Development for a start up tech company with offices in UK and USA.

With his career thriving, he decided to leave the corporate world to explore his passion for fashion &music. Spurred on by his son’s enthusiasm of his music compilations and motivational speaking, he wanted to create something even better. Not only did he adore music, he wanted to participate, record his own creations and develop in the industry. He began his music business with his own record label and production company.

In order to expand his music business, Roy designed a campaign to stand out in the crowd. His dress style had always made him one of a kind but it was the bowler hat that brought him to another level. He introduced the red bowler hat to add a twist to his look. This was and still remains, a three-part strategy, AAE. He has to get the attention of people in the room, with his hat and outfit, hold his audience with a smile and small talk and finally reach for the point of engagement this is a key ingredient.

People were more eager to meet him. He created an interest and was given so much more attention. There was no question that he received more positive recognition that as a consequence brought him preferential service. When he walks into a room the noise stops, everyone looks at him. Later, he has a chance to speak to his audience and then follow up with a personal meeting. In addition, he sees a whole new world, the best table at the Ritz Hotel, upgrades on air flights, hotel rooms and so much more. It certainly feels like the hat has a role of its own.

Roy is on a path to bring more traction to his ideas. People want to find out how his style and look work. This developed into advice on branding and style. As he worked with clients his skills and ideas elevated their businesses. He could start at any point from ground zero to BrandStorm and build a brand identity with a twist. One success built on another. His branding style is noticed. People can’t get enough of his ideas.

It is not as easy as it sounds. Wearing a hat is not the whole answer. There has to be a plan and strategy behind the look. Roy is very clear now about his path. He speaks about branding and style to large audiences. Furthermore, music and speaking have merged into an inspirational genre unique to his business as top speakers like Jim Rohn, Brain Tracy, Les Brown Tony Robbins to name but a few have all had their recorded talks featured in his music compilations.

This special hat has a role in the image he creates when he dresses. He explained, ‘I don’t feel dressed until I put on my hat’. The hat gets him noticed and has opened social and celebrity doors while giving fantastic business opportunities to him. Of course, it doesn’t stop here, Roy has visited Buckingham Palace, worked with celebrities, been invited to 10, Downing Street and the list goes on.

His brand is embedded into his style and image, but it doesn’t stop there. He uses this look to take his own business to new heights. Intertwined with his music business he has brought everything he believes and values together to position himself as the ‘go to Cool Branding Strategist’ for personal, business and corporate clients.

Standing tall, Roy has been chosen to share the pedestal of fame with musician legends Amy Winehouse, Jimmy Hendrix and John Lennon. A famous sculptor picked Roy with his iconic top hat. A fantastic image reflects his amazing achievements. You can find his music brand Smoothe Mixxproduced by his company, S.I.R. Smoothe International Records to enjoy his cool smooth style of mixing Personal Development, Music & Conversation, which has now reached well over30 million streams and downloads. He is certainly in the groove.

A bowler hat has been around for over one hundred years. There is nothing original about wearing this hat but it has a defined shape, it is recognised and loved by everyone. Roy has taken something we may consider insignificant, but on the right head it works.

Roy pointed out, ‘I am never dressed without a hat and never fully dressed without a smile.’

Take your hat and wear your smile.