These boots, were made for going public.
Footwear maker Cole Haan ($PRIVATE:COLEHAAN) is the latest company to load up an IPO plan, according to a report from Bloomberg.
For starters, the company's Facebook ($FB) Talking About Count - or how often people reference the brand on the social network - is headed in the right direction.
“Based on the momentum we have generated in the business and the opportunities we believe are before Cole Haan, we have determined that now is the time to prepare for an initial public offering of the company’s shares," the company's CEO said in a statement provided to CNBC.
And, at a time when many other retailers are either cutting staff - or just opting to fill them in with part-timers - Cole Haan headcount rose about 5%, so far this year.
Seeing a private equity investor - PE firm Apax Partners bought Cole Haan from Nike ($NKE) in 2012 - investing in a company's growth is a likely sign that Cole Haan has been successful as of late with Apax.
Last but not least - mapping out Cole Haan locations. On top of its online sales business, the company has dozens of locations - and more than 100 in the US alone.
About the Data:
Thinknum tracks companies using information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales.