Using his contacts at the Capital Club, a fitness and dining club in downtown Richmond where he is a personal trainer, Wingfield has been convincing companies to give his approach a chance. For $50 an hour, Wingfield reckons he can improve a company's productivity and sales by encouraging its staff to loosen up.

Wingfield's first client was The Arnold Agency, a Richmond-based advertising firm. Its former president, Robert Barocci, had been a Hat Man fan for two years, so he asked Wingfield to conduct a stress-reduction workshop for his employees.

"About 15 people trudged in [with an attitude] because they were away from their work," assistant account executive Jessica Berry recalls. "They were shy at first, but Leonard warmly brings you out."

Aside from getting people to blow bubbles and color, Wingfield uses various relaxation techniques to bring adults out of their shells. For instance, he asked the Arnold Agency workers to turn to their right and rub the shoulders of the person next to them. This wasn't easy for people who face each other every day from behind their safe walls of formality, but they did it.

"By the end of the session, not only was everyone relaxed, they were warm, friendly and jubilant," Barry says with enthusiasm.

At the Virginia Association of Realtors in Glen Allen, some workers wondered if Wingfield could really help them. Others, who had already practiced some stress-reduction techniques, were less skeptical, according to Carol Umbel, manager of specialty local services. The Hat Man won them over.

"Twenty-five people participated, and their reaction was universally enthusiastic," says Marc Lebowitz, vice president of the association. "Leonard's stress-reduction workshop enhanced group harmony and allowed us to get together on a common plane for a little while."

"They thought it was neat that you can deal with stress in a way that is not structured, but positive," Wingfield explains. "They are still blowing bubbles there." According to Lebowitz and Umbel, association staffers also kept their coloring creations.

So, the next time the blood vessels in your forehead feel like they're going to burst, Wingfield recommends that you burst a bubble instead. Or listen to some soothing music or take a walk. "It doesn't take long to unwind," Jessica Barry learned from The Hat Man. "It only takes minutes to do deep-breathing exercises or ball and unball your feet under the desk. You have to take the time for yourself."

Like the behavior he encourages, Wingfield's business is in its childhood, but he has an almost evangelical belief in the importance of his work. The Hat Man wants to go national.