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Having Fun With Johnny Cupcakes

The Johnny Cupcakes brand came from humble beginnings – college dropout and indie entrepreneur Johnny Earle started selling t-shirts from the trunk of his ’89 Toyota Camry in 2001. Today, the brand is now a multimillion-dollar enterprise that has a cult following across the country. When Earle passed through metro Detroit earlier this year while on the Johnny Cupcakes Suitcase Tour, 944 sat down with him to talk success, inspiration, and always having fun.

944:  What made you start the Suitcase Tour?

Johnny Earle:  I thought it would be a fun thing to do to meet every single person who has supported my brand since day one. It [was] great. A lot of the turnouts [were] amazing. I did it to kind of pay tribute to how I started, which was selling shirts out of the back of my car and suitcases.

944:  What is the key to your company’s success?

JE: Just having fun. It was a joke that turned into a hobby that turned into a lifestyle. If it's ever not fun, I'm going to figure a way to make it fun, or I'm just going to stop doing it.

944: What makes your style unique from other clothing companies?

JE: It's personal. It's homegrown. It's independent. We don't sell to any stores. There haven’t been any investors. We are just having fun. We aren't watching what other people are doing. We are doing our own thing.

944: Who are some designers you look up to or seek inspiration from?

JE: I like a lot of artists from the '40s and '50s. I really appreciate the simplistic style. I collect a lot of old posters from the '40s and '50s – [they’re] really inspiring and help me come up with new ideas for the brand.

944: What kind of advice would you give to someone that is about to start his or her own clothing company?

JE: Don't do it. I've always wanted to say that [laughing]. Have fun. Do it for the right reasons. It's a lot of time and energy. I've been doing this since I was 19, and I'm 27 now. It didn't happen overnight. You just got to work hard and come up with your own ideas. Realize you need to spend money to make money. Ask yourself, "What can I do that's going to make my brand different than other people? Why are people going to appreciate it?" Whether you are starting a brand, a restaurant, [or you’re] a photographer, you want to ask yourself all those questions, because that's what's going to keep you different, separate, and unique from everybody else.

www.johnnycupcakes.com

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