# Inspiration. Johnny Cupcakes story



## LaMamaHen (Jul 31, 2006)

http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB115923800337173923-lMyQjAxMDE2NTI5NjIyMzY4Wj.html

This link is only good for a few days to non-subscribers to the WSJ, by the way.


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## honeyflip (Nov 1, 2005)

Thanks for the link. Very interesting read. The comments about narrow-niche and longevity in the article are particularly intriguing.


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## Tgraphics (Aug 27, 2006)

Good link and a very interesting story.
Like the take on A Bathing Ape! A Bathing (Cup) Cake! 
see also:
I started this company as a complete joke
http://johnnycupcakes.com/thestory/
Thx


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## jdr8271 (Jun 16, 2005)

Im actually disapointed after reading that article, that johnny cupcakes isnt as successfull as I though. His projected sales at 1.2 million is much lower than I thought especially with his high prices.


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## Dave G (Aug 7, 2006)

Thanks for the link as well.


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## LaMamaHen (Jul 31, 2006)

I am most curious about the way he gets the word out about himself.

There aren't a whole lot of press links. Mind you, NPR and WSJ, are good...but are they enough to keep it going for 1.2 mil a year? My own experience is that when there is press, my sales go way up. When there isn't, it slows. I have a little niche market, but do people go online and search for "cupcake t-shirts?''

The NPR link:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5618417


Fabulous fodder, I think.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> I am most curious about the way he gets the word out about himself.


It's possible that he does a lot of tradeshows, gets word of mouth from there. Maybe offline advertising to build the brand.

It would be neat if he joined the forum and shared some of his tips for success


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## Vtec44 (Apr 24, 2006)

jdr8271 said:


> Im actually disapointed after reading that article, that johnny cupcakes isnt as successfull as I though. His projected sales at 1.2 million is much lower than I thought especially with his high prices.


Now that's great marketing strategy, making your brand a lot bigger than it is and creating a trend.


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## mothertongues (Aug 8, 2005)

I really can't believe this guy made it so big - it really is like "the Emperor's New Clothes" like the person NPR said. Oh well, all the more reason any other T-shirt company should also be able to make it!


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## honeyflip (Nov 1, 2005)

Rodney...any possibility of wangling an interview with him?


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## jdr8271 (Jun 16, 2005)

> It's possible that he does a lot of tradeshows, gets word of mouth from there. Maybe offline advertising to build the brand.
> 
> It would be neat if he joined the forum and shared some of his tips for success


Yea, I think we should recruit him...That would be awesome to have him on here. He's an even bigger star than you Rodney


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

Vtec44 said:


> Now that's great marketing strategy, making your brand a lot bigger than it is and creating a trend.


That's essentially what he did. Johnny Cupcakes was somewhat cool, but not really big enough to justify his Newbury St address. He did it anyway, and the mere fact that he was there justified him being there


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## Swing Easy (Aug 14, 2006)

I don't know how he got his store on Newbury St. in the first place, but it is the #1 street for shopping, strolling, and people watching in all of Boston. There are a lot of high end Armani places, as well as hipper individual boutiques, lots of sidewalk cafes, fancy restaurants, beautiful fashionable girls always walking around (WITH daddy's credit card). It is very high trafffic, hip (in the wealthy sense) and extremely high profile. The street is packed all day long and well into the night, and it's packed with people who are actively spending money. Once there all the people that you WANT to see you WILL see you and spread the word. You're pretty much automatically hip and known if you're on that street. He must have made a TON of money beforehand to get a store there. I have no doubt that if some donor paid for me to have a storefront there, I could make an absolute mint.


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## Vtec44 (Apr 24, 2006)

I'd sell my liver to get a spot there! LOL


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## Swing Easy (Aug 14, 2006)

Vtec44 said:


> I'd sell my liver to get a spot there! LOL


James, I'm afraid that's probably not enough.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

Swing Easy said:


> He must have made a TON of money beforehand to get a store there.


I don't think he did. I mean sure he was doing well, but not _that_ well. I think more than anything he had the kind of business plan that makes a bank pay attention. I imagine lots of comparisons to Paul Frank were made 

According to the WSJ he only made $53,500 in 2004, and in 2005 his expenses exceeded his sales.

That said, the growth is pretty considerable for a two to three year period, so I can see why an investor would take notice.


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## Tgraphics (Aug 27, 2006)

What I find interesting about this is that exponential growth can be achieved through viral and word of mouth marketing. I've loads of books on the subject and have just started re-reading Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Point. Gladwell demonstates how a handful of kids in the ghetto can spark off a fashion epidemic. There's hope for us all, Johnny Cupcake is a prime example of how thinking outside the box can bring substantial rewards. He has also created an experience around his product and I believe this is all important. Take the example of Maxine Clark's Build-a-Bear. There are thousands upon thousands of T-shirt brands out there all competing for the same dollar, what makes yours stand out in a crowded market place and what do you offer that your competition doesn't? Take this story from the Imaginary Foundation:
The Imaginary Foundation is a think tank from Switzerland that does experimental research on new ways of thinking and the power of the imagination. They hold dear a belief in human potential and seek progress in all directions. The small clandestine team is headed up by the mysterious "Director" a 70 something uber intellectual who's farther founded the Dadaist movement. Avoiding direct publicity the team has sought streetwear as an unlikely vehicle for bringing their ideas beyond the academic realm and into popular culturedation:
True or False is doesn't really matter it has instilled curiousity into the Brand by using a back story much the same way Hello Kitty did.
*What's your story?* and what experience are you building around your offering?


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## LaMamaHen (Jul 31, 2006)

So much of what makes one popular, or makes one front page news, is definitely The Story behind the product. I speak as a former journalist. So, you've got a cute little product. Good for you. Does it sell like hotcakes in a store near me? Then not really interested. Oh, you're a juggler on weekends, you raise iguanas, and you have a line of tees with cupcake designs? Wow. Let me get my pen and pad.

If you're building a brand, then you are the story just as much as your product. Consumers want to buy in, they want to invest in you as much as your product. And reporters prefer to tell the human story, not the product story, especially if you're a little, tiny business.

Here's a guy who got famous selling feminine product cases word-of-mouth and handing them out free:
http://www.tamponcase.com/cyn/index.html

Definitely tell your story.


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## Tgraphics (Aug 27, 2006)

Hi Carrie, 
Keep those articles comming. I'm a great beliver in Word of Mouth and giving out free samples. My main business is Personalised Teddy Bears and we send out free samples on a daily basis it's our only form of Marketing/Advertising and works very well. When we opened our Shop in Benidorm Spain I did samples for all the Bars and Cafes in the surrounding area and this generated excellent sales. T-Shirts act as walking, talking Billboards never be afraid to give a few away!


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> Rodney...any possibility of wangling an interview with him?


I can always try (and do). Usually the folks are gung ho about it at first, but then they back off. Maybe for fear of sharing too much with the (potential) competition?

I'll keep trying to get decent interviews though  Lots of times, folks just find us and end up joining and sharing (which is very cool as well).


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## Twinge (Apr 26, 2005)

Tgraphics said:


> What I find interesting about this is that exponential growth can be achieved through viral and word of mouth marketing.


Absolutely. Take Gmail for example; when that first came out, everyone was clamoring for an invite to get in on it. It was exclusively viral at that point basically - if you didn't know someone that already had an account, you couldn't get one yourself.

Of course, after you get people interested, that's where the quality comes in. Gmail is superior in most ways to it's competition, so when people did finally get a chance to use it, most of them stayed with it.


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## T-BOT (Jul 24, 2006)

Rodney said:


> Lots of times, folks just find us and end up joining and sharing (which is very cool as well).


yeah, nothing beats Natural Magic.


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## jdr8271 (Jun 16, 2005)

We have alot of members on here that have started t-shirt businesses within the past year or two. Its only a matter of time until a member of t-shirtforums becomes the next breakout star of the t-shirt business.


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## MrApolloBu (Sep 2, 2006)

HEYYYYY what brand of tshirt dose johnny cupcake use?


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## Jasonda (Aug 16, 2006)

MrApolloBu said:


> HEYYYYY what brand of tshirt dose johnny cupcake use?


American Apparel.

http://johnnycupcakes.com/faqs/


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## RAHchills (Aug 28, 2005)

Great article. Thanks for the link.


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## forfeitclothing (Apr 25, 2007)

I dont see how he could have had alot of money, i have read that story 100 times over and he was in a band before making johnny cupcakes, and he was on tour, and his band never came close to hitting it big, which means he had no money, I believe his father had alot of land, and he turned his barn into a warehouse, so storing his inventory was next to nothing cheap. and he charges like 50 a shirt, and i have seen kids in my highschool with his gear.


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## selfexplanitory (Dec 29, 2007)

This simply illustrates that there is potential in becoming the next millionaire or billionaire in this industry. Only those who remain critical and doubtful towards others success, will remain critical and doubtful in evrything. I applaud Johnny and many others that are successful in what they do. And I know that I'm not alone when having 1.2 million a year is not a BAD NUMBER! lol


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## flirteegirl (Apr 10, 2007)

I really enjoyed this story. I started by tee shirt business about three years ago and got discouraged but I am back and ready to push through to the end despite all the naysayers and haters.


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## selfexplanitory (Dec 29, 2007)

I'm not mad at ya! The number of haters equals the number of successes that will come your way!


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## vexx78 (Oct 15, 2008)

Wow thanks for that story.


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## Crafty (Apr 3, 2008)

forfeitclothing said:


> I dont see how he could have had alot of money, i have read that story 100 times over and he was in a band before making johnny cupcakes, and he was on tour, and his band never came close to hitting it big, which means he had no money, I believe his father had alot of land, and he turned his barn into a warehouse, so storing his inventory was next to nothing cheap. and he charges like 50 a shirt, and i have seen kids in my highschool with his gear.


He has his story on his website, it's actually a VERY inspirational read. It explains everything, it's amazing, and everything about his brand, how he interacts with his customers, how he markets his products, how he packages his products, everything... is perfect.

Johnny Cupcakes


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## sjidohair (Apr 9, 2008)

i agree i like his line


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## TshirtGuru (Jul 9, 2008)

forfeitclothing said:


> I dont see how he could have had alot of money, i have read that story 100 times over and he was in a band before making johnny cupcakes, and he was on tour, and his band never came close to hitting it big, which means he had no money, I believe his father had alot of land, and he turned his barn into a warehouse, so storing his inventory was next to nothing cheap. and he charges like 50 a shirt, and i have seen kids in my highschool with his gear.


I saw an interesting documentary on tv last month called Gangland:FSU Boston. It talks about hardcore bands who were members of FSU which stands for friends stand united. Although they say they are drug free and alcohol free, they are extremely violent. They grew from Boston throughout America. 

If you research Johnnys old band, they are FSU members. If you have read Johnnys blog, he ends his older entries with " I am drug and alcohol free."

Just thought I'd throw that in there. If you do some simple research you'll find out a lot.


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## TimeWithoutTheE (Mar 31, 2007)

Unlike a lot of you probably think, JC isnt all about the money. yes he charges $45 for shirts and even up to $100 at store openings etc. But you have to consider the 1.2 million in sales and that he doesnt have his shirts in hardly any stores at all. So 90% of his cashflow is coming from online sales. So that's really good. Plus Jonny puts A LOT of money back into the company. Have you seen his stores? They are amazing and the best clothing stores I have ever seen hands down! I have been to Obey, Hurley, Quiksliver wherehouse sales and I have never seen a line so long i my life as I saw at the LA opening of Johnny Cupscakes store.


http://vimeo.com/1641012?pg=embed&sec=1641012

I would like you to find another clothing company with customers as loyal as JC fans.


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## Binary01 (Jun 2, 2007)

jdr8271 said:


> We have alot of members on here that have started t-shirt businesses within the past year or two. Its only a matter of time until a member of t-shirtforums becomes the next breakout star of the t-shirt business.



i'm working on that........ takes time and funds though


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