Johnny Cupcakes is Genius
August 27, 2008
A few months ago I was watching CNBC and they were interviewing Johnny about his t-shirt company. The first thing that attracted me to this interview was the logo of his company. Who doesn’t love Cupcakes? Another thing that grabbed my attention was that all of his t-shirts were exclusive. On the show he mentioned that he only makes a thousand shirts and then never makes them again. Who has ever seen someone wear the same thing you either own or have worn before? Not cool. I loved the whole concept so much I went to his website and bought my first t-shirt.
My life hasn’t been the same since. There are three things I love:
- The logo (Design)
- The Experience
- Scarcity
Every time I wear the shirt I have to tell his story. Someone always comments about the shirt, without fail. The logo is brilliant. It gets people talking because it because it is so different and so simple.
It doesn’t stop there. His attention to detail is amazing. He must have read the Design book by Tom Peters (highly recommended by the way). Everything matters!. It’s all part of the Experience. The packaging he sent the shirt in is so much different then anything else I have ever received in the mail. In the box he sent me a button with the logo, a johnny cupcakes mint, and a Save by the Bell college years trading card. He talks about how he likes to do little things like this to make people smile . . . it worked. The tag on the shirt is an oven mitt. All of this matters. It is all part of the experience.
His stores in Boston and his new one in LA are set up as bakeries that don’t sell pastry’s. They sell a t-shirt, they sell an experience. How many times have you camped out at a retail store for the release of the new design of your favorite t-shirt company? Over 600 people camped out this summer for his Summer Freshly Baked goods. If you are stunned you should be. There are only a few companies that come to mind that have this kind of effect. Apple, Nike . . . that’s all I could think of.
Finally!
August 26, 2008
I’m finally writing my first of many blog posts. It has been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time now. I read a lot of blogs and they have inspired me and taught me many things. There willingness and even eagerness at times to share their thoughts and ideas have inspired me to do the same.
Purposes for writing this blog:
1. Write down my experiences of being an Internet marketer and aspiring entrepreneur. Things that I learn along the way and thoughts and tips for those who are doing or want to do something similar.
2. Write about things I’m passionate about. Including: Experience, Design, Marketing, Analytics, Entrepreneurship, Productivity, Self-Mastery, Discipline, and Leadership.
3. Discussion. The true power of having a blog is that it enables a conversation among people with shared interests.
5. I read a lot so I want a place to share with others the books I read. Discuss some of the ideas presented by the author. You can find out what I’m reading by going to Shelfari page.
My number one goal is to overcome resistance and write a few times a week. Because I know that if you want to be a good writer, or be good at anything for that matter, you have to do it every single day. As Tom Peters says in the Pursuit of Wow “It takes a nanosecond to be a writer (entrepreneur, composer, etc.), it takes a lifetime of hard work and dedication to do it.”
