Johnny Earle, more commonly known as Johnny Cupcakes, came to UMass Boston on September 19th to give a lecture for management students, as well as to any students looking to start a business. He gave business tips and ideas. At a young age, Johnny realized that it was important for him to get a job and do what made him happy.
Growing up in Hull, MA. He went to public school, had a learning disability, and would do anything he could to make money, like shoveling snow, setting up yard sales, and running lemonade stands.
Johnny went to South Shore Charter Public School. In order to graduate he had to do an internship. Johnny did his internship at a place that printed t-shirts. At eighteen, Johnny went to the Art Institute of Boston. Johnny decided to take on one of his many ideas to start a business. The idea he chose was one where he made a pin making business. Unfortunately, after teaming up with a friend things started to get frustrating, and as a result the business failed.
After the business failed, Johnny needed a job, so he worked at Newbury Comics. While working at Newbury Comics, Johnny had a few random nicknames like “Johnny Appleseed,” “Johnny Cupcakes,” and “Johnny Came Lately.” Johnny thought it would be funny as a joke to make a shirt that had “Johnny Cupcakes.” He didn’t even mean for it to sell, and wasn’t even thinking of making it a business plan at the time. The customers who came into Newbury Comics asked him where he got the shirt, and thought that that it was a funny name, and were very confused about what kind of business “Johnny Cupcakes” was. After a few weeks Johnny saw how much the shirt made people smile, so he made more of them. He began selling them out of the back of his car.
Johnny said, “My concept was strange, but strange is good.” His tip was that people who want to start a business should keep a notebook where they write down at least twelve things that separates them from somebody else. By age twenty-four, Johnny’s brand had made its first million dollars. In the past year, it has made five million dollars.
His biggest tip of all was to reinvent the product, which is why his business is still in the making. He says that he bases his success on how happy his employees and customers are, as well as himself.