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“Strange is Important,” Johnny Cupcakes Founder Tells UMass Boston Students

Johnny Earle, founder of the Johnny Cupcakes T-shirt chain, with Philip Quaglieri, dean of the College of Management.

Johnny Cupcakes may not be a bakery, but founder Johnny Earle knows how to cook up some buzz.

Earle spoke to College of Management students at the University of Massachusetts Boston recently about how he created an international brand from the bottom up, starting when he was a 19-year-old living in sleepy Hull, Massachusetts.

Johnny Cupcakes is known for its cheeky T-shirts, but Earle says his stores don’t just peddle clothing – they offer an experience. Earle organizes events for Johnny Cupcakes fans, and invites followers on Twitter to meet him for burgers – on him. At his retail shops, the experience means buying merchandise from “ovens.” He’s working on a design that will have the shirts pop out of rolling pins.

“When you buy a shirt online, they come in cool special tissue paper. It costs more money and time to do, but you have to spend money to make money,” said Earle, now 30.

Earle says giving customers a little something extra – something unexpected – gets them talking about the brand he’s been working to build for the last 10 years.

“If someone orders something from our website, I’ll put a pack of batteries in their order. I’ll put a candy bar. I’ll put a $20 bill. I’ll put a doll’s head. I’ll put a free T-shirt. Sometimes we’ll expedite shipping. Sometimes I’ll put a bag of sand in someone’s order. Someone opens up their package, some batteries fall out. I guarantee when that person goes to Best Buy for the rest of their life and walks past the batteries, there’s a good chance they’ll share the story of how some really weird person named Johnny Cupcakes put a pack of batteries in their T-shirt order,” Earle said.

So what do students need to make their ideas succeed? “Strange is important,” Earle reminded the crowd. He said students starting a business should take steps to make sure they stand out, such as getting unusual business cards, perhaps made of wood or, fitting with his bakery theme, scratch-and-sniff cards.

“If you don’t reinvent yourself, you’re going to be lost in the mix,” Earle said.

Hal Dinh, a junior majoring in information systems, said Earle’s talk resonated with him.

“He really stressed doing what you really love and staying happy. Also, taking risks is really important,” Dinh said.

To hear more of Earle’s tips to the students, and hear him talk about how he was an entrepreneur in junior high and high school, watch the video above.

About UMass Boston
With a growing reputation for innovative research addressing complex urban issues, the University of Massachusetts Boston, metropolitan Boston’s only public university, offers its diverse student population both an intimate learning environment and the rich experience of a great American city. UMass Boston’s eight colleges and graduate schools serve nearly 16,000 students while engaging local, national, and international constituents through academic programs, research centers, and public service activities. To learn more about UMass Boston, visit www.umb.edu.