Johnny Earle, a.k.a. - Johnny Cupcakes, is living proof that you don't need money, power, or amazing products to be a successful entrepreneur.
A few years ago, Johnny was hawking t-shirts with cupcakes printed on them out of his beat-up '80s Toyota. Now, he has three boutiques, a Young Entrepreneur award from BusinessWeek, and a cult following. Lucky bastard.
Johnny is now successful enough to be sipping margaritas on a beach surrounded by busty blondes. However, he's going back to peddling tees out of his car for the nostalgic Johnny Cupcakes Suitcase Tour. Meet Johnny, peep six new shirt designs, and get tips on how to turn half-baked ideas into marketing gold.
Johnny writes in his tour brochure, "Some people hate me because I don't have real food." So, we're wondering, why not sell a few frosted treats? "Well, if I did that, then people wouldn't be upset," he explains. "And if you think about it, those upset people advertise for me."
Fri., April 16, 8 p.m., 2010