Johnny Cupcakes- Resilience

Tonight I had the opportunity to attend a lecture by Johnny Earle, better known as, Johnny Cupcakes. He spent from 8-9:30pm talking about his upbringing, his entrepreneurial spirit at a young age, his progression into his brand and business, and his failures along the way. He was an amazing speaker that has lived a wild life so far.

One thing that struck me during his presentation was how much of a risk taker he has been since he was 10 years old. Sure, we all make some risky decisions at age 10, but the stakes are not as high as when we are 25. He discussed failed products, ideas, business relationships, warehouse decisions, and even his mistakes with friends and family. After a few questions from the audience, he said that discussing these failures is therapy to him.

Of course, I raised my hand. I asked, "You've been an entrepreneur since a young age and you've bounced back many times with little hesitation. Do you think resilience is something you have learned along the way or were you born with it?" He took less than a second before saying "I did not learn it" He went on to explain that he has always had it, even as a kid. To quote, "My best ideas have come from my biggest screw-ups."

Johnny has lots of confidence and thrives on risk taking. He founded, owns, and operates in full Johnny Cupcakes which has held over 400 pop-up stores worldwide and has many permanent retail locations in sought after cities like SoHo, LA, and Boston (on Newbury St, I have visited!). He is a dedicated leader, a marketing genius, and a loyal community member. His resilience has kept him climbing up a social and professional ladder and will continue to lead him to amazing design and marketing ideas.