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Building a Brand with Soul: John O’Donnell of Johnnie-O on the West Coast Prep Lifestyle
327 Plays26 days ago
John O’Donnell is the founder and CEO of Johnnie-O, the clothing brand known for coining “West Coast Prep”—a signature style that blends the laid-back vibe of California with the polish of classic menswear. A Chicago native and former UCLA golfer, John grew up with Midwestern values and a deep appreciation for authenticity. After two decades in the corporate world, he made a bold pivot in 2005: selling golf shirts with four buttons and a pocket out of the back of his car.
He never imagined that small idea would grow into Johnnie-O, a nationally recognized lifestyle brand offering premium-quality clothing for men, women, and boys—all without a hint of pretentiousness.
In this episode of ReBloom, John reflects on taking creative risks, honoring your roots, and the 20-year journey that turned a simple shirt into a soulful, enduring brand. Sometimes, as he says, you just hit the ball right.
Thank You to Our Sponsors: Jet Creative and UrbanStems!
Website: www.johnnie-o.com
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/johnnieobrand
Use code "rebloom20" during July 2025 and save 20% at Johnnie-O!
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Transcript
Introduction to Rebloom and Authentic Living
00:00:01
Speaker
Hey everyone, welcome to Rebloom, the podcast where we explore the power of change, rediscovery, and living with intention. That's right. We're your hosts, Lori and Jamie, two friends who really love a good story about transformation.
00:00:16
Speaker
In each podcast, we're going to chat with inspiring guests who've made bold pivots in their lives or careers. They've let go of what no longer serve them to embrace something more authentic, joyful, and true to who they really are.
Reconnecting with Childhood Passions
00:00:31
Speaker
And the best part, many of them reconnect with passions or dreams they discovered as kids. It's about finding the seeds planted long ago and letting them bloom again.
00:00:43
Speaker
So if you're ready for real conversations about reinvention, purpose, and following your creative heart, you're in the right place. Let's dive in and see what it takes to re-bloom.
Insight into John O'Donnell's Journey
00:00:56
Speaker
I think this, okay, now I can't pick favorites. It's like picking a favorite child, but this is one of my favorite interviews that we've done so far, but we're having his sister on next, so we'll have to tell her the same thing. Yeah, exactly.
00:01:13
Speaker
I'm so inspired. And, you know, I was thinking through this. I'm like, I wish I was a little younger because there maybe were some itches that I would have liked to have scratched and maybe out of...
00:01:27
Speaker
fear or whatever. Yeah. Didn't have the courage to do it. And this interview and just hearing John's story and how he just had an idea started with running around and putting embroidered logos on shirts. And now it's a ah huge company employing hundreds of people been in business for 20 years. Yeah.
00:01:51
Speaker
it It's so inspiring to hear that kind of story. It's so inspiring. So listeners, you are in a treat. You are in for a huge treat as we welcome John O'Donnell of Johnny O today.
00:02:06
Speaker
Hey, my friend, Lori, how are you? Jame, I'm good. Just got back from family vacation in Hilton head We've been going there for 30 years now, every year. 30 years, holy moly. Well, we're about ready to go to Chautauqua for the summer.
00:02:22
Speaker
And, you know, speaking of summer vacations and summer vibes, we have ah the coolest guest on today who has had an amazing career and yet pivoted and has now created whole lifestyle brand based out of California in that beautiful sunshine and summer weather. And so today we are welcoming everyone.
00:02:49
Speaker
John O'Donnell of Johnny O, who is the founder of Johnny O. Hi, John. How are you? Hello there. I'm great. are you guys doing? Doing great. Excited to talk today and hear your story.
00:03:00
Speaker
You know, it's funny. you you You build me up so big. and I feel like, you know, that Saturday Night Live skit, Debbie Downer. Yeah. know And then where where your listeners are going to be like, John who?
00:03:13
Speaker
well mom ma pop No, well, it's been very fun. We're like, we're interviewing Johnny O. And the hard part is that you go you go by John, not Johnny, correct? I go by John, Johnny O, J-O-D, O-D. I mean, but but definitely since ah the business is 20 years old now, a
Family and Career Beginnings
00:03:33
Speaker
lot more Johnny O. A lot more Johnny O. go by Johnny But a lot of John and OD from old buddies and JOD and stuff. so Well, full disclosure, um and I'm so grateful to your sweet brother, Billy, who I went to school with, who goes by Bill, but I still call him Billy. so i think A lot of his old friends call Billy. Yeah.
00:03:53
Speaker
um And you're from a huge family in the Midwest. Seven seven of you. Yes, there's seven. Big crew. Big crew. was number five. yeah Number five. um Can we also share that your baby brother is Chris O'Donnell? Sure. Now that's exciting What?
00:04:12
Speaker
I don't know. I'm kidding. Who's the most famous O'Donnell? I think, is there like a little game? and say I'm going to say me for sure. Of course. Of course. No, Chris is great. He's um started a new show in Nashville. Yeah.
00:04:28
Speaker
And he's settling in there and he's going to have a new TV show coming out. Maybe, I don't know, fall or whatever. So he's excited. That's awesome. So you're out in California. So you started in the Midwest. You went to UCLA. And what was your first career? What career did you have initially? Well, you know,
00:04:47
Speaker
grew As I mentioned earlier, I was born in St. Louis, but then we were pretty much raised in the north suburbs of Chicago. But then I went out to UCLA randomly for college. I didn't know a soul. It was like, what are you doing here? This is crazy. But it was a fun four years. I turned around and I went back to the Midwest for 10 years.
00:05:06
Speaker
And I worked in radio and television industry. basically advertising sales. My dad was in broadcasting his whole career. So I cut my teeth selling, you know, 30 and 60 second radio commercials in Madison, Wisconsin. Oh boy.
00:05:21
Speaker
Oh, which is lovely actually. Which is yeah great. It was great. I love that town. And then I spent five years in Chicago working for the Chicago Bulls and White Sox radio network. And then I moved into TV with Fox Sportsnet, selling regional sports
Founding and Growth of Johnny O
00:05:36
Speaker
networks.
00:05:36
Speaker
And then an opportunity came up in 97 to go to work for the new golf channel and oh being a golfer and being in, you know, cable television sales, it was a natural match. So I was very excited about, they said, it but we need you in our LA office. And I said, well, okay. So I came back out here after having left UCLA for 10 years and continued with the golf channel for a few years. And then got plucked over to a, I guess I'd call it a financial services company and sell and sold for them. was kind of a random job, but a nice job.
00:06:14
Speaker
And um it was then that in 2005, so 20 year anniversary right now that I stumbled upon the idea for Johnny O. And and here we are 20 years later later. Wow. What int what inspired Johnny You know, it was, um it was i have a buddy who's got a really cool house down in Florida and it's right on the beach and it's like this real surf house and he uses it for a lot of photo shoots and stuff. And he had some t-shirts and some hats made up and he had this surf logo on it.
00:06:49
Speaker
And I was like, you know, I've seen surf logos on on clothing before, but he just used it as promotional pieces and stuff like that. And I thought, you know what, I've been out in LA for so long. was on my second run after UCLA and then had been in LA for eight years at the time.
00:07:06
Speaker
i thought, why isn't there, you know, it was either kind of this East Coast, Midwest preppy, blue blazers, khaki pants, penny loafers, you know, Vineyard Vine, Brooks Brothers, all great brands. um Or it was out in LA, it was just kind of the you know, cool kids clothes or, and I thought, why isn't there kind of like, I love the surf logos, but why there should be like a Polo Ralph Lauren version, ah Southern California version of Polo Ralph Lauren, something like that.
00:07:37
Speaker
And what it look like? And it would be ah an iconic surfer logo. And I saw a black and white photo um on a restaurant, in Southern California, have a guy standing next to his board. And I said, that's it.
00:07:52
Speaker
I took a picture of the photo and had a brother-in-law stencil out the original logo of the guy standing next to his board. And the idea was to just kind of, um that's a, you know, put,
00:08:04
Speaker
That logo, but not put it on quote unquote surf gear, put it more on what I would consider, you know, polo stuff, ruffle around stuff, which is button down, gingham button down shirts or, yeah you know, great polo shirts um or some, you know, kind of almost dare I say preppy, colorful, ah lily Pulitzer type, you know, swimsuits, but use that surf logo and really kind of marry these two worlds of,
00:08:31
Speaker
East Coast tradition, classic Midwest grit meets Southern California cool. And that was the recipe. love it. So you didn't really start, like in my mind, I thought maybe since you're a golfer, you had in mind some clothing that you were looking and couldn't find it. No. So then you made It a thing.
00:08:54
Speaker
It was more an idea, but it but was, it was just the ah visual or the um aesthetic that I, if that's the right word, that I was intrigued by. I didn't know anything about clothes. I still don't know a ton about clothes and I've never really been a big clothing guy. I mean, no no one back in grade school or high school college would have been like, yeah, Johnny O, he was always, you know, decked out or something. I, um,
00:09:22
Speaker
I just, I was, clothing almost kind of happened to be the vehicle to you know i mean? And so I just kind of cobbled it together started started to think about things that I would wear and my friends and buddies would wear and my families would wear.
00:09:40
Speaker
and But it's interesting. Yeah, you took it and you made it it It's interesting. We have a new grandson and his name is Jack. And I'm like, dear God, have boys clothes not changed at all in 30 years from when I had my son?
00:09:53
Speaker
But I think they have. Like, I think you've taken, as you said, the Brooks Brothers look, the Ralph Lauren look, and you've made it fresher and um lighter. And it's still got style and it's still tailored, um but it's just a fresher look yeah and and better colors. Yeah.
00:10:15
Speaker
So the story that I've read is that you were selling shirts out of your the trunk of your car? did that start? I was more handing shirts out and giving them away out of the trunk of my
Marketing Strategies and Expansion
00:10:27
Speaker
car.
00:10:27
Speaker
But it was a very, very bootstrapping, um yeah you know, getting your hands dirty grassroots start because it was – you know, doing in-home trunk shows at people's homes, yeah um going to the grade schools to their, you know, holiday Christmas boutiques where people set up their tables and some are selling candles and some are selling fruit baskets. And there I was selling my shirts. And the reason was because i didn't know anything about retail sales, of course,
00:11:01
Speaker
um And then it was also a great opportunity to kind of pick my consumer group. You know, I knew that if I could get the right people, you know,
00:11:12
Speaker
I call them social influencers long before the word influencers ever was a thing like it is now. But I knew that if I could get the right people socially wearing it, that would have a chance for some word of mouth marketing. You know what I mean? Yeah. So that was the way for me. I didn't have an advertising budget, but that was the way for me to kind of get some some eyeballs and some chatter and some word of mouth going. And that's where it really got some momentum.
00:11:42
Speaker
Well, and that's also a great opportunity, too. I mean, those those little shows, people may think, oh, this is not a great way to start. But you're getting instant feedback. Either they're going to stop at your booth, they're going to love you and they're going to say, this is amazing.
00:11:55
Speaker
And then you're like, hey, wait a minute. This is good. I've got a good product and it helps you to direct where you're going to go. I kind of likened it to when. You know, back in the day, I had a brother-in-law. He sold life insurance. And, you know, it was kind of one of those, yeah, I'll buy a policy from you. And, you know, you know, when someone's doing something because they're doing it to be kind. But, you know, I know I'd been in sales long enough to know, you know, when the fish were really biting.
00:12:23
Speaker
Yeah. People were like, it was just one polo shirt. And guys were like, I got to have it. I mean, it was an old school kind of four-button long placket, pointy collar, left chest.
00:12:35
Speaker
pocket and we still it's our number one original polo but it was something like there's something magical about it and inevitably you know i'd send him one to a buddy on the east coast he's like i need two dozen more my friends are dying for him so at that point i knew yeah Something was going on.
00:12:53
Speaker
Wow. So how did you, oh go ahead, Laura. You have a question. I mean, this is a kind of a big question, but it was something that I was thinking about this morning about your family, because you have quite a family of entrepreneurial, big thinker, risk-taking, it seems to me. So I'm just curious about the culture in your family that inspired that.
00:13:19
Speaker
Yeah. You know, I don't really know. We all had kind of nine to five jobs out of college and did our thing. um The girls went on to raise work and raise big families.
00:13:33
Speaker
um Chris got into his business kind of on a whim through some hard work, but, you know, hit it big. And then. I randomly started Johnny O, not because I woke up one day and said, damn, I hate my job. I want to be an entrepreneur. It was more I stumbled into a concept and thought, hmm, it was one of those moments.
00:13:53
Speaker
Yeah. um Bill with Blue Ash Farm. It was a little more passion and heat, but he kind of, I think, had the same kind of, hmm, this is kind of a cool idea. And it fit with his lifestyle up at his farm in in Wisconsin.
00:14:09
Speaker
And so that made sense for him. and then Angela had, I think, you know, she worked hard in broadcasting for a while, then raised four great kids. And and she, I think, was brilliant.
00:14:22
Speaker
just recognized that she was bubbling with this talent inside of her and wanted to share it. And suddenly, you know, whatever media blogs or the podcasts, whatever you want to call them became actual a business instead of just sitting around and chatting with your girlfriends at lunch about what to wear.
00:14:43
Speaker
and so she kind of took it to that level. And so i don't know if we all sat around like, I want to be an entrepreneur. and You know, um it just kind of bubbled up.
00:14:57
Speaker
It's interesting. It bubbled up, but you also had the courage to do it. um Bill was one of our first interviews, and he, for that for our listeners, go back and listen to that because it was a great interview.
00:15:10
Speaker
He was a trader in Chicago, and now he is making bourbon and happy. happy He's so happy. And um Angela, we're going to interview next. um So she's going to be ah after after John.
00:15:28
Speaker
and And as John is saying, she just had that entrepreneur entrepreneurial spirit as well. um But I think you all realized, I don't know, at least observation-wise that, hey, let's just try it and off you go. And yeah So you were doing the shows, the smaller shows, that and and then selling you know selling to your friends or sending things to your friends.
00:15:54
Speaker
When did you say, okay, this is a gig. yeah i need to kick the I need to quit the day job and tune into this. it was i ran with this thing for probably about 18 months before.
00:16:06
Speaker
Okay. Before I was like, okay, all in, here we go. It's raised a little money from friends and family. um But my immediate customers, other than...
00:16:18
Speaker
holiday boutiques and trunk shows where i was like, well, the low hanging fruit for me being a golfer and knowing the kind of the country club business and knowing a lot of golf pros, he's different country clubs.
00:16:30
Speaker
You know, i called him up and I said, Hey, let's say, all right, Johnny. Oh, sure. Send us a couple dozen shirts. Now that's when, a friend who's being a friend who's like, sure, we'll buy some shirts, get out of here.
00:16:41
Speaker
But little did they know that they hung the 24 shirts up in their pro shop and they were gone. You know, people bought them so quickly. So they're like, well, send me another 48, would you? I'm like, okay. And so I started that in the green, what we call the green grass business.
00:17:00
Speaker
And that's what got me into the retail industry. But then I didn't know the other side of retail, which was, you know, the the boot, the real men's clothing stores. And that's when I officially hired a guy from another brand who knew that business.
00:17:15
Speaker
Yeah. And so he joined us and then he we start doing some of the trade shows. And now we're getting into, you know, Joe's shirt shop in Oklahoma City or, you know,
00:17:26
Speaker
and Pete's menswear in Fort Lauderdale. here we are, i don't know, up over 3000 shops now. Wow. And it's, it's been nuts.
00:17:37
Speaker
We, so we shop at the one in Charleston. You have a beautiful store down in Charleston. That's a gorgeous shop. And um I will also say that my son is a demon deacon. He went to wake forest.
00:17:48
Speaker
I was just there. were you? And every thing that you make for Wake Forest, he wants. And he I think that was one of his big gifts too. So loves the Wake swag.
00:18:01
Speaker
Let's take a quick minute and thank our amazing sponsors. Our podcast is proudly brought to you today by Jet Creative and Urban Stems. Jet Creative is a women-owned marketing firm committed to community and empowerment since 2013.
00:18:17
Speaker
Are you ready to rebloom and build a website or start a podcast? Visit jetcreative.com backslash podcast to kickstart your journey. They will help you bloom in ways you never imagined.
00:18:32
Speaker
And bonus, our listeners get an exclusive discount when you mention Rebloom. And a huge thanks to Urban Stems, your go-to and our go-to source for fresh, gorgeous bouquets and gifts delivered coast to coast.
00:18:47
Speaker
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00:19:00
Speaker
Thanks to our sponsors and thanks to you for joining us today.
00:19:06
Speaker
I watched a quick little video about you. And since I come from the product design world, I'm curious about you. You mentioned where you get ideas. And so how does the design process work at
Design Innovations and Expert Influence
00:19:21
Speaker
Johnny O? It's changed. It's evolved a lot. We've got a lot more um expertise involved now than it was just little old me. But it was like, what would I want to wear and what would my buddies want to wear?
00:19:34
Speaker
Right. And it's not like we reinvented the polo shirt or reinvented, you know, the button down shirt or reinvented a pair of pants or a pair of shorts. I'd say, you know, and I don't take ownership of that stuff. You know, I mean, that would be crazy. But the again, I think it was an explosion between what's that little surf guy doing on that.
00:19:56
Speaker
gingham button-down shirt that I really love. And for once, I don't have to wear what we we we kid, but I don't have to wear a critter and whatever critter that might be. um which Which leads me to a great story. um Early on, three years into this thing, four years into it, and I made little boy shirts with the Johnny O'Logo. And I got this email from a woman. She said, hi my name's so-and-so And I live in so-and-so. And I said to share a funny story, my six-year-old boy will only wear Johnny you O polos. And I said, that's great. It's great. She said, I lay his clothes out the night before.
00:20:36
Speaker
and one night I noticed that all of his Johnny O shirts were soiled. So i laid out a different shirt. And he came down the next morning, and looked at me, and he was mad as hell. And he said, Mommy, why does my Johnny O have a pony on it?
00:20:52
Speaker
And I was like, oh, no. And I thought, all right, maybe we're getting somewhere. Maybe we're making some progress. um But the designs, getting back to that, Laurie, is i just kind of, I try to put little tweaks or topspin on pieces. um But I will say that the logo definitely helped.
00:21:17
Speaker
differentiate us. But the one thing like I did that, you know, we have a patent, I don't know if you're familiar with our tweener button, but you know, that's a ah great feature on our button down shirts. It's that that hidden button between the second and third button of a button down shirt, because I would always wear a button down shirt and I'd button that set second button and I'd be like, yeah it's just too buttoned up.
00:21:40
Speaker
yeah But then the minute I unbuttoned it, I was like, yeah, this is a little too uppity. This is a little too fancy. and Not fancy, too too cool for me. Why didn't they ever someone come up with a button to bridge that gap? So I cobbled this design together and ah churn up, got the patent on the thing, and it's an integral part of our button-down shirt design.
00:22:07
Speaker
That's amazing. so That's more of a utility than a design feature. but um That's what makes great products is when you recognize something that you would love to have or something that's... And then I really tried to marry the East Coast meets West Coast. So early on, I did these...
00:22:28
Speaker
Polo shirts and I took out an old polo shirt and I put the collar up. Remember, we used to pop our collars. I never did. I never did. Your brother did. um colon was a good deal And i said, what I'm going to do is what I did is I popped this collar on a polo shirt and I cut it in half the height of it in half.
00:22:46
Speaker
And I sewed the but part that I cut off on top of the part that was still remaining. it was a little, a tiny popped collar, not too high.
00:22:57
Speaker
ah and so it had the look of the 80s popped collar without being too pretentious. And then I put that surf logo on. So that was a real, what I would call explosion between...
00:23:10
Speaker
the preppy world meets surf culture. And we called it the wedge collar. And that was a really, really cool shirt for us. that um That's so cool. And the thing that my guys talk about, too, are the quality of the fabrics that you select.
00:23:28
Speaker
Yeah. There seems to be, you really are selecting these gorgeous fabrics, but they feel good, too. I mean, they love wearing them. they The pants, shorts, bathing suits, and particularly the polos, they love them. So is there some real thought, I would imagine, into selecting that? This is part of the end of...
00:23:46
Speaker
My answer Laurie's question is we've come a long way with getting some people a lot smarter than me on board in terms of design and design capability and really being fashion kind of um experts. I mean, designers and they work with the factories and they know fabrics and they this is what they do for living. And we've got just this incredible team.
00:24:14
Speaker
um our head of design and merchandise, Chris Knott, was the founder of Peter Millar, which is a fantastic brand. It continues to be a great brand. And Chris was the magic behind that in starting it. And I always used to say early on in Johnny our first five years, because our product was just okay, because I didn't really know what I was doing. i kind of faked it. But I always said people gave us the Johnny O Hall Pass because it was kind of a cool brand, but the product was just okay.
00:24:43
Speaker
And I always used to say, God, if I could have the Johnny O brand and the whole story and connect that and marry that with the quality of Peter Millar product. I really think I'd have something and I'll be damned. I don't know. It's been 11, maybe 11 years now that Chris has been with us.
00:25:01
Speaker
Wow. And he has completely elevated our product into what you're referring to with these fabrics and these designs, because that's that's at a different level. And he's got His right hand, right hand man, Marcus, who is fantastic.
00:25:18
Speaker
And Emily, who does a lot of the women's and boys stuff. So, I mean, these are, these are pros. um I still try to put my two cents in, but you know, I'm also starting to demo out a little. I've, I've, I've taken a look in the mirror and said, you're not that little young guy anymore, John. So, you know, be careful. Yeah. Yeah.
00:25:40
Speaker
So when you first started, where were you like, I just, I think about somebody who's been in sales with no experience in clothing. Yeah.
00:25:51
Speaker
Like where did you source the product? That's good question. i was, I was working at this financial services company. I'm like i'm going to start this thing up. And it was literally, I had two bedroom condo. I living alone in in Brentwood here in LA.
00:26:06
Speaker
And I got this thing going and at first I was just buying some polos wholesale from this big wholesaler, just generic polos. And then putting your logo on run it down to an embroidery place. I'd have them stitch the logo on. Then I'd made up label out and then I ran it over to this place and had him stitch the label into it and bingo you got a Johnny O shirt and these were just almost like prototypes to get it out there and then once I knew the fish were biting then I was starting to poke around and ask people and I met a ah guy who was um family whose family had overseas factories apparel factories he said I can help you and so that's when I started to
00:26:49
Speaker
you know, source overseas, which was a real eye opener because it's like, well, yeah, we can do them for a lot cheaper, but you're going to need a you know, six color minimum 500 pieces per color. And I said, well, in the old math, that's 3000 shirts. I'm not sure. Yeah.
00:27:07
Speaker
I mean, you know, but I'll be damned. I did it. And I have a buddy who just had some warehouse space down in like Manhattan Beach. And I was like, dude, can I like just house some boxes in here? And and then this gentleman who helped me with the production, he was good at kind of the busy work. And he helped me kind of do some initial shipping. And then I God, a godsend was introduced to a woman who has been with me for 18 of the 20 years.
Building a Strong Company Team
00:27:41
Speaker
She's our COO and she is.
00:27:44
Speaker
um Katie is just unbelievable. And she was able to do all of the the stuff that I not that you don't want to do it. I didn't know how to do it. Just all the business stuff and like that.
00:27:57
Speaker
I mean, all that crap you're talking about. And I just got out there. and sell these shirts and that was which is your sweet spot like that's what you do best yeah yeah you know i it was it was my it became a passion and i really thought it was pretty cool and and yeah people were responding so then you start getting that energy and you get more and more energy so then katie and i and gentleman edmund we just kind of set up shop in a little probably a 10 foot by 10 foot office. I raised a little money from friends and family.
00:28:32
Speaker
um My brother-in-law, Rob, one of my brother-in-law, of Rob, he's he's our chairman and is whip smart. And he's been on New York in private equity and investment banking his entire career. And he's been there to kind of show me the way along those lines. We've probably done, I don't know, six, seven rounds of of funding.
00:28:54
Speaker
um And here we are, 110 full-time employees or something. Wow. I was going to ask you that. I was going to ask you how big you are now. But, you know, I love that at each and every stage, you're bringing in the experts. You're bringing in people. You're like, hey, here's my lane. Let me bring in the other people who know what they're doing. i mean, I love that.
00:29:15
Speaker
It's funny you say that because when we were, we have an unbelievable CEO right now. His name's Dave Gatto and Dave's been in the business for a long time. It was probably about 13 years ago that we hired Dave.
00:29:29
Speaker
This is now seven years into when I started it and the business was really becoming like, this is real. This thing has a chance. And we were selling a lot of product and i could let's get a CEO in here. And I remember all these people, buddies of mine or people I knew that were in private equity or investment banking or founders and companies and big hitters. And like, aren't you, ah how do you feel about bringing a CEO in? Kind of like, aren't you, aren't you bummed out? like And I'm like, I wish he could start yesterday.
00:30:02
Speaker
mean, you know, i was just so, able to recognize what I know and what I don't know. And I'm like, if someone can add value to a company that I'm a significant owner and why wouldn't I want them?
00:30:20
Speaker
I mean, are you kidding me? But what they told me is that a lot of founders have a hard time with people coming in and taking charge. yeah Now that said, and will say it hasn't been easy over the last few years, not letting go but kind of getting out of the way a little more.
00:30:39
Speaker
um it it It hasn't been easy for me. i admit it sometimes, you know, and and yeah sometimes creatively, if I don't think we're going the right way, you know, I kind of, geez, but you know, again, it's the company's doing so well and continues to thrive and it grows year over year substantially.
00:31:03
Speaker
um It's just been a great run and and and it continues to be a great run and it's the great people around me. Yeah, you've got, i mean, you definitely, so you're 20 years in, you've got 110 employees now, which it's amazing. That's incredible. That's incredible.
00:31:21
Speaker
um You've grown though from just having menswear now and you're obviously into athletics, you're doing a lot with athletics, but you've also grown a new women's line or started a new women's line. That's relatively new.
00:31:32
Speaker
Yeah, that is new. The um the men's is, yeah, it's it's head to toe. I mean, it's footwear and it's swimsuits and it's pants and it's shorts and it's blazers and it's button down shirts and polos and outerwear. And so, I mean, it's it's really head to toe. um And then we've always had boys just because I thought Johnny O Jr. would be so cute. I hate use the word cute, but you know what? The matching dad polos with the little boy.
00:31:57
Speaker
That's cute. Our boys stuff does thrive. Now, i ah full disclosure, I do think our boys could do even better. I think there's an enormous need for a brand just like ours for boys and, um, and we're, we're, we're continuing to work on that and doing some good stuff.
00:32:21
Speaker
Um, women's, you know, we had talked about it over the years and I did women's when I first started it. was like, let's go, you know, okay yeah those cute little pop collar polos, ah with the, you know, half pop collar and I made them into the, you know, the old polo dresses coverups and I did some cute t-shirts and stuff like that. But,
00:32:42
Speaker
um When the smart people came in, they said, listen, we need to kind of women's is a whole different animal. Let's men's is our strength. Let's go with the men. So I said, that's cool. So we continued to pound the the men's and the boys and that really, really thrived and probably.
00:33:00
Speaker
you know In the last five years, women's always come up and we'd say, you know what, we're not quite ready. We're not quite ready. Because the last thing you want to do is you want to start women's and then you don't get it right. And it's like, oh boy, what did we do?
00:33:12
Speaker
And right so we about it's been about two years. We said, let's let's start women's. um it's It's more like capsules. It's not this...
00:33:23
Speaker
extensive line. um It's we started out online only. um We did pieces. It's not like this huge again, line that we're taking in. It's on runway shows and things like that. But we did just start to introduce it to so retail accounts.
00:33:40
Speaker
And so the women's is doing great because we've been really patient with it um and try it didn't try to You know, sometimes brands come on so strong and they just try to take on too much. And again, we know we're not going to be XYZ women's, you know, but there but there's a place for it.
00:34:03
Speaker
yeah And yeah we found we found our place and we're continuing to grow it, but we don't get greedy with it. We don't try to, you know. be too much um because we've always been a very conservative, just methodical growth and let's not, you know, overcook it.
00:34:22
Speaker
Yeah. I have a question since you, you said you're backing, not backing out, but pulling back a little bit. is that Is that fair to say? So my question is, as you do that, are there other things that are emerging for you? a question. I talk to my shrink about that often. I'm still like intimately involved. them So it's it'll always be my baby, right?
00:34:52
Speaker
right But funny thing that's happened, not funny, but I think that's what's added to it is When COVID hit, everybody went, you know, work from home.
00:35:03
Speaker
Right. Well, when we hired Chris Knott, who I told you is our designer, his home was in Raleigh, North Carolina. So he set up an office in Raleigh, which is great because that's where he lived.
00:35:15
Speaker
And he started building a team around him in Raleigh. um COVID hits, work from home. Then we started to go back to the office. A lot of our current employees, our sales management team, new hires, they all wanted to go to Raleigh. So Raleigh really started to become the hub.
00:35:38
Speaker
And the LA office was primarily operations and accounting people, which it still is.
Culture and Operational Hubs
00:35:47
Speaker
It's upwards of you know a couple dozen people. But we didn't need an office to house them, you know? And it was like, we don't need this. So we've got really just a very small, small office in LA now.
00:36:02
Speaker
And it's almost like a, you know, a shoe box just to have, um you know, it's just, it's, it's small. So yeah now, yeah. as I say, kind of the heartbeat of Johnny O is now all the way across the country in Raleigh, North Carolina. um Interesting. And it's flourishing and it's an incredible office. I do say the soul of Johnny O is right here in LA and it always will be, but this has kind of led to kind of my situation.
00:36:28
Speaker
You know, I've got a young boy, I'm not moving anywhere. um the heart's beating out in Raleigh, yeah l LA, and I'm kind of going, hmm.
00:36:41
Speaker
And so it's been a real adjustment um because I'm um'm so removed from it. And there's just so much you know Zoom calls can do. And yeah I can get out there you know a few times a year. i don't want to be commuting you know every other week. um And it's just not the right time for me to be doing that with my Jack.
00:37:02
Speaker
And so yeah um so it's that's been part of the adjustment. um And it hasn't been easy because, you know, you being around it and feeling the people and being with them is is really what makes you tick. And so there are mornings I wake up and I kind of scratch my head and I'm like, hmm, okay.
00:37:23
Speaker
um Not that I don't have anything to do. I got plenty to do. and But it's it's a different... It's a different vibe, you know, yeah you're in your house and it's like, where is everybody?
00:37:34
Speaker
I want to go down the hall and talk to I want to go down the hall and talk to Dave. it's like, uh-uh, you know. Yeah, yeah. And it's interesting that shift. My daughter works, she does marketing for L'Oreal in New York.
00:37:48
Speaker
And it's interesting because she started right after the pandemic. And now to your point, they've got sort of this three day, two day model so they can be in the office. and And I'm so glad for that for her because it's the first part of her career. And you need people. You need people. And, ah you know, there is some benefit to, OK, this is going to be a Friday and I'm going to be in my jammies for most of today. If we would have had that back in the the late 80s, early 90s, I don't know where we'd be. I mean, let's be serious. It was, yeah I mean, it was, you know, because it's kind of it came from our parents and it was like, no, yeah you get up, you put on a jacket and tie and you report to duty at 8 a.m. m
00:38:36
Speaker
every day. And whether you've got work to do till 5.30 or not, you sit there. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, I remember having my, when I had my son, i asked the company if I could work from home on Friday and you would have thought that I was embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from them.
00:38:56
Speaker
And it was, night yeah, 1995. And I'm like, can I just work from home one day a week? And I had a computer at home and I'm like, okay, I'm not doing anything that's that payable. Pivotal, for God's sake. know Yeah. but i'm So in some respect, I'm glad that it's flipped. But then to your point, it's still nice to have that collaboration and find that balance. And it's a little, I think we're all struggling with that still a little bit. And um yeah. Exactly.
00:39:24
Speaker
So i had read then, I was going to ask this earlier about your your workspace, but now it's in Raleigh, because I had read that you really strive to make the workplace place really nice and bring your dogs to work and golf and all kinds good stuff. It's, it's really, the Raleigh office is incredible. They've done an amazing job with that. I think they're upwards of,
00:39:53
Speaker
it's gotta be 50. 50 people in the Raleigh office. And it's it's young, it's energetic, it's vibrant. It's the way they decorated it just with the Johnny O collateral and photos. And there's a golf simulator, yeah, one level down. And and it it is such a great office and everyone's happy there. At least they look happy to me. Maybe mean they're faking it, but no Chris and his team have created and such an amazing environment out there. So I'm i'm kind of jealous, um but I'm happy for everybody out there. And I think it shows in the productivity and and the results.
00:40:37
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. It's almost like, you know, giving birth to your children, raising them and then having to let them go a little bit. Yeah. It does feel like that.
00:40:47
Speaker
I mean, it does feel like that. It's it's. And I talked to my brother who I referenced earlier. My brother in law is our chairman and he's a you know a few years older than me. And he's like, and I'll say, God, you know, I'm not sure about this or that. He goes, Hey, dude, just remember.
00:41:04
Speaker
I mean, you know, we are X, Y, and Z or 60 and 63 years old, respectively. It's, it's, yeah you know, and we've got a lot of, you know, mid thirties,
00:41:16
Speaker
I mean, it goes from four-year-olds to 84-year-olds, but I mean, we're not 35-year-old young professionals anymore. It's like, you know. And you've built it and you've put 20 years of your heart and soul into it. And that's the beauty of it to see this brand that that has grown from, i mean, I love it, from your garage and, you know, little little- Running around town to the embroidery shop. Oh, God. To this huge brand.
00:41:44
Speaker
What are, can you share? Are there any other big things on the horizon for
Future Plans and Product Expansion
00:41:49
Speaker
Johnny O? and Anything happening in the future? You know, i would say we're just going to continue because we've got all three. We're going to continue to build out some of our own shops. We've got about 16 Johnny O locations now and they're beautiful stores. They are beautiful. um We'll continue down that road because we've had great success there.
00:42:10
Speaker
You know, every once in a while we start kicking tires about do we want to go internationally, um international. You know, I don't know what the answer is to that. um We will continue to build out the women's line and that I think you'll see start to to grow.
00:42:29
Speaker
um But really, you know, the it's it's a we're in a real blocking and tackling mode right now because, you know, There's, you know, as far as the line goes, there's not much, you know, ton more, you know, category wise in the men's to go to.
00:42:46
Speaker
yeah I do think the boys, we can continue to thrive. um Our licensing deals are huge. We just signed an NFL licensing deal. We have NHL. We've got major league baseball. We're in about 200 NCAA schools and universities. So anyway, that'll continue. That's pretty cool.
00:43:03
Speaker
Baby boys, young boys would be good as a mama of that, my young Jack. I'm thinking, is it, is it Raleigh? Is that where High Point takes place? Kind of close So what about Johnny O'Holm? Yeah, Johnny O. Houseware.
00:43:19
Speaker
i had i swear to god this is no more than four or five years into the business and i had a gentleman who and big furniture ah company reach out to me and wanted to explore any opportunities to do Johnny O. Furniture. And I thought, yeah, that's strange. But then I started to realize, you know, and he brought us in, he goes, you know our salespeople like yours, we need a story behind our products.
00:43:46
Speaker
And this whole thing. Well, Lauren does home. That's what I mean. I know. And they, you know, Tommy Bahama's done a great job of that. They got their restaurants everything like that. I do think there are,
00:44:00
Speaker
ah you just enormous opportunities with this brand to extend beyond apparel. Now, whether we're going to attack it or whether you know a new regime would attack I don't know.
00:44:15
Speaker
yeah um But that's a really good question because there There is a um a a story to Johnny-O and a brand story behind it that that would allow us to pursue things like that.
00:44:31
Speaker
Absolutely. it's a life It's about a lifestyle. lifestyle And the lifestyle extends beyond what you wear into what you have in your home. For sure. And I do.
00:44:43
Speaker
i yeah That's a distinct possibility. i just you know I know we've got, as they say, so much more wood to chop in what we're doing right now. And you don't want to get too pulled in too many different directions. But that is definitely something we've talked about.
00:44:59
Speaker
Plus, there are challenges in manufacturing at the moment, too. A whole other animal. A whole other conversation. Yeah, whole other. But you're on to something with that, Lori, because yeah those conversations have... um They've, they've dave you know, they've happened.
00:45:18
Speaker
and And I, yeah, because you're creating this lifestyle, as Lori said, this casual elegance that's, you know, but that is both West Coast and East Coast that still feels, I don't want to say, it's formally informal. It's, you know, it's just beautiful. And I think, like um yeah, and it's certainly from the menswear and it's really fun to look at the womenswear. I think I might need to get a few pieces. You know what? Maybe we can bonus you a few. I might get your information after this call. You might have to wear those.
00:45:53
Speaker
we We love to wear them on our videos and things. There you go. yeah How do you hope that someone feels when they're wearing Johnny O? but You know, I hope they feel like, you know, they feel good about themselves. It makes them feel like, you know, not like this, you know,
00:46:13
Speaker
what's the right word? Ostentatious. Is that the right word? Or like they're a big shot. Not that kind of feel good. It's a feel good. Like I'm really comfortable in this. And i feel like Johnny O is a comfortable place for me where i look good and I'm proud of, of who I am. um You know, I've always said, you know, I want the company to go on long after me.
00:46:39
Speaker
And I hope it always stands for something that, um, makes people feel good. And I think it does. i mean, people tell me it does. You know what i mean? Yeah. um I feel like, you know, people look good, but they don't feel like they're trying too hard when they're wearing Johnny O or something like that. Yeah. Comfortable and confident. I think yeah that's what you're giving people. that's yeah And just kind of a certain humbleness to it where it's like, listen, we're all in this together and we're just trying to make some cool clothes. So we're not trying to be big shots, you know?
00:47:13
Speaker
Wow. Again, i go back to your family because we did get to speak with Billy and there's just like this humbleness to your family as well, like hardworking and humble. yeah Probably because we all beat each other up for so many years.
00:47:33
Speaker
um Now, Angela, you're going to have your hands full with Angela. I can't wait for that. She's a dynamo. Well, you you guys will have... You're going have a blast with her. She's a ah she's She's awesome. She's she's really good and very talented. but You are all awesome.
Advice and Inspiration for New Ventures
00:47:51
Speaker
Is there any advice that you give to your staff or people give to you or maybe a quote or something that you sort pull? Yeah, you know, it's interesting. I was once, I was asked a couple times, but one time I remember specifically, I spoke at a, um i was asked to speak to a bunch of ah high school graduates. It wasn't like a graduation ceremony, but to speak to a high school kids and and we're talking I was telling them about the Johnny O'Journey and so on and so forth. And someone asked me, you know, what's what's some good advice or have any advice? And, you know, I actually didn't even prepare for that question. And immediately what I thought was, you know, don't pigeonhole yourself into something that you think either you have to do or, know,
00:48:43
Speaker
well, this is, yeah, I guess this is what I want to do because everyone else is kind of going into real estate. So I'm going to go to law school because that's what all the other cool kids are doing. And I'm not saying that's not great stuff.
00:48:56
Speaker
yeah um But don't discount um that you can excel in an area that you never never even dreamed that you might be able to.
00:49:11
Speaker
I love it. And that's really important. I, if you had told me 25 years ago, I'm going to be in a, have an apparel company. I said, you are high. There's no chance.
00:49:25
Speaker
So my point is like, you know, get out of college, get a job. It doesn't have to be the job or the career that you're going to have for the rest of your life, but get to work. You know i mean? That's why it was, you know a lot of college kids, well, I can't find work. I said, well,
00:49:39
Speaker
then I hate to say, then go down the street and work at Joe blows, but get, get a job. Do something, anything, something, but you will, you know, and if something appears or presents itself opportunity wise, that seems totally random, don't be so quick to dismiss it yeah because you just never know.
00:50:04
Speaker
You never know. If you would have asked Lori and myself a year and a half ago, if we'd be doing a podcast, we would have said you were high. No way. No way. Never going to do it. So you never know. And if you had said that we would be spending some time talking with you, wouldn't have believed it a year ago. You have been incredible guest. Thank you so much for joining us today. You guys are so nice to have me. Honestly, I just...
00:50:31
Speaker
I just feel honored that people are honored. That's crazy to me, but it's cool. You've had an incredible story. You've created a legacy. it's pretty amazing. You've created, yes, a brand and a legacy. And, you know, for all of our listeners, we're so happy to share your story because I think...
00:50:49
Speaker
Oftentimes people are afraid to take that leap and take that pivot. And yeah yeah, maybe sometimes it starts out of the trunk of your car, but then look where it can lead 20 years later with over 100 employees and retail shops and a team and a brand and everything.
00:51:06
Speaker
I would say if you have the chance, I know we're wrapping up, but if you have the chance, because I've had people approach me and like, Johnny, oh I want to start this. I want to start this. I want to start this. And I'd say, a yeah, it might be a long shot. But i said, this itch is never going to go away.
00:51:19
Speaker
Right. I said, go ahead and scratch it. And guess what? You'll scratch it and it will be gone. Whether the the company succeeds or not, you will have scratched that itch and you can move on.
00:51:31
Speaker
you never scratch that itch, it's going to itch for the rest of your life. yeah It is true. It is true. well Thank you so much for joining us today. you. So great meeting you. Yeah, likewise.
00:51:43
Speaker
Thanks. your ah Our listeners are just, this is going to be such a great podcast for them. And so to everyone, peace, love, and rebloom. Life is too short not to follow your passions, so go out there and let your heart plant you where you are meant to be and grow your joy.
00:52:01
Speaker
We will be right here sharing more incredible stories of reinvention with you. Make sure to subscribe to our podcast so you never miss an episode of Rebloom.
00:52:12
Speaker
Until next time, I'm Jamie Jameson. And I'm Lori Siebert. Peace, love, and Rebloom, dear friends.