Jackson Cummingham (L) and Josh Bluman (R)
When entrepreneurs Jackson Cunningham and Josh Bluman were invited to a wedding in 2014, they knew they couldn’t show up without suspenders.
Problem was, the only suspenders that met their standards came from an old shop out of England, along with equally old designs and high shipping costs.
After some research, the duo discovered they weren’t the only ones facing this struggle. Thus the idea for JJ Suspenders — a simple, high-quality suspenders brand with modern designs.
Cunningham and Bluman are ‘niche’ experts
Prior to JJ’s inception, the duo tried their hand at kimonos, wigs, top hats, and a masquerade mask brand that hit $30k in monthly revenue in just 6 months.
The duo found success in suspenders through organic SEO, outreach with bloggers, giveaways, and Instagram. The best part:
It only takes them a few hours each week
“We’ve always optimized for time,” Cunningham told The Hustle. “We might not squeeze out every drop of value, but we only spend about 4 hours per week managing everything.”
In that allotted time, the duo has grown the operation into a $500k revenue machine.
Though 2020 decimated the brand’s No. 1 driver, weddings, Cunningham and Bluman cut expenses and have plans to expand.
Between scaling up and holding up pants, things are looking up for JJ Suspenders.
Founders: Jackson Cunningham and Josh Bluman
Year of launch: 2014
Cost to launch: $5k
Funding methods: bootstrapped
1st year revenue: $50k
Current annual revenue: $500k
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