Meet Johnny Persón | Owner/Founder | Aug11 Co

We had the good fortune of connecting with Johnny Persón and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Johnny, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I have been a business owner for the last 8 years, so there was really no question of if I should start another business or not. I had taken a year off after my last business in the blockchain technology space and was somewhat lost in terms of what to do next. The markets took a heavy hit and a lot of what I was working on was deemed unnecesary by the market. During the down time I had met a lot of new friends in the area, and one gentleman I met owned an apparel company local to Atlanta. After spending a weekend with him, it all kind of clicked. I thought to myself, “If he can do it, why cant i?” Prior to the blockchain technology space I had worked in apparel/fashion for about 6 years, and I’ve wanted to start an apparel brand since I was about 7 years old. I grew up in Industrial Costa Mesa, CA and lived down the street from a lot of extreme sports apparel brands like Hurley, Volcom, Quiksilver, etc. They inspired me as a child. I always thought “I want to do THAT.” So after gaining insight from my friend, I decided it was finally time to fulfill a vision I have had since I was a kid. The rest was simply discipline and execution, no matter what.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I had always wanted to be in the apparel/fashion space in one sense or another. I started my journey at the age of 22 by modeling in California. I did shots for free to build my portfolio, and eventually signed with an agency in Beverly Hills, CA. This inadvertently led to an opportunity to model for a local brand, which introduced me to the people who would let me intern under them as a graphic designer, which then led to my first official paid role in the apparel industry as a sales rep for The Leverage Showroom, where I really cut my teeth and learned the ins and outs of the world. It was by no means an easy journey, but it was always exciting. I worked two jobs often. When I left The Leverage and started my own sales agency in 2016, I had to move in with my girlfriend, and sell fake yeezys on craigslist that I was buying from Dhgate to pay my bills, and I was on EBT. It was an absolute grind. I do think all of my experience over the past 10+ years in the space has given me a competitive edge and allows me to se around corners other brand owners may not necessarily even know exist yet. Not to mention the connections and insight i’ve been able to get from them while creating Aug11.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Whenever I have friends come into town who have not been to Atlanta before, I always have to take them to PCM. It was a staple for me when i first moved here and everyone who visits always has a great time. We would of course stop and get some Sugar Shane’s while there, or go to their West Midtown location. And then in no particular order, this is a list of must go-to spots while visiting: Rumi’s Midtown (if you know me you know im there 2x/week), Le Bon Nosh, Lucian, Antico’s, Himitsu, Beltline, Piedmont Park, Botanical Gardens, High Museum, Kimball House, Marcel, Little Sparrow, Forza Storico, Amicalola Falls, Avalon. Im sure I missed a few go-to’s in there but that about covers it.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are a lot of people I would like to give credit to in helping this vision come to life. Firstly, Chris Ngo and Lee Ramirez at The Leverage in California taught me basically everything I know about selling clothes. Brian Tampol and Marilyn Hue taught me everything I know about designing apparel. Now, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my Mother, Father, and the inspiration behind the brand name, my little sister, Isabell Davis. All of these individuals have been huge pillars of support for me, and theyve all believed in me along the way. More particularly during this process though, Kayvon Nazarian has been a beaming light of support and inspiration. He has helped me implement systems, mindset, vision, direction and resources into my brand and my company. Without him pushing me, I’m not sure we would be where we are at today.

Website: https://www.aug11.co

Instagram: @aug11co

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/JohnnyPerson

Twitter: @aug11co

Image Credits
John Paul Wegener, Guy Jacobs, Alex Joachim