42
MOGUL
YOU DON’T
KNOW MY NAME
J
AY
LEOPARDI
Fortune does not always come with fame.
Believe it or not, there are a ton of
gazillionaires out there who push their carts
right next to yours in Walmart. Some are ok
with being a part of the secret society of rich
unknowns. Then there are those who have a
gang of cash and will do anything to grab your
attention. Either way, when you need valida-
tion, the bad boy of branding is a number eve-
ry business owner should have on speed dial.
“
If somebody wanted to tweet and do a trend-
ing topic, they can pick up the phone and call
me” - says Jay Leopardi, owner of New York
branding firm Who’s Big?. “We have our fin-
gers on the pulse. We’re the branding guys.”
Being rich and being a mogul are two
different things. Someone who is rich has a
great deal of money. Lots of assets like cars,
houses and other types of wealth. A mogul is
equivalent to being number one in a particular
industry such as entertainment. They are pow-
erful. A force to be reckoned with. Branding is
a useful business tool that can help you get to
Mogul status. And it can help you stay there.
“
Daymond John trained me” - says Jay. “For
16
years we’ve been together. He’s trained me
to become an animal. On top of that, I come
from a father who comes from Proctor and
Gamble. So yeah, I come from that blood.”
Daymond John, like most entrepre-
neurs, started a business inside his home.
With the help of a few friends and a financial
investment from his mother, the clothing line
FUBU (For Us By Us) was born. Then, substan-
tial branding firms, didn’t take immediate no-
tice to urban design houses. Taking advantage
of his resources, Daymond John coupled his
unique brand with rap star LL Cool J to equal
branding success. “We are so close, Daymond
and I. I would do anything for him. I love that
man. He’s like my big brother, for real, in life.”
In the beginning, entrepreneurs like
Daymond, relied on guerilla marketing tech-
niques to get to the point of being a
‘
household name’. It is true. By using ordinary
promotional tactics like flyers, posters and
bumper stickers… these types of branding can
still work at a local evel that most startup
business owners need them to. It works just
NOVEMBER 2012
WWW.TOMIMAGAZINE.COM
like a record label. When an artist makes a
name for themselves locally, then ‘big record
company’ comes in to sign them to a contract.
By garnering local credibility, investors and
other venture capitalists can see that your
product has a loyal following that can turn into
a major, national brand. “Who’s Big? just sky-
rocketed. I was branding Blair Underwood, Kel
Mitchel, even Cedric the Entertainer. They’re
all like ‘Jay’s the guy’.”
A branding powerhouse. Who’s Big? is
behind the brand success of CATE app. A big
investment winner on this seasons Shark
Tank. “A lot of what I do is on the technology
side. The night CATE app went live, we trend-
ed it and it became the worldwide trending
topic in 20 minutes.”
If you have to ask “You don’t know my
name?’” Then odds are that person doesn’t.
Big or small branding is a part of the business
grind. It’s a 24/7 a week job. “I cannot take a
day off. I go to sleep with a phone in my
hand. I wake up with a phone in my hand. I’m
that dedicated.” -
Tonisha L. Johnson
Jay Leopardi
Owner,
Who’s Big?.com
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