Bootstrapping To 5x Yearly Revenue Growth And Hiring Your First Employees – with TJ Mapes

by Tim Jahn on January 20, 2012

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TJ Mapes is the co-founder of RIPT Apparel, an online t-shirt retailer based in Chicago that sells one unique t-shirt every day for 24 hours. He started off bootstrapping the company after his day job with his co-founders. The company is now doing 14% revenue grow each month and 5x revenue year over year, and they’ve hired their first 3 employees.

In this interview, TJ and I talk about the story behind RIPT Apparel, what it’s like hiring those first employees, and why TJ is so focused on one specific problem with his business (it comes up a bunch during the interview).

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http://twitter.com/jamesvanosdol jamesvanosdol

I got to watch TJ start this business, and was thrilled for him as it started to snowball. Great concept, cool t’s, and a company run by honorable, decent guys.

http://www.EntrepreneursUnpluggd.com Tim Jahn

Couldn’t agree more James. I’m excited to see TJ and RIPT grow even more this year.

P.S. I used to listen to Q101 all the time back in the day and recognized your name immediately!