Features

Perspective: Claude Johnson

Claude Johnson
Owner
Black Fives
Greenwich CT

Job History
My first job was as a paperboy, in fourth grade, delivering the Boston Globe, in Newton, a town outside Boston. That was a pre-dawn route, by foot or by bike, and when it was snowing I pulled that stack of papers with my sled. In the sixth grade I switched to delivering the Record-American Herald-Tribune, because it was an afternoon route and I stopped every day at this field to play baseball with whoever was there. That's the game I used to love and Reggie Smith of the Red Sox was my hero. I wore my afro like his, and his number "7", his batting stance, everything! Paperboys had to deliver as well as collect the subscription money. That's when you got tips. It was good money in elementary school; I remember buying my own baseball glove, a state-of-the-art Rawlings "Basket-Web" model for $25.

I held down paper routes until I reached high school in Concord, Massachusetts, when I got my first real punch-the-time-clock job, as a late shift and weekend dishwasher at the Colonial Inn, which had a fancy restaurant. I did that every day during summers, coming home after the late news, covered with grease and other people's food. That's when I got to love basketball, because the restaurant bar had a TV and me and the kitchen guys used to watch Celtics games during our breaks. I remember watching that Gar Heard triple overtime Celtics-Suns game that way, with the dishes piling up but I didn't care. During the school year, because of varsity sports and homework, I shifted jobs and worked as a check out clerk in the local Star Market. I also tutored inner city elementary school kids on Saturday mornings, did yard work around the neighborhood, and whatever else to make money for movies, records, gas, and related things.

In junior high I got straight D's in math and English, but in high school I suddenly became really good at math and science. I was able to get into college at Carnegie Mellon University, where I had various on-campus work-study jobs related to my major, civil engineering. Most engineering students there got summer internships; mine were at Polaroid Corporation in Boston, Cummins Engine Company in Jamestown, New York, and U.S. Steel in Pittsburgh. That summer in Pittsburgh, after junior year, I was also a counselor in Carnegie Mellon's excellent summer program for entering minority freshmen. I used to save a little of that summer money for the school year and have fun with the rest. I was always proud that I never asked for or got any college money from my parents, not even for books or phone bills.

After senior year, I worked two straight summer jobs in mechanical engineering at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, while getting a master's degree at Stanford University. That led to a sales job at IBM selling computers to engineers in the Silicon Valley. I got IBM to transfer me to New York City. That led to a technical marketing job at American Express. That led to a business operations job at the National Basketball Association, followed by an internal switch to a product licensing position (Director of International Licensing). That led to a product-merchandising job at Nike (Product Line Manager, Nike Basketball). That led to another licensing job at Phat Farm (VP, Licensing), then a stint in "consulting," and then a sports marketing job at Benetton Sportsystem (VP, Marketing).

I drove 100 miles each way to work every day in that Benetton job, for a whole year, and most people thought I was crazy. I didn't see my kids. But my grandfather was a Pullman Porter and my grandmother's brothers were sharecroppers, so I was raised to believe you had to go where the work is. When I got "downsized" at Benetton, it was really a blessing in disguise and made that long commute worth it, because their unbelievable severance package finally allowed me time to start Black Fives (always ask for an unbelievable severance package). I had been dreaming of this opportunity for years, spending late nights and weekends and sick days and vacation days to do the research, so that gave me a chance to pursue the passion full time.

I know it was like doing a "360" to go from engineering to this! But engineering is really "problem-solving" and you can and must apply that anywhere, with things as well as with people. If you are not satisfied, you have to move on, better sooner than later. All those moves had to do with seeking something better, more fun, more fulfilling, more appropriate for me, sometimes going two steps sideways to go one step forward, and so on. It was never for the money.

Now, with Black Fives, all of my prior work experience finally seems to be coming together! I draw on something from all of those jobs, but it's still not enough--there is a steep learning curve and it's not easy. In fact, this is the hardest thing I have ever done. But the rewards go deeply right to a brother's soul. What people feel when they first discover Black Fives … paradigms melt, expressions change, skins tingle. For some, tears well up. People connect, and really seem to appreciate the hard work. Consequently, this is the best job I've ever had! It's not quite paying off yet, but I think it will if I stick to it and stay in the game. I feel like I have a duty, because this opportunity is really a blessing, and although Black Fives is my company, the history it represents doesn't belong just exclusively to me. The history is all of ours to share!

What are you currently working on? Your day-to-day responsibilities?

For example, today I am going to take a second look at a potential office and showroom and warehouse space (we've outgrown my guest bedroom). Then I am going to put a job offer in writing, to try to lock down a permanent in-house sales VP so we can build our team. I am also putting together the factory order for our new collection of teams and products that will ship to stores in May and June. I also have to get current orders for existing inventory out the door. Then I have to process orders from our online store. We are updating the business plan in order raise some money; we need about $100,000 as a cushion because this is such a timing-related cash flow business. Every day I also have to stay on top of our third-party warehouse, so they don't make any shipping mistakes. I also want to update the "Famous Customers" section of our website, since we just got word that Mark Curry and Kenny Smith now have our jerseys and want more. Meanwhile, I am considering some licensing arrangements (in addition to our hat license with American Needle) that will expand the types of Black Fives and Physical Culture products and help branch into other kinds of stores. I am planning trips to Cleveland, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Chicago. I have to pay my internet programming and DHL bills. Oh, and today I also have to attend my two sons' parent-teacher conferences as well as my wife's ultrasound (we're expecting).

You're right, it's crazy! Sometimes I have to do all-nighters or 20-hour days like in college. But although I have to think of everything all at once all day long every day, I can really only do one thing at a time, properly. And to that, I try to remain calm.

What inspires/motivates you?

It is a very difficult and a very rare thing, to have the opportunity to create a new genre. No one outside of the established professional leagues has ever created a new historically based sports genre before--a new sports property based on a complete set of real, not contrived, teams and events, and which is fully enclosed with trademark protection. Not even the Negro Leagues of baseball has that, because famous marks like the Homestead Grays are not protected, so the noble efforts of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum rely on voluntary royalty payments from the good guys, but other unscrupulous companies make Grays products with complete disregard. I do not want that to happen with the teams of the Black Fives era, which represent the basketball equivalent of the Negro Leagues. The fact that this has never been done before inspires me, and keeps me going, because I think it is a necessary and worthwhile endeavor--actually, an obligation. And we've been successful. The new challenge now, with the jersey trend subsiding, is to keep Black Fives interesting through the creation of other products and projects that are appealing and accessible, yet which maintain the high quality standards that people have come to expect. We have to stay in business to make all of this possible, which is why we are looking for working capital and considering licensing options to get to the next level. But the engineer in me is highly motivated to figure out how to solve this complex entrepreneurial puzzle.

The inspiration for all of this comes easy because I have a passion for it. I feel like I am on a mission. Why so passionate about Black Fives? I've always been into sports, history, and the beauty of our culture. I also recognize the power of knowledge and self-esteem. I've always been inspired by opportunities to create, teach, and learn. Those verbs satisfy my desire to make statements, express myself, and share ideas that I hope might be helpful, enlightening, or thought provoking. But my mission isn't really about me. It's about making a worthy, honorable contribution to society, to my cultural community, to my family, and to my friends. I remind myself of that whenever I am stuck on something, or another thing isn't going well.

Meanwhile, with a wife and two kids and another one on the way, there is plenty of other motivation to keep my ass in high gear!

How do you balance your personal and professional life?

I take breaks from work to be with my family, and when I do, I focus completely on them and leave work behind. That's really easy because my wife is fine, and my kids are fascinating! I really live for those moments. I also love playing basketball, and when I play I lose myself in the game. I can get intense on the court but its just my way of letting off steam in a healthy way. I also like music, so if I'm in the truck by myself I always have some Coltrane, or some James Brown, or some P.E., or some OutKast, or some Beethoven. Those brothers are as intense as you wanna get and its easy to forget about work once you pump up the volume.

What career achievement are you most proud of?

Starting Black Fives, no question. If I started a new genre, it was with nothing but a computer and a stack of books. I taught myself Photoshop and Illustrator, signed up for Ancestry.com, and went to work. These were the available tools. This is an independent company with no outside backers, Seventh Avenue funding, or anything like that. So our future is unclear. But starting something from nothing feels great! Or rather, taking something that already existed and was taken for granted, and making it significant. That follows the ethos of hip-hop culture, where, for example, any good DJ could put even "The Sound of Music" on his turntables and rip it up into a danceable hip-hop beat. Or a wall and a can of spray paint. A new art form. Something from nothing, using available tools. Few are blessed with the opportunity, let alone the skills, to pull that off and to do so in a way that is meaningful for the people. Black Fives has the opportunity to become that. We are still small, in our infancy, but if we continue to succeed and grow then we will really have something to be proud of.

What was your biggest personal/career mistake and what did you learn from the experience?

I should never have gotten all those damn credit cards coming out of college! I learned that debt is bad, and that credit card companies prey on and victimize recent college graduates, and the recovery can take decades. As far as career mistakes, it took me too long to realize that I am "creative" and not "corporate." I believe I wasted time in boring companies doing boring things in boring meetings with boring bosses. I was bored because it was not creatively stimulating, and the managers in those companies couldn't have spotted or nurtured creative talent if their lives depended on it. It's not really the fault of those bosses, its just that corporations, with a few exceptions like Nike, aren't built to discover or nurture creativity. They mostly reward compliance. No wonder I never used to fit in! Yet, you learn from your mistakes and shouldn't be afraid to make them. Just, when the opportunity presents itself, you have to be ready to strike.

Guiding principles?

I try my best to always put things in balance and perspective. The study of history teaches you to do that. I try to see the other side of things. I move with honesty and integrity. I try to remain calm, speak thoughtfully, and be myself. I believe in the power of words and in the responsible use of them. Even if something is true doesn't mean you ought to say it any which way. I focus on positive outcomes. I strive for impeccable quality in my output. I avoid promises I can't keep. I talk to new people. I try to keep learning better ways of doing things. I do things myself, if necessary. I rely on the power of love and friendships and kindness and peace. I believe that things happen for a reason. I believe in God and in prayer. I believe that prayers are answered.

Birthday? Where you grew up? Where you went to school?

I was born July 7, 1960 in Vienna, Austria. My dad was an ex-military GI Bill college student from the South Side of Chicago, and my mom was a perky, blonde-haired, blue-eyed German girl when they met in a jazz pub in Frankfurt one night in the late 1950s. I spent my early years living in Austria and Germany (I speak fluent German), elementary school in Newton, Massachusetts (outside Boston), junior high in Cincinnati, Ohio, and high school in Concord, Massachusetts (back outside Boston). I attended college at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh (B.S. in Civil Engineering), then graduate school at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California (M.S. in Mechanical Engineering). I moved from California to New York City in 1986, where I lived in Harlem and Brooklyn until 1996, when my wife, Cassandra, and I moved to Greenwich, Connecticut. My wife, who is from Detroit, went to Howard University and Michigan. We have two sons, Cassius (age 5) and Cornelius (we call him "Cory", age 3), and a third boy expected in September (we haven't started thinking of names yet).

For more info, visit blackfives.com

Message Claude Johnson and tell him what you think

Ray Tamarra

« What's In Your Deck?  AAPRC Weekly: Terrie Williams »

The 2-Way

Replies: 5

Archives: