Check Out Johnny Thai’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Johnny Thai.

Hi Johnny, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
It starts back with how I grew up. I grew up in a Albuquerque, New Mexico and the state has one of the highest poverty rates in the nation

My parents worked multiple jobs just to provide for my brother and I. So, unfortunately, I barely got to see them and even then we still struggled. Here’s something I remember vividly.

We went to the dumpsters of a farmers market to pick out fruits and vegetables that would be half good half bad just to save some money.

I couldn’t stomach it one day and while I respect what my parents had to do, ever since then, I knew I wanted to become “successful”.

Fast forward to age 19 after doing a year and a half of college (as a mechanical engineer) I knew it wasn’t for me. At the time YouTube was starting to become a career for those that I watched.

And I just had a burning desire to pursue it because I knew I could make it happen. I came across a YouTuber that changed my mindset for success in life. Brandon Carter. He was making fitness & motivation videos at the time which helped me transform my body but also my mind. Building discipline and dreaming bigger.

At the same time I fell in love with New York City after actually seeing what the city has (I used to just go to Chinatown as a kid and never experienced the city). One day everything just came together.

I hated engineering, I loved NYC, and Brandon Carter was looking for interns to grow his business and his social media but also to become a mentor to a few of his subscribers. He told us to make a video on what makes us a good candidate to work with him.

Eventually, after some persistence, I got it, I dropped out of college, packed my bags, & moved to NYC and just learned for years. Marketing, content creation, product launches. I literally learned everything it takes to build something for myself.

Fast forward a few years, after learning with Brandon and helping him grow his social media and his business I was able to do the same. I was able to go full time on social media in 2019 and I never expected the opportunities that came from social media.

I was able to work with some of my dream brands Nike, adidas, Uniqlo, Best Buy, & ASUS to name a few and I really wanted to design something myself.

I reached out to Grace the founder of LOUPN. (which I’ve worked with a few times on some sponsorships), to design a jewelry collection and I’m grateful she had belief in me because this was my first time ever designing anything.

It is now one of the top sellers in LOUPN’s collection of jewelry and coming full circle it is even in the NYC Wolf & Badger storefront. The city where all the “successes” started for me.

Bottom line, for me it started with basic psychology. Human’s move towards pleasure or away from pain. I wanted to avoid the pain and hardships of struggling with money, seeing my parents work 60+ hours a week, & not having enough time to spend with family.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not the smoothest.

Living in NYC is not easy. Because I wasn’t financially educated, I made a lot of dumb decisions eventually getting into $35k+ in credit card debt.

So I used to sleep in the WeWork that Brandon operated the business from for 2 months. I would do my work with Brandon, workout & shower at the Blink fitness on 23rd street, blow up an air mattress (in the office), & sleep. Rinse and repeat.

That $35k debt followed me well into my social media career which made me make a lot of decisions that hindered my growth. I moved back to New Mexico for a year to save some money and to go full time on social media.

Eventually I paid it off and I went through a “comfortable” phase which is the worst phase you can possibly be in. I wasn’t as motivated and was a little more hesitant to take risks because I didn’t want to go back to struggling financially

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am everyone’s favorite word. An “influencer”. While I’m not a fan of that description it is what I do. I make content on all the major social media platforms regarding fashion and lifestyle.

I’m known for giving solid fashion advice and helping men become better and more confident in themselves through fashion and I am most proud of my subscribers that made a change in their life to become better. The same way I did when I was younger. When you decide to become better It’s the start of something great.

I think what set’s me apart from others is my fashion style. A blend of cyberpunk & Asian streetwear but, now, my content is going to be at another level which I won’t go into as I’m writing this today because it’s still in development but my content will definitely stand out more so than my personal fashion style

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Anytime you pursue anything think of it like the food pyramid but for pursuing success. Whether it be fitness, content creation, building a business etc.

Bottom (first 25 videos):

This is the highest pool of people pursuing something and it’s usually done with motivation. For content creation think of this as your first 25 videos in your first year. Most people won’t even get to the 10th video. And once you do you’re in the next level and there will be a huge drop out rate

Middle (first 100 videos):

Same thing applies here. Get to your first 100 videos and something will happen with your social media, so long as your videos are getting better.

Top (1000 videos):

I’m not even at this point yet, I’m getting closer but almost all big social media stars have longevity & consistency at their plate of “success”

Every time I give advice there’s always a number that most people don’t get to and that’s all you need to be to prove to yourself that you can do it and this applies to everything.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://flywithjohnnythai.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flywithjohnnythai
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flywithjohnnythai/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@flywithjohnnythai?si=PfGU3xFmpEtwoqTe

Image Credits
None. These pictures were shot by wifey 🙏