Interview with Hamburger Disco and Why They Exist to Celebrate the Hamburger

by Michael Tao in Business on February 11th, 2010

Do you like this article?

Hamburger Disco exists to celebrate the hamburger. It is the fusion of everything that makes up company owners Matt, Jay and Rumell. Each design represents the trio in one way or another – whether they showcase Matt’s taste of saturday morning cartoons & breakfast cereals, Jay’s sneaker fetish, or Rumell’s love for classic hip hop.

We caught up with Matt and Jay, and they were open to sharing their startup story with Define Magazine readers. They give us some valuable advice about running your own business and provide an insight into the life of a young entrepreneur.

Hamburger Disco

Tell us about your main project, Hamburger Disco. Why did you launch Hamburger Disco? Where are you at now with Hamburger Disco?

Matt: We started Hamburger Disco in 2008.

Jay: Matt approached me with plans to start a clothing company. At first we thought of many different ideas for a brand and direction of what types of product to offer. Around this time, Matt had Hamburger Disco on the back burner and he eventually pitched it to me. Rumell joined shortly after, and that’s what brought us to where we are now.

How did you come up with the name ‘Hamburger Disco’?

Matt: Well, Hamburger Disco is all about having fun, so when it came time to think of name we just thought, “What are the 2 most fun things in the world?” Naturally hamburgers and disco came up.

Jay: When people hear Hamburger Disco, they think of something fun and creative.

How was your life before Hamburger Disco?

Matt: It was like the beginning part of ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin.’ Right now we’re right in the middle. Catherine Keener here we come!

Jay: Matt’s on his way to being a 24 Year Old Virgin. I’m actually taking bids on who wants to be the lucky lady. Search “Flower Boy” on Craigslist.

Matt: No reserve!

Has the economic downturn affected Hamburger Disco’s business?

Matt: We started during the beginning of the economic downturn actually. We thought, “Wow, people have no money anymore – let’s try to sell them things.”

Jay: It was better for us I think in the beginning, we had jobs that weren’t heavily affected by the downturn. When we first started, we also didn’t think we’d take Hamburger Disco as far as it is now – we were just a couple of guys who wanted to start something cool and have people share in that.

Hamburger Disco

How many hours do you work per day and what is your daily schedule like?

Matt: Well we all have full time 9-5 type jobs, so we try to spend any extra time we have left working on Hamburger Disco. This usually ends up with the 3 of us falling asleep around 2am at some coffee shop or bubble tea house.

Jay: It’s good since all of our jobs are in the same area. We contemplated all moving in together at one point, to make it easier, but I’m already sick of seeing these guys…they’re like my girlfriends…without benefits.

What advice would you give a young entrepreneur starting out?

Matt: Well I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart – I’ve tried out A LOT of ideas growing up. My advice would be (a) Never give up; just keep at it, and (b) go to entrepreneurship school. There’s a lot you need to know in starting a business, so anything that can give you a leg up is worthwhile.

Jay: We got lucky with this one I think. After starting HD and seeing how things work, you start to notice a lot. You start seeing where other brands are doing things right and where they need improvement. We’re still rookies and we still have a lot to learn, but what sets us apart is that we have three people who each excel at different parts of the business. Matt knows a lot about starting a business and marketing, I handle the community aspect which focuses on spotting trends and social networking, while Rumell handles the development of our websites and manages production. We all do our own share and that’s what makes the business run smoother -we definitely couldn’t do it alone. Try looking for a business partner you can trust, but be prepared to fail and make mistakes. It’s all part of the learning curve.

Hamburger Disco

Is there anyone that you look up to and model yourself on?

Matt: I wouldn’t say we model ourselves on anyone but we do look up to a lot of people. In terms of entrepreneurs, I really respect the folks over at Voltage – a local urban vinyl store. From a fashion standpoint, I like what Johnny Cupcakes is doing over in Boston & LA.

Jay: I like the following that Johnny Cupcakes gets. When it comes to brands, I really like Tokidoki and the designs they come up with, fun, bright, and colourful, with hot anime girls and full sleeve tattoos. If I were to own any brand out there based on of how cool they are? Diesel. I’ve always been a big Diesel fan.

Matt: Yeah they’re cool. If you haven’t already seen it, check out the Diesel SFW vid.

Do you have any favorite business related or entrepreneur related books that you can recommend to other entrepreneurs?

Matt: Tons. I like books that delve into the way people think – less from a psychological point of view but more from a practical one. Stats books are always good too.

- “Blink”, “Outliers”, and “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell.
- “Made to Stick” by Chip & Dan Heath
- “Brand New World” by Max Lenderman
- “We Know What You’re Thinking” by Bricker & Right
- “Good to Great” by Jim Collins
- “Stuff White People Like” by Christian Lander

Jay: I skim trough graphic design magazines and art books for ideas and trends. We’ll spend hours at Chapters and not actually buy the books.

Hamburger Disco

What is the best advice you have been given since you’ve started?

Matt: Someone once told us, “Sleep with everyone”, in regards to working with suppliers. He couldn’t have been more right. It just means when you’re first getting into the business, you don’t want to be tied down to one supplier – explore, find newer and better products.

Jay: It definitely is a good piece of advice, right now we’re looking into working with manufacturers in Alberta out of a referral. We’ll try out a few runs and see what the quality is like. You’ll eventually find where you’re comfortable.

Do you think becoming an entrepreneur is something that is in your blood or you have to learn?

Matt: I’m a firm believer in that anyone can be anything that they want to be, regardless if it’s in your blood or not. It’s just all about your work ethic and passion. To quote former Tonight Show host Conan O’Brien: “Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.”

Jay: Some people will have the knack for doing things better than others, but like Matt said, it doesn’t mean you can’t work hard and succeed. It’s also about not giving up. You’ll have your ups and downs, mostly downs, but you learn from that. What I like doing is, if I’m not good at something, I’ll make sure I get somebody else who is, to do it for me. I guess you could say exploiting people is in my blood, I’m not really an entrepreneur.

Where is the best place to buy a Hamburger?

Matt: If we’re talking fast food, Jack in the Box never ceases to amaze me. Great marketing too.

Jay: I used to like Jack, then I found out one meal surpasses your daily intake of calories…I’m a big fan of homemade burgers, flame grilled on a summer day. Can’t beat backyard BBQs with great company. The best burger joint I’ve been to is probably Splitz Grill up in Whistler. They opened up a location in Vancouver as well.

Any last words you would like say to DefineMag readers?

Matt: We’ve got a new line dropping in February. Go Canada. And please join our Facebook page over at http://facebook.com/hamburgerdisco

Jay: Come and support Canadian companies at the Olympic Canamade market happening next week. It’s at the old Storyeum building in Gastown and Hambuger Disco will be there! Go to http://canamade.com for more info! Thanks Definemag!