We had the good fortune of connecting with Brandon Yamamoto and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brandon, what do you attribute your success to?
Our social media presence (Instagram, Tik Tok and Youtube) has driven our brand to levels we did not think we would be able to reach for another 1-2 years. Specifically, our Youtube channel, which gives viewers a front row seat into our entire business, from attending Sneaker events across the country to showing what goes on behind the scenes in our business, has been the driving force of the success of Common Hype. Our Youtube channel has gone from 0 to over 180,000 subscribers in just a year and a half, with our videos averaging anywhere from 50,000-900,000+ views per video. Our subscribers have become life long viewers and customers of our brand and their support has been nothing short of amazing as our business has scaled. My brother, Bryson, handles all of our editing, content and video production and having him at the helm of the creation has given us a platform to show our passion for what we do.

What should our readers know about your business?
I have been selling shoes for five years now. Each year has experienced its own growing pains, such as bad investments, being scammed by another business and losing a ton of money, packages being lost by postal services and having to come out of pocket to refund a buyer and many more. The only way to overcome those challenges is to put your head down and continue to work. At the end of the day, some of the challenges faced are simply the cost of doing business, and being a business owner those situations will eat you alive if you dwell on them and refuse to continue to get back at it.

We have a tremendous team at Common Hype and that alone is what I am most excited about. The potential we have as a company due to having great employees is only going to propel the business and establish sustainability and longevity for our brand.

We want the world to know that Common Hype can be there go to company for everything sneakers and streetwear. We pride ourselves in selling 100% authentic shoes that everyone can show off and wear with their favorite outfits. From Yeezy’s, Jordan’s, Nike Dunks and more, we can be their trusted local company to shop with. Recently, we have opened up our own line of apparel, which have been selling out on a weekly basis. Items such shorts, t-shirts, hats and socks have been worn by people around the world, which is such a humbling experience when you see someone else wearing your brand.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If someone was visiting from out of town, we would first have to stop at Loco Style Grindz, which is a Hawaiian BBQ spot right inside the Asian International market for some outstanding food. From there, we would (obviously) take them straight to Common Hype to see the store and shop around. Afterwords, we would head over to Scottsdale to hang out and then end the night at Isabel’s Amor in Gilbert for great mexican food.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Our family and friends have been incredibly supportive through our business journey and we cannot thank them enough for everything they have done for us. Specifically, our parents have been supportive throughout the entire process and we are forever grateful to have that support system. Additionally, we have two close friends and business advisors who we look up to. Mathew Johnson and Nick Farrer. Mathew has given us enormous amounts of his time to our business to help us make educated decisions and keep our heads on straight as we continue to grow and we are forever thankful for him. Nick Farrer has been our “hype man” as the first day we got into our current building, he was posting all over social media supporting us, recommending contractors and even helped us put together half of our store as you see it today. Without these people, Common Hype would not be where it is today.

Website: commonhypeaz.com

Instagram: @brandonyamo @commonhypeaz

Twitter: @thecommonhype

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheCommonHype

Image Credits
Headshot in suit taken by: @cadwalladerphotography (IG) All other pictures taken by: @bryson.yamo (IG)

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