Being the daughter of NBA legend and business mogul Magic Johnson did not guarantee Elisa Johnson an easy path to entrepreneurship. When she approached her father for an investment in her eyewear business, he turned her down, forcing her to return with a stronger pitch.
During her first solo daytime television interview on the “Tamron Hall” show earlier this month, Elisa talked about how she launched her eyewear brand, Elisa Johnson Co., and learning that even family connections would not replace the work required to earn an investor’s confidence.
Not Taking the Nepo Route
Elisa studied fashion business at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and developed an interest in eyewear long before launching her namesake brand in May 2021. A high school internship at eyewear company Luxottica further exposed her to the industry and helped lay the groundwork for her entrepreneurial ambitions.
Her concept was also driven by a desire to make luxury-inspired eyewear more accessible. While shopping, she noticed that many sunglasses she liked cost $500 or $600, leaving her wondering why stylish frames had to be so expensive.
But having the education and idea wasn’t enough to win her father over, Elisa discovered.
Elisa said she asked her dad for a meeting. “So, I had my samples in hand and then I typed up like a quick one sheet and I went to him,” she recalled. “And I thought that I got enough information. I was like, this is going to be a walk in the park. Honestly, I thought that I had enough that he would be like, ‘OK, great.’ But he goes, ‘This isn’t enough information.'”
Elisa said he treated her like anyone else asking him for an investment. She added her father told her, “If you want me to invest in this, you’re going to have to look at me as an actual investor and not as your father.”
She said she went back and crunched the numbers, learn who her competitors were, and, as she noted, “really do do that work.”
“I asked for another meeting through his assistant and came to him with multiple sheets and a full PowerPoint presentation,” she shared. Elisa won him over as an investor.
The brand debuted in 2021.
“I want to have a brand that looks amazing, but is also more accessible to everybody,” she told Essence in 2021.
When Elisa Johnson Co. launched, its sunglasses were priced between $115 and $145, offering customers a more affordable alternative to high-end designer frames.
The global eyewear market is valued at an estimated $177.1 billion to $221.9 billion in 2026, with projections suggesting it could reach between $315 billion and $463 billion by 2033. The industry is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of approximately 8.6% to 9.5%, driven by demand for prescription glasses, sunglasses, and fashion-forward designs.
