---
title: "Growing with Purpose Podcast: \"You Can't Fake Authenticity\" with Michael Draper"
description: How do you build an authentic brand that people love? On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, Paul Spiegelman talks with Michael Draper, Founder and Owner of RAYGUN, a thriving clothing shop headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa.
---

[Insight for Business Leaders Building Great Values-Driven Companies ](https://blog.smallgiants.org)

# [Growing with Purpose Podcast: "You Can't Fake Authenticity" with Michael Draper](https://blog.smallgiants.org/growing-with-purpose-michael-draper-0)

 Written by [Michael Draper](https://blog.smallgiants.org/author/michael-draper) | October 25, 2018

**There's no way to fake authenticity.** If you really love your business and care about it, people will naturally gravitate to you. After over a decade of building his t-shirt company, Michael Draper knows firsthand that it takes hard work every day to build a truly great business.

Today on the** **[Growing with Purpose podcast](https://smallgiants.org/growing-with-purpose-podcast/), host Paul Spiegelman talks with Michael Draper, Founder and Owner of [RAYGUN](https://www.raygunsite.com/), a clothing store headquartered in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. What started as Michael selling t-shirts on the streets of his college campus has grown into a $4 million business with 70 employees and four locations. For over a decade, Michael's authentic passion for what RAYGUN is all about has kept the business afloat, even in the face of financial crises and industry changes. 

In this episode, hear how Michael built a thriving clothing business with a history degree, no money, and no experience.  
   
**Tune into Michael's story below: **

Jump to a specific topic ↑ 

[**1:36]** Selling T-Shirts on the Street After College  
**[4:16]** Learning a 'Come In Every Day' Work Ethic  
**[21:44] **Dependability Trumps Everything  
**[29:47] **Growing for the Sake of Creativity  
**[36:51]** Caring for the Digital Side of Your Brand  
**[43:24]** Raising Four Happy Kids (It's Harder than it Sounds!)

** **

[View full post](https://blog.smallgiants.org/growing-with-purpose-michael-draper-0)

```json
{
  "@context" : "http://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Michael Draper"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2018-11-26T15:32:07.183Z",
  "datePublished" : "2018-10-25T12:00:00Z",
  "headline" : "Growing with Purpose Podcast: \"You Can't Fake Authenticity\" with Michael Draper",
  "image" : {
    "@type" : "ImageObject",
    "height" : 586,
    "url" : "https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/514573/Artboard%2016-1.png",
    "width" : 781
  },
  "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://blog.smallgiants.org/growing-with-purpose-michael-draper-0",
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "height" : 60.0,
      "url" : "https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/514573/Small%20Giants%20Logo.png",
      "width" : 60.000004
    },
    "name" : "Small Giants Blog"
  }
}
```