Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin ‘Cat Daddy’ Hughes.
Hi Justin ‘Cat Daddy’, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
For as long as I can remember, motorcycles have been a significant part of my life. They have always fascinated me. At a young age, my father purchased my first dirt bike and I was stoked! I’ve been riding ever since and I knew then that I wanted to be involved in the world of motorcycles.
When I finished high school and got out of the house in 2009, I picked up a Honda Ruckus scooter. I looked at it as more of a toy than anything and wanted to modify it to fit my needs. Pretty soon, I had a heavily modified scooter with a complete engine swap from a 50cc to a 150cc. Then, I threw a big bore kit on the engine pushing it to a 170cc. For those that aren’t familiar with engine building, this means that I took it from a small engine to a much larger one. Before I knew it, I had friends offering me money to build custom Ruckus’. It was then that I decided to start my first small business, ‘SCG Creations’.
Down the road, I realized that I needed more. Scooters were never enough for my taste. I craved to go further and faster… much faster! It was time to open myself up to various types of motorcycles. I started buying bikes that were in fair condition or not running at all, and I put my special touch on them. These sold for a decent profit and I quickly realized that I had found my niche. I spent the next four years building up towards launching my own motorcycle business. I heavily invested in legitimizing myself as a Motorcycle Mechanic. I worked hard to secure quality tools, a motorcycle lift, and an air compressor that would keep up with me.
The name for this business was next on the list. I wanted something that was personalized to myself and that had a bit of style. While visiting California in 2019, I sat down at coffee shop with my girlfriend to brainstorm. After going back and forth between different names, it dawned on me that the name had been right in front of me the whole time. I had a seriously cool cat named Sancho for many years. My friends would jokingly call me Cat Daddy, and needless to say, the name stuck… Cat Daddy Cycles was born.
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?
Owning and operating a new small business has many challenges and obstacles. It was challenging in the beginning to not only acquire all the necessary tools I needed but also to curate my space to be a full-service moto garage. It’s taken quite some time to get it to where it is today.
In addition to setting up the physical garage and collection of tools, marketing my business was something completely new for me. This was my first experience with creating a logo, establishing an LLC, and creating tailored content for social media. It’s definitely been a learning process.
It took patience and persistence to work a full-time job while focusing on my own business. Ultimately, I had to let go of the other job in pursuit of my own dream.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Cat Daddy Cycles is geared towards creating custom-built motorcycles. The process of collaborating on bringing someone’s dream bike to life is extremely rewarding. Designing a custom motorcycle is something that allows me to creatively express myself through my work. I’m proud to say that Cat Daddy Cycles is a one man band with only a few trades that are outsourced.
I believe what sets myself apart from others in the industry is the ability (or willingness) to work on various makes and models. I don’t like to tie myself to one particular style of bike. In fact, I’m in the process of working on three completely different styles of motorcycles. I have a 75’ chopper build, an 81’ street fighter, and a 94’ flat track racer currently under the knife. I can’t wait to wrap up these builds and have them in the streets representing the Cat Daddy name.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success as flourishing in the field of work that you love. It’s important that people enjoy what they do in life, and others will recognize that about them. Those that are heavily active in their community and follow their passion(s) will ultimately find success.
Contact Info:
- Email: Catdaddycycles@gmail.com
- Website: Www.Catdaddycycles.com
- Instagram: @catdaddycycles
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catdaddycycles/
Image Credits
Photo credits: @darkmode.photo
