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There are certain individuals that aren’t born with a silver spoon in their mouth, and instead carve a path of their own and go on to become wildly successful.
In the social media era, one of the first ones that comes to my mind is that of Daymond Garfield John.
Daymond John is an American businessman, fashion designer, author, motivational speaker, and television personality.
Many of us know him as a successful investor on the reality series titled Shark Tank.
However, some of us also know him as the person who created the clothing line, FUBU, that went viral back in the late 80s and early 90s.
Having a current net worth of $300 million, John has indeed managed to create quite a name for himself.
Let me take you through his life, his career, his current ventures, and everything that makes him such an enigmatic personality to look up to.
1. Daymond John early life

Born on February 23, 1969, in Brooklyn, New York City, Daymond John spent most of his childhood days in the Queens neighborhood of Hollis.
John was a driven person even as a kid. He started working at the young age of 10. His parents went through a divorce when he was really young, and the financial condition of his family was pretty weak.
He took on a job that had him handing out flyers for $2 per hour.
By the time John reached high school, he had managed to enroll himself in a program that enabled him to have a full-time job while also going to school every alternate week.
This is what sparked the entrepreneurial drive within him, and John also credits this experience for instilling the fire he continues to have to this day.
Even after being done with high school, John continued to work despite the jobs having quite a meagre pay rate. This is when he started a business of his own.
Not only did he work tables at Red Lobster, he also started a commuter van service.
2. Daymond John career and road to success

The popularity of John can be linked to his present role as a Shark on ABC’s Shark Tank.
On this show, the contestant come up with business ideas to propose in front of a panel of investors. However, this wasn’t his ticket to success.
He sprung to popularity at a period when social media wasn’t even around, and all of us were still only getting used to the idea of technology causing major changes.
This was when he started his clothing brand known as FUBU, which stood for “For Us By Us”.
The company started out small and took birth in the house of John’s mother in Hollis, Queens. He wanted to make clothes for young men, and his mother supported him greatly, and also taught him how to sew.
During this period, one of the things that was popular in the world of fashion was wool ski hats with their tips tied off with fishing line, and John decided to take advantage of this.
These hats were sold for $20, and John knew even then that they were too expensive.
Therefore, he and his neighbor got together to sew about 90 such hats.
These homemade hats were being sold by them for $10, and the duo managed to earn $800 on the same day.
After this success, John decided to delve deeper into the clothing world, and they began creating t-shirts that were screen-printed.
This was John’s way into the world of selling, where he made money through orders and large events that took place all over the northeastern part of the United States.
While this does indeed sound like a golden scenario to us, John knew that the road was still much longer. This is probably why he continued working at Red Lobster, and did his work for FUBU in between his shifts.
As we’ve already seen before, John’s mother was a vital part of his overall success.
Once John’s clothing business started to take off, she ended up mortgaging their house for $100,000, and this money enabled them to get the startup capital they needed for FUBU.
John made use of this money to hire his friends, Alexander Martin and Keith Perrin, for his business. The logo on FUBU was sewed on several of the clothing items, such as t-shirts, sweatshirts, as well as jerseys.
John and his team knew even back then that the best way to reach out to their audience was by going after the people everyone looked up to.
This is why they loaned about 10 of their hockey jerseys to rappers who made hit music videos. Therefore, this serves as one of the examples how John used smart marketing to get the word out about his business.
Can you imagine what would have happened if social media marketing existed at that time? FUBU probably would have been able to reach out to its target audience sooner.
The importance of intellectual marketing, therefore, can never be overstated, and that’s the first lesson for anyone trying to open a new business.
With the help of a comprehensive marketing platform such as Systeme.io, we can aid our business touch the peak of success that we have envisioned, much like Daymond John did himself.
Once these jerseys were sent out, the reaction was impeccable, and John even managed to convince an old neighborhood friend, LL Cool J, to put on a FUBU tee at one of his promotional campaigns in 1993.
FUBU received even more attention when Cool J was seen wearing a FUBU hat in an ad for The Gap. The commercial even had “For Us By Us” incorporated into the rap.

FUBU logo
After this, John made almost $300,000 from the orders that came along. Post this, he also received an offer to participate in Macy’s at a fashion trade show in Las Vegas.
The financial situation during this time got a little tight, due to which they had to get a second mortgage on the house of John’s mother in order to complete all the orders.
They went from bank to bank, but were turned down by 27 of them. As a last resort, they used the last bit of the cash to get an ad printed in the New York Times, to which Samsung Textiles replied, and they were able to fulfill the orders.
The initial struggle for John, therefore, was a lot and long-term. However, it all turned out positive in the end.
The popularity of FUBU rose sky high during the 90s and early 2000s, and it has earned $6 billion in terms of global sales so far.
The brand also featured at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African-American History and Culture, and it was just one of the many ventures John has associated himself with so far.
The popularity of Fubu dwindled by 2009, however, success came to John in the form of being a cast member of Shark Tank, which was the newest reality business show on ABC.
The show, as previously mentioned, has contestants presenting their business ideas in front of a panel of investors. These investors then provide the contestants with money that serves as the start-up capital.
The investors receive a bunch of options in return, which could be a stake in the company, a section of the sales, and so on.
This was how John became a celebrity and investor in the world of television. The show is currently in its 11th season and John has invested more than $8.5 million of his money into it.
He says that one of his most memorable investments from the show were Al “Bubba” Baker’s boneless ribs and Bombas socks.
John continued to involve himself with new companies and new groups over the next few years.
He also happens to be the CEO and founder of The Shark Group, which is a brand management and consulting firm located in Manhattan, New York.
Designing, branding, speaking, manufacturing, sourcing, integrated marketing, and social media are few of the element this group specializes in.
They have worked with the likes of The Home Depot, Johnson & Johnson, Chase, Forbes, Miller Lite, and even The White House.
In addition to business, John has dabbled into writing, motivational speaking, consultancy, and so on.
He makes use of his public speaking skills to collaborate with celebrities and companies that lead to more streams of brand extensions and revenues.
Not only does his clientele include Pitbull and Miss Universe Organization, but he’s also the brand ambassador of Shopify.
Among the many reputed places and events he has spoken at, some of them include the Babson College School of Entrepreneurship, the Creative LIAisons program at the annual London International Awards, the California First Lady Maria Shriver’s 2010 Women’s Conference, Rutgers University, and AT&T’s History Makers Tour.
John also went on to become the co-founder of Success Formula, which is a program that instructs entrepreneurs and business owners about how to start a business and make it grow.
The program was rebranded to the Formula to Next Level Success in September 2019.

3. Daymond John quotes
As a prolific and influential motivational speaker, John obviously has numerous pearls of wisdom that can serve as motivation for us all.
Let us look at some of the most inspiring quotes from him that can really be the positive push we all need:
- “The first thing that you can do with social media is find out and understand why people like or dislike… You actually get to see the reality of what people think about you.”
- “I believe the last thing I read at night will likely manifest when I’m sleeping. You become what you think about the most.”
- “Make it. Master it. Matter.”
- “Don’t wait for the ‘perfect time’, you will wait forever. Always take advantage of the time that you’re given.”
- “Align yourself with the right people, forge the right relationships and you’ll set yourself up for the long run.”
- “I look to work with businesses that know what they are doing but need larger distribution or exposure.”
- “Every problem can be solved as long as they use common sense and apply the right research and techniques.”
- “A savvy entrepreneur will not always look for investment money, first.”
- “In the founders, I look for a person I feel is trustworthy, driven and smart. I invest in the person first, because in the event the business fails, the person and I can move forward and create another business.”
- “An entrepreneur must pitch a potential investor for what the company is worth as well as sell the dream on how much of a profit can be made.”
- “I’ve learned, like with anything else, business is only as good as your connections and your resources. And some of the resources that I have are the fact that I work with huge artists.”
- “If you don’t educate yourself, you’ll never get out of the starting block because you’ll spend all your money-making foolish decisions.”
- “Learn as many mistakes and what not to do while your business or product is small. Don’t be in such a hurry to grow your brand. Make sure that you and the market can sustain any bumps that may occur down the road.”
- “I’m a big advocate of financial intelligence.”
- “Mentors, by far, are the most important aspects of businesses.”
- “If you go out there and start making noise and making sales – people will find you. Sales cure all. You can talk about how great your business plan is and how well you are going to do. You can make up your own opinions, but you cannot make up your own facts. Sales cure all.”
- “Five days a week, I read my goals before I go to sleep and when I wake up. There are 10 goals around health, family and business with expiration dates, and I update them every six months.”
- “I always tried to align myself with strategic partners, friends, and information to help me with the things that I did not know, and ultimately, I made it.”
- “My parents always taught me that my day job would never make me rich; it’d be my homework.”
- “The things that I’ve learned is, try to make all the mistakes with your own money and on a small level so that when you are responsible for a partner’s money or assets, you’ve learned, and you don’t make bigger mistakes.”
- “When looking at trends I always ask myself basic and timeless questions about business, and the one I seem to always come back to is, ‘How is this different than anything else in the marketplace?'”
- “No matter what business you’re in, business is business, and financing and money are critical. I would have made a lot fewer mistakes if I had more schooling in that area.”
- “Good grooming is integral and impeccable style is a must. If you don’t look the part, no one will want to give you time or money.”
4. Daymond John books
Daymond John has written many books that can be useful to anyone looking to start a business of their own.
Some of the titles that we should all be looking up include The Power of Broke: How Empty Pockets, a Tight Budget, and a Hunger for Success Can Become Your Greatest Competitive Advantage, Rise and Grind: Outperform, Outwork, and Outhustle Your Way to a More Successful and Rewarding Life, The Brand Within: The Power of Branding from Birth to the Boardroom, Display of Power: How Fubu Changed a World of Fashion, Branding and Lifestyle, Powershift: How to Master the Three Prongs of Influence to Close Any Deal and Achieve Any Outcome, and eSCAPE: The 4 Stages of Becoming A Successful Entrepreneur (with Anik Singal).
Being a reader himself, John also has certain book recommendations from his side that he feels are must-reads for many of us.
Some of those recommendations are Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money– That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert Kiyosaki, Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, Life is a Series of Presentations by Tony Jeary, Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, and The One Minute Manager by Kenneth H. Blanchard and Spencer Johnson.
Other posts about the richest entrepreneurs that may interest you:
- Frank Kern Review 2021 And Net Worth
- Dan Pena Net Worth: The Man Who Creates Millionaires
- Gary Vaynerchuk Net Worth in 2021: How He Built His Fortune?
- Jason Capital Net Worth: How He Became A Millionaire at 24 Years Old
- Lewis Howes Net Worth: What Can You Learn From Him?
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FAQs
Does Daymond still own FUBU? ›
...
Daymond John | |
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Website | daymondondemand.com |
Daymond John is an American businessman, investor, TV personality, and motivational speaker, who has earned the nickname “the People's Shark” due to his wholesome investment style. He is best known as one of the stars of ABC's Shark Tank and his net worth is an estimated $350 million.
Is Daymond John a billionaire? ›Daymond John: $350 Million Net Worth.
Which shark has made the most money from the show? ›- Barbara Corcoran – US$100 million.
- Lori Greiner – US$150 million.
- Robert Herjavec – US$200 million.
- Daymond John – US$350 million.
- Kevin O'Leary – US$400 million.
- Kevin Harrington – US$400 million.
- Mark Cuban – US$4.6 billion.
1) Mark Cuban: $5 Billion
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Mark Cuban is the richest shark on Shark Tank, as his estimated net worth is $5 billion. He joined the show in Season 2 and has been a part of the panel since then.
Shark Tank is produced by Mark Burnett and based on the format Dragons' Den, which originated in 2001 with the Japanese show, Tigers of Money.
What companies does Daymond own? ›Shark Tank Host
As president, CEO and founder of FUBU, Daymond John revolutionized the sportswear industry with a distinctive clothing line that transcended the urban market. He has since gone on to own and operate several other lines, including Crown Holder, Kappa USA, Coogi and Heatherette.
Industry | Clothing, hip hop apparel |
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Headquarters | New York City, New York , United States |
Products | Casual wear sports wear suit collection eyewear belts shoes |
Owner | Daymond John Carlton E. Brown J. Alexander Martin Keith C. Perrin |
Website | fubu.com |
Barbara Corcoran – $100 million
In all of Barbara Corcoran's years of being on Shark Tank, she has invested in over 80 businesses. Aside from starring on Shark Tank, she is most well known for founding The Corcoran Group, a brokerage firm she started in 1973.
Shark Tank India Season 2: Amit Jain makes the biggest offer in the show's history, bids Rs 5 crore | Tv News – India TV.
How much are the judges on Shark Tank worth? ›
Trivia (18) Kevin O'Leary has a net worth of $450 million. Robert Herjavec's net worth is $200 million. Daymond John's is $250 million.
Are Shark Tank Investors paid? ›It's important to note that while the sharks are paid to be on the show, the money they invest in the entrepreneurs' companies—if they choose to do so—is all their own. The money that Shark Tank investors offer is their own money and is not provided by the show.
Do Shark Tank entrepreneurs get paid? ›The Shark Tank judges are paid for their contribution to the show, but the money they invest is their own. Entrepreneurs on the other hand make a handshake deal on the show if a panel member is interested. However, if all of the panel members opt out, the entrepreneur leaves empty-handed.
How much do the Sharks get paid on Shark Tank? ›Without a doubt, Shark Tank's judges are paid a hefty amount of money to be featured on the show. Even though the amount of their salary per episode has not been verified, according to Variety, it is believed that each of the Sharks makes an estimated amount of $50,000 per episode as per claims put out in 2016.
What Shark Tank deals have failed? ›...
These Shark Tank Deals Failed Miserably
- Breathometer. Courtesy of Shark Tank. ...
- Toygaroo. ...
- HillBilly. ...
- ShowNo Towels. ...
- Coffee Meets Bagel. ...
- Chef Big Shake. ...
- Sweet Ballz. ...
- The Bouqs Company.
Kevin O'Leary is the second richest shark with an estimated net worth of $400 million. Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, is the richest shark in the tank and the only billionaire.
How many Shark Tank businesses have failed? ›What percent of Shark Tank companies fail? Shark Tank's failure rate is around 6%, which is much lower than the estimated 70% business failure rate.
Who is the lady on Shark Tank? ›Lori Greiner (born December 9, 1969) is an American television personality and entrepreneur. She is an investor on the reality ABC TV series Shark Tank. Greiner has hundreds of inventions and holds 120 patents.
What is FUBU in relationship? ›Noun. fubu (plural fubus) (Philippines, slang) An acquainted person who offers sexual intercourse without romantic commitment.
Who is the black man on Shark Tank? ›Many may know him best as one of the savvy “Sharks” with more of a friendly bite on the hit reality series Shark Tank, but business mogul and longtime entrepreneur Daymond John is not only continuing to consider product pitches placed in front of him today, but he is also diving in deep to provide better opportunities ...
How much did FUBU sale for? ›
John's nocturnal sewing sessions ultimately turned into his full-time job. With $40 and three friends, he founded FUBU, an acronym of For Us By Us, eventually growing it into a $6 billion company.
What is the most successful company in the world? ›In 2022, the Saudi Arabian oil company Saudi Aramco posted the highest net revenue of any company in the world, with profits of over 300 billion U.S. dollars. Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Equinor rounded out the top five spots in the ranking of most profitable companies.
Who did Mark Cuban offer $30 million to? ›Mark Cuban makes the biggest offer in Shark Tank's history, $30 million, for Coffee Meets Bagel, a dating site started by three sisters.
How many businesses do the Shark Tank people own? ›total pitches by companies | 531 |
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ownership | entrepreneurs give up 31% equity on average, 15 percentage points more than what they initially pitched |
valuation | deals made on air imply a valuation of $1,230,712 on average, a 36% discount to what the entrepreneurs pitched |
This product, however, seemed to be a perfect match for the queen of QVC as Greiner offered a 20% stake in the company for $200,000. Regarded as the most successful deal ever made in the Shark Tank, Scrub Daddy has gone on to gross more than $100 million.
How much do Shark Tank judges get paid? ›As per the reports, he is reportedly charging Rs 7 Lakhs per episode as his salary.
How does Shark Tank get paid? ›New entrepreneurs pitch their businesses to owners of established start-ups who decide to invest or not invest in them after assessing the company. Shark Tank India judges take a percentage of the equity/stake in return for their investment and sometimes decide to fund in the form of a loan partly.
Why do Shark Tank deals not close? ›It's not uncommon for verbal agreements on “Shark Tank” to fail after the camera stops rolling. In 2016, Forbes spoke with 237 participants who appeared during the show's first seven seasons and found that 43% said their deals never completed, either because the sharks pulled out or the entrepreneurs balked.
How much does it cost to go in a Shark Tank? ›These trips are designed to provide up-close encounters and world-class photographic and video opportunities and are for experienced shark divers only. *The cost is $300 per person for a full or half day. If the charter is 3 people or less, the cost is $900 for a full or half day.
What happens after you make a deal on Shark Tank? ›According to “Inside the Shark Tank” magazine, once the cameras shut off, the sharks move in to put their handshake deal onto paper. Greiner explains they bring in their own teams to investigate entrepreneurs' claims and dig deeper to determine the best investment scenario, then move ahead from there.
How much money does Mark Cuban make on Shark Tank? ›
He joined the cast of ABC's Shark Tank
Mark joined Shark Tank in 2011 with seasoned investors including Kevin O'Leary, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Babara Corcoran, and Daymond John. There are 22 episodes in each season and Sharks' salaries are about $50,000 per episode which adds up to $ 1 million per year.
How much does Kevin O'Leary make a year? Kevin O'Leary makes an estimated $50,000 per episode for Shark Tank. With around 24 episodes per season, that's roughly $1.2 million per year. O'Leary also makes money through his book deals, businesses, and investments.
How did Shark Tank judges get rich? ›Lori Greiner has made her millions by creating and selling more than 1,000 products, including some of the most popular jewelry and cosmetic organizers of all time. Her products have been sold on QVC and by retailers across the world.
Who turned down 30 million on Shark Tank? ›Mark Cuban offered Arum Kang $30 million for her dating app Coffee Meets Bagel. But she and her sisters swiped left, and that decision made them the targets of keyboard cowboys who labeled them “foolish” and “greedy”.
Who's the owner of FUBU? ›Hip-hop fashion designer Daymond John, founder and CEO of clothing label FUBU, was born in Brooklyn, New York, of Caribbean parents. Growing up in Queens, New York, John's entrepreneurial talents were exhibited at an early age; he sold everything from pencils to reconditioned cars.
What companies does Daymond John own? ›Shark Tank Host
As president, CEO and founder of FUBU, Daymond John revolutionized the sportswear industry with a distinctive clothing line that transcended the urban market. He has since gone on to own and operate several other lines, including Crown Holder, Kappa USA, Coogi and Heatherette.
THE FOUR FOUNDERS of Fubu—childhood friends Daymond John, J. Alexander Martin, Keith Perrin and Carlton Brown—never imagined the fashion brand would make it this far.
How did Daymond John get rich? ›These days, Daymond John is best known as the impeccably dressed star investor of reality show Shark Tank, but his reputation -- and his millions -- were first made as the co-founder and chief executive of sportswear maker FUBU ("For Us By Us.") Founded in 1992, FUBU became synonymous with hip-hop.
What clothing line did Daymond John start? ›Daymond John is known all over the world for starting the fashion brand FUBU.
How much is Mark Cuban made on Shark Tank? ›In total, the billionaire investor has struck more than 200 on-screen deals worth more than $61 million in his time on the show, according to a recent online estimate.
Do Sharks get paid to be on Shark Tank? ›
It's important to note that while the sharks are paid to be on the show, the money they invest in the entrepreneurs' companies—if they choose to do so—is all their own. The money that Shark Tank investors offer is their own money and is not provided by the show.
What was the biggest flop on Shark Tank? ›...
These Shark Tank Deals Failed Miserably
- Breathometer. Courtesy of Shark Tank. ...
- Toygaroo. ...
- HillBilly. ...
- ShowNo Towels. ...
- Coffee Meets Bagel. ...
- Chef Big Shake. ...
- Sweet Ballz. ...
- The Bouqs Company.
Shark Tank Failure Rates
In the last few seasons (5 to 9), only 6% of the participants are out of business, and only 20% aren't making a profit (but are still operating). We could therefore say that Shark Tank's success rate is around 94%.
Daymond John
Who owns the Shark Group? ›Founded by award winning entrepreneur Daymond John, our agency's culture is deeply rooted in identifying opportunities, working extremely hard, and finding solutions to grow businesses immediately.