“Don’t focus on you, focus on what you can give others”. Have you ever heard that quote? That was said by Daymond John, a powerful entrepreneurial mind who’s story has inspired many people to rise up from nothing and find success in their own lives. Born in Queens NY in February 23, 1969, Daymond didn’t have much growing up. He always had a mind for business though, and started working at the age of 10 by selling pencils and $2 flyers in the streets. When he was in high school, he worked in a program that allowed him to work full-time and be in school simultaneously.
He started out like everyone else, working a standard job at Red Lobster after graduating in 1986, but things started to change once his mother taught him how to sew. After selling hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise at shopping malls in Queens, Daymond and some friends started a clothing brand called For Us, By Us, otherwise known as FuBu.
Daymond got married and continued to expand his business, partnering with Samsung fashion and grossing over $200 million in sales. He then gave back to the people by establishing the Fubu Foundation that donates $1 million annually to support local urban communities. FuBu became the authorized clothing of the GlobeTrotters basketball team, and things only went up from there.
As his business continued to thrive, Daymond was eventually invited to join the ABC show SharkTank in 2009. For anyone who watches SharkTank, Daymond John is probably best known as being arguably the coolest shark on the show.
There can be a lot learned from Daymond John. He has an inspiring story that serves as an example for many entrepreneurs to come, and as he once said himself, “Entrepreneurship brings us hope”.
