Profile in Courage: Daymond John

To the hundreds of inventors appearing on Shark Tank, businessman Daymond John offers a potential path to riches – with plenty of tough questions along the way. From Mo’s Bows to Bubba’s-Q Boneless Ribs, he’s agreed to bankroll plenty of project proposals on the show. But most viewers of the hit television show likely aren’t aware of John’s initiatives to promote entrepreneurship. John has clearly seen significant success as a television personality and has chosen to pay it forward and give others a hand up. For playing such a pivotal role in fostering private sector entrepreneurship and offering alternatives to the politics of grievance and envy, Daymond John is absolutely a Profile in Courage.

John’s business acumen was on full display from an early age. He recalls, “I started working from the time I was six, doing everything from selling little pencils in school to shoveling snow in the winter and raking leaves in the fall. When I was 10, I was an apprentice electrician and I used to wire PX cable in abandoned buildings in the Bronx.” When plenty of kids were trading baseball cards, John was spending most of his time developing his business skills and developing a client base. There were plenty of hurdles along the way. John is dyslexic, so school subjects such as reading and spelling created massive difficulties for the struggling student. His immigrant parents, who had encouraged him to work hard and never give up, got divorced and his father completely abandoned the family.

At the age of 10, John became the man of the house and, safe to say, had far more responsibilities than the typical fifth grader. John continued working through his teenage years by waiting tables at Red Lobster instead of going to college. The young entrepreneur realized that he simply could not afford higher education and he’d have to make his own success instead of going down a more conventional career path. John and a few friends got their big break when they decided to start a clothing company called FUBU (“For Us By Us”), which they envisioned as embodying a culture rather than just a design style. Early success came in unexpected places; FUBU products were a huge hit in Japan. Pretty soon, famed American musicians such as Miss Jones and Brand Nubian wore FUBU apparel in their music videos and the brand skyrocketed. In just a few years’ time, John had millions of dollars in orders, a major distribution deal, and the backing of LL Cool J and his manager Charles Fisher.

Between FUBU and Shark Tank, John could retire tomorrow and spend his days in luxurious solitude. But, John is committed to paying it forward to the next generation of entrepreneurs and creators. On October 24, the television personality held a virtual event called “Black Entrepreneurs Day” where he selected nine African American entrepreneurs to receive $25,000 grants to launch/support their businesses.  In an interview with Forbes, John explained his motivation: “You see people out there burning businesses when they should be building them…People of color need more inspiration and more of the right inspiration, instead of letting out frustrations and disappointment in today’s current environment in a negative way.” John continues to give back to the community, sponsoring grants to aspiring innovators and mentoring young, talented individuals to become the best version of themselves they could possibly be.

Daymond John’s story illustrates the payoff of hard work, and the importance of never giving up even when faced with extraordinary difficulties. John could’ve let his dyslexia, family difficulties, and financial problems get the best of him, but the businessman refused to give up and strived to do better. He had plenty of help along the way and continues to pay it forward by helping young entrepreneurs that face some of the same struggles that he faced.

And for his hard work and tireless efforts to give struggling business owners and inventors a hand up, Daymond John is a Profile in Courage.