Daymond John facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Daymond John
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John in 2023
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| Born |
Daymond Garfield John
February 23, 1969 New York City, U.S.
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| Known for | CEO and founder of FUBU |
| Spouse(s) |
Heather Taras
(m. 2018) |
| Children | 3 |
Daymond Garfield John (born February 23, 1969) is an American businessman, investor, and television personality. He is famous for being an investor on the ABC reality TV show Shark Tank. Daymond John is also the founder and CEO of FUBU, a popular clothing company. He also started The Shark Group, a company that helps other brands.
Contents
Early Life and First Steps
Daymond John was born on February 23, 1969, in Brooklyn, New York City. He grew up in Hollis, a neighborhood in Queens. He went to Catholic school for seven years. Daymond started working when he was just 10 years old. One of his first jobs was handing out flyers for $2 an hour.
In high school, he joined a special program. This program let him work a full-time job and go to school on different weeks. Daymond says this program helped him learn how to be an entrepreneur. After high school, he started a van service for commuters. He also worked as a waiter at Red Lobster. When Daymond was 16, his mother's boyfriend, who was a lawyer, became a mentor to him.
Building a Business Empire
Starting FUBU: For Us, By Us
Daymond John started his clothing company, FUBU, right from his mother's house in Hollis. When he first thought of making clothes for young men, his mom taught him how to sew. She also let him take over her house to grow the business.
One day, Daymond noticed wool ski hats were very popular but expensive. He thought he could make them for less. So, he and his neighbor sewed about 90 hats. They sold these homemade hats for $10 each on a street corner. In 1992, they made $800 in just one day! After the hats, they started selling screen-printed T-shirts. To get their clothes known, they sold them at big events. Daymond also kept his job at Red Lobster to earn money while working on FUBU.
Daymond brought his friends J. Alexander Martin and Keith Perrin into the business. They started sewing the FUBU logo onto hockey jerseys, sweatshirts, and T-shirts. They gave about 10 of their hockey jerseys to rappers for their music videos. For two years, FUBU clothes appeared in about 30 music videos. This made people think FUBU was a big, well-known brand. Stores then started asking for their products. In 1993, LL Cool J, a famous rapper and old friend, wore a FUBU T-shirt for a promotion. Later, LL Cool J even wore a FUBU hat in a commercial for The Gap and said "for us, by us" in his rap.
In 1994, Daymond and his partners got $300,000 in orders from stores at a fashion show in Las Vegas. To make the clothes, Daymond and his mother took out a second mortgage on their house. This meant they risked losing their home. After 27 banks said no to a loan, his mother used their last money for an ad in The New York Times. Because of this ad, FUBU made a deal with Samsung Textiles. This deal helped them make all their orders.
FUBU has now made over $6 billion in sales around the world. You can even see FUBU featured at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African-American History and Culture.
Investing on Shark Tank
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In 2009, Daymond John got a call asking him to join a new TV show called Shark Tank. This show lets entrepreneurs present their business ideas to investors, called "Sharks." The entrepreneurs hope to get money to grow their businesses. Shark Tank has been on TV for 15 seasons. Daymond John has invested millions of dollars of his own money in companies from the show. Some of his favorite investments include Al "Bubba" Baker's boneless ribs and Bombas socks. Shark Tank has won 5 Emmy Awards for being a great reality show.
On Season 5 of Shark Tank, Daymond invested in Bubba's-Q Boneless Ribs. He helped the company grow from $154,000 in sales to $16 million in just three years. In 2017, Bubba's-Q Boneless Ribs even teamed up with Carl's Jr. to make a special burger.
Daymond also made a special deal with 15-year-old Moziah "Mo" Bridges, who owned Mo's Bows. Daymond decided not to invest money but instead to guide Mo as a mentor. Mo's company later made a big deal with the NBA to create bow ties with team logos.
On Season 6, Daymond invested in Bombas socks. For every pair of socks sold, Bombas donates a pair to someone in need. After Daymond's investment, Bombas' sales grew from $450,000 to $12 million. As of 2023, Bombas is the best-selling Shark Tank product ever, with over $1.3 billion in total sales. He also invested in Sun-Staches, which later made $4.2 million in sales.
The Shark Group
Daymond John is the CEO and founder of The Shark Group. This company helps other brands with their management and advice. The Shark Group has won four Webby Awards for its work, including for Black Entrepreneurs Day.
Helping Others Succeed
Daymond John is also a popular public speaker. He shares his business knowledge with many people. He is also a brand ambassador for Shopify, an e-commerce company. In 2021, he signed a deal with Audible to create content.
In 2015, Daymond co-founded Daymond John's Success Formula. This program was created to teach business owners and new entrepreneurs how to start and grow their businesses. In 2019, the program changed its name to Next Level Success. One of the groups the program works with is the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE). This program also gives a $1,500 scholarship to two students each year. This scholarship helps inspire new young entrepreneurs.
Other Appearances
Daymond John has appeared on various TV shows. In 2022, he competed on The Masked Singer as "Fortune Teller." He also was a guest narrator at Disney's Candlelight Processional in December 2022.
Awards and Achievements
Daymond John is a best-selling author, with his books appearing on The New York Times and Wall Street Journal lists.
He has received many awards, including:
- Brandweek Marketer of the Year
- The NAACP Entrepreneurs of the Year Award (twice)
- The Advertising Age Marketing 1000 Award
- The Essence Award
- Crain's New York Business Forty Under Forty Award
- Ernst & Young's New York Entrepreneur of the Year Award
- The Brandeis University International Business School's Asper Award
- Details 50 Most Influential Men
- The Congressional Achievement Award for Entrepreneurship (twice)
In 2015, President Obama chose Daymond John to be part of the Presidential Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship program. This program helps support entrepreneurs who might not have many opportunities.
Personal Life
Daymond John married Heather Taras in 2018. They have a daughter together. He also has two daughters from his first marriage. Daymond has dyslexia, which means he learns differently. In 2017, he had surgery for thyroid cancer and recovered successfully. Daymond John is Catholic.
Giving Back
Daymond John is on the Board of Overseers for the NFTE. He volunteers as a host or judge at their events. NFTE is a global group that teaches students in low-income areas about business and important skills.
Daymond also supports other efforts to help black entrepreneurs. He was involved in Michelle Obama's college initiative, which celebrated high school students going to college.
Filmography
- Shark Tank (2009–present) as himself
- The Masked Singer (2022) as himself / Fortune Teller
