Daymond Garfield John[1] (born February 23, 1969) is an American businessman, investor, and television personality. He is aninvestor on theABC reality television seriesShark Tank. He is the founder, president, andchief executive officer ofFUBU, and is the founder of The Shark Group.
John was born February 23, 1969, inBrooklyn, New York City,[2] but grew up in theHollis neighborhood ofQueens and attendedCatholic school for seven years.[3][4] He began working at the age of 10, when his parents divorced; one early job entailed handing out flyers for $2 ($8.38 in 2023)[5] an hour.[6][7] In high school, he participated in a program that allowed him to work a full-time job and attend school on an alternating weekly basis, which he credits with instilling an entrepreneurial spirit.[8] After graduating from high school, he started a commuter van service and waited tables atRed Lobster.[3][6] When John was 16, his mother had a boyfriend, an attorney, whom he considered a stepfather and mentor.[9]
John startedFUBU in his mother's house inHollis, Queens.[10] When John first had the idea for a clothing company for young men, his mother taught him how to sew and supported him by allowing her house to be taken over to grow the business.[11]
Wool ski hats with their tops tied off with fishing line were popular at the time, and John noticed them being sold for $20, which he considered overpriced.[12] He went home and sewed about 90 hats with his next-door neighbor.[13] They sold their homemade hats for $10 each on the corner of Jamaica Avenue and made $800 in a single day in 1992.[14][15] After the hats, they began sellingscreen-printedT-shirts. To break into the market, they soldon consignment and at large events around the Northeast.[10] To make ends meet, John held a full-time job atRed Lobster, working on the FUBU business in between shifts.[16]
In addition to Brown, he recruited longtime friends J. Alexander Martin and Keith Perrin into the business, and began sewing the FUBU logo onto hockey jerseys, sweatshirts, and T-shirts.[15] They loaned about 10 of the hockey jerseys out to rappers for their music videos for two years and got product placements in about 30 videos.[17][18] John related that due to these placements, they were being perceived as a large and visible clothing brand, and stores started requesting their products.[10] In 1993, he convincedLL Cool J, an old neighborhood friend, to wear a FUBU T-shirt for a promotional campaign.[19] Later, while filming a 30-second advertising spot forThe Gap,LL Cool J wore a FUBU hat in the commercial and incorporated the line "for us, by us" in his rapping.[16][20]
In 1994, John and his business partners received $300,000 in retailers' orders at the Las Vegas fashion trade showMagic.[10] Needing capital to make the products, John and his mother obtained a second mortgage on their house—a strategy John would later decline to recommend, as he had risked losing ownership of the house.[10][17] After being turned down by 26 or 27 banks for a loan, his mother used the last of their money to take out an advertisement inThe New York Times.[10][17] As a result of the ad, FUBU made a deal with Samsung Textiles, allowing them to complete their orders.[10][17]
FUBU has earned over $6 billion in global sales.[21]
In 2009, John received a call from Mark Burnett asking him to join the cast of ABC's new reality business showShark Tank, which gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their businesses to investors, or "Sharks" in the hopes of receiving an investment. As of early 2025, Shark Tank has run for 16 seasons.[23] John has invested $8,567,000 of his own money inShark Tank companies as of May 12, 2017.[24][25][26][27] His favorite investments on record by 2015 wereAl "Bubba" Baker's boneless ribs andBombas socks.[28]Shark Tank has won 5Emmy Awards and has been nominated 25 times.[29] The show wonOutstanding Reality Program from 2012 to 2014.[30]
On Season 5 ofShark Tank, John invested in Bubba's-Q Boneless Ribs on and helped grow the company from $154,000 in sales to $16 million in 3 years.[31] In 2017, Bubba's-Q Boneless Ribs partnered up withCarl's Jr. to create the limited-edition Baby Back Rib Burger.[31] In 2023, the LA Times published an article based on interviews with the Baker family, the owners of Bubba-Q's, where they expressed great dissatisfaction in dealing with John and his investment company.[32] A permanent restraining order was later issued against the Bakers by federal judgeRobert B. Kugler, who found that they had violated a 2019 settlement agreement requiring all parties to work together and not air their disagreements publicly.[33]
John also made a unique deal with 15-year-old Moziah "Mo" Bridges, owner of Mo's Bows. John decided not to invest in Mo's Bows but instead to mentor the young entrepreneur.[34][35] The company would eventually take on a seven-figure licensing partnership with the NBA to create bow ties that use the teams' logos.[36]
On Season 6 of the show, John invested inBombas socks. For every pair of socks sold, the company donates a pair to someone in need.[37][38] Following his investment, total sales for the company increased from $450,000 in the first nine months to $12 million.[39] As of May 2023, it is the best-sellingShark Tank product of all time, with $1.3 billion in cumulative sales according toSony Pictures Television.[40] He also invested in Sun-Staches, which would subsequently make $4.2 million in sales.[31][41]
John is the CEO and founder of The Shark Group, a brand management and consulting firm.[42] The Shark Group has received fourWebby Awards and a nomination for their work onBlack Entrepreneurs Day.[43][44]
In 2015, John co-founded Daymond John's Success Formula, a program designed to teach business owners and entrepreneurs how to start and grow their business.[48]
In September 2019, Daymond John's Success Formula[49] rebranded to Next Level Success.[50]
In 2020, Daymond John created and launchedBlack Entrepreneurs Day, an event aimed at promoting and encouraging entrepreneurship andblack-owned business.[52] According toPeople, John got the idea for Black Entrepreneurs Day after considering how he could make change in the wake of theGeorge Floyd protests, and to channel frustration over inequities into positive change,[52] as well as to "celebrate" black business owners.[53] The event is held at theApollo Theater inHarlem.[53] It is held in partnership with theNAACP and corporate sponsors[52] and features black business owners and celebrities.[52]
John has released five books:Display of Power,The Brand Within,The Power of Broke,Rise and Grind and 'Powershift'.
Display of Power[56] is written by Daymond John with New York Times best-selling collaborator,Daniel Paisner.[57]Display of Power tells how four ordinary guys from Queens, New York, rose from street corners to corner offices and became the greatest trendsetters of their generation.[57]
The Brand Within: The Power of Branding from Birth to the Boardroom (2010),[58] examines the loyalty relationships companies and celebrities seek to establish with their customers and fans, along with the identifying marks consumers carry when they buy into a brand or lifestyle.[59]
The Power of Broke: How Empty Pockets, a Tight Budget, and a Hunger for Success Can Become Your Greatest Competitive Advantage was written by John in 2016.[60] John features various success stories from entrepreneurs such as Kevin Plank, Steve Aoki, Gigi Butler and Mo Bridges.[61]The Power of Broke appeared on theWall Street Journal[61] andNew York Times[62] bestseller lists, and received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Instructional Literary Work.[63]
Rise and Grind: Outperform, Outwork, and Outhustle Your Way to a More Successful and Rewarding Life was released in January 2018.[64]Rise and Grind became a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-seller.[65][66]
Little Daymond Learns to Earn was released in March 2023.Little Daymond became a New York Times best-seller.[67]
John is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author.[68][69]
John has received numerous awards, includingBrandweek Marketer of the Year, theNAACP Entrepreneurs of the Year Award (which he won twice), theAdvertising Age Marketing 1000 Award for Outstanding Ad Campaign, the Essence Award,Crain's New York Business Forty Under Forty Award,Ernst & Young's New York Entrepreneur of the Year Award, theBrandeis University International Business School's Asper Award for Excellence in Global Entrepreneurship,Details 50 Most Influential Men, and theCongressional Achievement Award for Entrepreneurship (which he won twice).[16][24][70][71][72]
Display of Power: How Fubu Changed a World of Fashion, Branding and Lifestyle (Naked Ink, 2007)ISBN978-1595558534
The Brand Within: The Power of Branding from Birth to the Boardroom (Display of Power Publishing, 2010)ISBN978-0982596210
The Power of Broke: How Empty Pockets, a Tight Budget, and a Hunger for Success Can Become Your Greatest Competitive Advantage, with Daniel Paisne (Crown Business, 2016)ISBN978-1101903599
Rise and Grind: Outperform, Outwork, and Outhustle Your Way to a More Successful and Rewarding Life, with Daniel Paisne (Currency, 2018)ISBN978-0804189958
John admitted that he was an absentee husband during his first marriage, telling a CNBC reporter that his wife "literally saw me on TV more than she saw me in person".[2] He attributed his absence from his wife and children to a combination of work and socializing.[2]
In 2018, John married Heather Taras, his second wife, with whom he has a daughter. He has two daughters from his first marriage.[2][74][75]
John is on the Board of Overseers and volunteer as a host or judge atNFTE events.[80][81] NFTE is a global organization with chapters in 12 countries that teaches the value of entrepreneurship and core competencies to students in low income areas.[82]
John has supported other efforts to encourage black entrepreneurship, including Barack Obama'sMy Brother's Keeper Challenge,[83] and he was involved inMichelle Obama's college initiative on National Signing Day, celebrating high school students pursuing higher education, held atTemple University.[83]
On April 22, 2021, after attending the funeral forDMX, John posted a message toTwitter praisingLouis Farrakhan, stating that the minister's speech was “powerful” and that his “deep understanding of the Bible and respect for other people’s religions was truly inspiring.”[84]
"In regards to my tweet regarding DMXs funeral, my comments on Minister Farrakhan were only related to what I just witnessed tonight, unbeknownst to his prior stances...As someone who was fortunate enough to have a step dad of the Jewish faith, I do not condone and never would condone any anti Semitic, prejudice or any remarks of hatred. The prior tweet will be removed to avoid further pain and confusion to anyone who has felt hurt in the past by any negative comments of his."
^John, Daymond; Paisner, Daniel (March 24, 2015).Display of power : how FUBU changed a world of fashion, branding, and lifestyle. Franklin, Tennessee.ISBN9781939447678.OCLC898925544.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^John, Daymond; Paisner, Daniel (2010).The brand within : the power of branding from birth to the boardroom. New York, N.Y.: Display of Power Pub.ISBN9780982596210.OCLC526069434.
^Cramer, James (April 1, 2010).The Brand Within: The Power of Branding from Birth to the Boardroom. New York, N.Y.: Display of Power Publishing, Inc.ISBN9780982596210.
^John, Daymond; Paisner, Daniel (2016).The power of broke : how empty pockets, a tight budget, and a hunger for success can become your greatest competitive advantage (First ed.). New York.ISBN9781101903599.OCLC919041663.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^John, Daymond; Paisner, Daniel (2018).Rise and Grind: Outperform, Outwork, and Outhustle Your Way to a More Successful and Rewarding Life (First ed.). New York.ISBN9780804189958.OCLC1001564003.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Pulaski, Steve (August 26, 2024)."The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2005) review".The Official Steve Pulaski Website - Film reviews, radio, and more by Steve Pulaski. RetrievedFebruary 14, 2025.
The Power of Broke: How Empty Pockets, a Tight Budget and a Hunger for Success Can Become Your Greatest Competitive Advantage –Daymond John andDaniel Paisner (2016)
Rise and Grind: Outperform, Outwork, and Outhustle Your Way to a More Successful and Rewarding Life –Daymond John andDaniel Paisner (2018)
Your Next Level Life: 7 Rules of Power, Confidence, and Opportunity for Black Women in America – Karen Arrington, Joanna Price, and Sheryl Taylor (2019)
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