An entrepreneur in every sense of the word, Daymond John has come a long way from taking out a $100,000 mortgage on his mother’s house in queens and moving his operation into the basement. John is CEO and Founder of FUBU, a much-celebrated global lifestyle brand, and a pioneer in the fashion industry with over $6 billion in product sales. He is an award-winning entrepreneur, and he has received over 35 awards including the Brandweek Marketer of the Year, Advertising Age Marketing 1000 Award for Outstanding Ad Campaign, Ernst & Young’s New York Entrepreneur of the Year Award and, most recently, was named #4 of LinkedIn’s Top Voices list behind Melinda Gates, Adam Grant and Sara Blakely.
“Daymond is the face of American entrepreneurship, managing a multi-million dollar empire that encompasses fashion, media, philanthropy — even a monthly shaving club. Most recently, President Obama named him “Global Ambassador of Entrepreneurship” — a move John says he never could have imagined when he was growing up.” -CNN
Founded by Daymond in 1992, FUBU ‘For Us By Us’ became synonymous with hip-hop. But the glitz belied the brand’s humble beginnings. Daymond started off sewing sweatshirts and hats at home where he was raised by his single mom. Against the odds, his clothing line and the music he loved became ubiquitous and FUBU was sold for hundreds of millions of dollars.
Daymonds’s marketing strategies and ability to build successful brands has made him a highly influential consultant and motivational speaker today. His marketing firm The Shark Group offers advice on how to effectively communicate to consumers through innovative means and connects brands with the world’s top celebrities for everything from endorsements to product extensions. John is also an author of four best-selling books including his New York Times best-selling books, The Power of Broke (2016) and Rise and Grind (2018). In March 2020, John released his fifth book, Powershift, that walks through his tried and true process of how to transform any situation, close any deal and achieve any outcome through his own experience and vast network of industry leaders.
Throughout his eleven seasons on the show, Daymond has given countless aspiring entrepreneurs the opportunity to work alongside him and his team, showing them what they need to take their businesses to the next level. As the most watched TV program on Friday nights, Shark Tank has maintained an impressive average weekly viewership of over 8 million and has won 4 Emmy Awards. Daymond has made hundreds of deals with hopeful entrepreneurs. He has invested in 60-plus businesses on Shark Tank, and many of those companies have gone on to achieve incredible success with Daymond’s help including the shows most successful company Bombas socks.
