John Paul DeJoria served in our United States Navy. He had several jobs following his military service, including working as a janitor and selling encyclopedias door to door.
After being fired for opposing his employer’s policy of testing their products on animals, DeJoria found himself homeless, living out of his car and recycling bottles to feed his son. He took out a $700 loan to start his own company, and he is now a multi-billionaire. Some of his companies include the Paul Mitchell line of hair products, the Patron Spirits Company and the House of Blues nightclub chain. He has also been one of the featured investors on the “Shark Tank” television series.
DeJoria joined the Navy right out of high school. He credits much of his success to lessons he learned while serving in the military. “I was common kid. But they taught common people like me how to work together as a team and achieve extraordinary results.”
DeJoria’s personal motto is “Success Unshared is Failure”. His spirit of generosity was developed at an early age by his mother. He shares a heartwarming story about his mother directing he and his brother to put a dime in the Salvation Army kettle. The Paul Mitchell Company has donated more than $27 million to charities. His Peace, Love and Happiness family foundation supports a variety of causes addressing the needs of homeless, Veterans, environmental and animal conservation.
DeJoria’s life story is one of grit, determination and resiliency. “When ten doors are slammed in your face, go to door eleven. ENTHUSIASTICALLY, with a smile on your face.” He believes that with the encouragement of the American way of life, we can achieve unbelievable things. If door to door sales jobs were still available, he would insist that all of his children and grandchildren try it for a while because there are so many lessons to be learned.
TAKEAWAY: “Be nice, be kind..even to jerks.”