Recruiting, applying for grad programs, and building a business are all tough and grueling processes. When you are on cold email number 400, and you still haven’t landed a job yet, things start to take a toll on you. I remember getting frustrated with the process. The purpose of the Rags to Riches section is to remind us of the struggles successful people have faced. Things don’t come easy, and these short stories are to remind us to keep pushing. Patron and Paul Mitchell founder: John Paul DeJoria didn’t have it easy either, he has been homeless twice!
Not many successful people take great pleasure in using their money to help the less fortunate. Not many people measure their success by how happy they are and how much they have been able to help out where they can. DeJoria is one of those exceptional billionaires that believe in helping the less fortunate, after all, he isn’t new to being down on his luck!
JPD is an American billionaire, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He is best known for co-founding companies; the Patron Spirits and the Paul Mitchell line of hair products.
The Struggles (Rags)
John Paul Jones DeJoria was born in April 1944 in sunny Los Angeles, California. His father was an Italian immigrant and his mother was Greek.
DeJoria understands clearly what it means to be down and out. By the time he was two, his parents had divorced. His mother struggled to raise him and his older brother. At the tender age of nine, he had to go to work with his brother selling newspapers and Christmas cards to help support his family. At one point, he and his brother had to be sent to a foster home because their mother was unable to support them.
“If you expect free lunch to come your way, you’re not going to go far and you’ll be very bored. Go out there and do something. Get involved”
John Paul DeJoria
DeJoria did a two-year stint in the US Navy. He served on the USS Hornet. After his time in the Navy, he worked numerous jobs including an insurance salesman, janitor, and encyclopedia salesman. He also sold shampoo door-to-door.
The Big Break (Riches)
DeJoria joined Redken Laboratories at the entry-level but soon lost his job when he got himself fired. In 1989, he partnered with Paul Mitchell, a hairdresser to form the John Paul Mitchell Systems. They did this with a $700 loan. At the time he was homeless and had to live out of a car. The two managed to turn the $700 business into the billion-dollar business it is today.
His partner Paul Mitchell died in 1989. That same year, DeJoria partnered with Martin Crowley to acquire a stake in Patron. In 2018, the company was sold to Bacardi in a whopping $5.1 billion deal!
DeJoria attributes his success to three rules: Being prepared for rejection, ensuring that your product or service is the absolute best, and helping out others.
DeJoria is one of the richest men in America with a worth of over $3 billion. But, wealth is not what keeps him motivated. Sure, it is good to be blessed but he strongly believes that true happiness can only be found when we help the less fortunate. From a young age, his mother stamped it in his brain that no matter how needy you are, there is always someone less fortunate and so you should strive to help out when you can.
DeJoria is serious about his charity. He is part of over 160 charities around the world. He is so serious that in 2011, he signed the Bill Gates and Warren Buffett’s “The Giving Pledge” where he gives half his earnings to try and make the world a better place.
Our Favorite Quote
“The biggest hurdle is rejection. Any business you start, be ready for it. The difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is that successful people do all the things the unsuccessful people don’t want to do. When 10 doors are slammed in your face, go to door number 11 enthusiastically, with a smile on your face.”
John Paul Jones DeJoria
The homeless Parton founder dug himself out of the ground and ran through any obstacles that were in his way. Being homeless did not slow the grit and determination of JPD.
Need some more motivation? Check out Sylvester Stallone’s story, you’ll feel like Rocky afterward.
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