Currently, John Paul DeJoria is a billionaire businessman, environmentalist and philanthropist. However, the co-founder of the hair-care company John Paul Mitchell Systems and high-end Patrón Spirits didn’t always have billions to his name. His is an inspiring and a true rags to riches story.
John Paul Jones DeJoria was born to an Italian immigrant father and a Greek immigrant mother on April 13, 1944, in the Echo Park neighbourhood of Los Angeles, California.
Career
After high school and service with honours in the U.S. Navy, John Paul did whatever it took to make ends meet—from selling encyclopaedias and working as a janitor to pumping gasoline. He was even homeless at one time.
Eventually, John Paul took his talents to different hair care and cosmetic companies before becoming an independent consultant. DeJoria entered the world of hair care as an entry-level employee of Redken Laboratories. He was fired from this position. In 1980, he formed John Paul Mitchell Systems with hairdresser Paul Mitchell and a loan for $700 and while living in a 20-year-old Rolls Royce automobile.
DeJoria co-founded the Patrón Spirits Company in 1989, is a founding partner of the House of Blues nightclub chain, and has interests in various other sectors. In 2008, DeJoria became an advisory board member for The Beauty Channel; a streaming beauty and fashion-focused television station. He has also been active in the film industry as an executive producer and actor.
3 Rules for Success
According to an article by CNBC, his three rules for success are:
- Always be prepared for rejection: he advises us to take rejection as a stepping stone towards success. He says, “You will knock on doors, and many will close on you. There will be people who don’t like your product, your company — or you. To be successful, you must remain as confident and enthusiastic on door No. 59 as you were on door No. 1.”
- Make sure your product or service is the best it can be: DeJoria is of the opinion that hard work gets you the best results, he says, “always remember you don’t want to be in the product business. You want to be in the reorder business.”
- Helping others is good for you—and your business: “By helping others, you are creating future customers and inspiring employee loyalty. Customers like to be involved with people and businesses that donate their time to help others, save the planet and make a difference,” says DeJoria.
His story is one of failure, rejection, perseverance, and success. Future entrepreneurs have much to learn and adopt from his story.
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Paul_DeJoria
https://www.forbes.com/profile/john-paul-dejoria/
https://joinupdots.com/podcast/john-paul-dejoria-from-homeless-to-a-billionaire/
Entrepreneurship Development Cell 
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