In my book, The Brand Within, I say “At FUBU, we’re not the same company we were when we just started out”. It’s true. FUBU isn’t even the same company it was when I wrote that sentence a year ago. There isn’t a successful company out there that can go without adapting. The important thing to establish is a significant connection through each stage of your company’s transformation. Changing it up and rebranding is absolutely necessary, but you never want to abandon the followers of your previous image.

Always make sure that there is a lifeline connecting your previous self with your current self. That way you never leave the customer feeling deserted. The best musicians still perform the songs that made them famous, the great actors of our time always acknowledge the importance of their early roles, and the smart tech companies know not to leave the early adopters in the dust for the sake of product advancement. Incorporate the user, never discard them.

When you want something, you go after it. You survey your goal and you assess your talents and you formulate a plan of action to use your specific skill-set to take what’s yours. Being honest with yourself is of the utmost importance. If you delude yourself in to thinking that you can casually get what you want without even trying, then you set yourself up for failure. Know your limits, understand your weaknesses and plan around them.

I can not stress how pivotal it is that you be honest with yourself. Every business needs a person who can be depended upon and not someone who misjudges their ability to the detriment of the group. Consistent accomplishment is always praised higher that wild speculation.

Daymond John will speak at the 2010 Women’s Conference in Long Beach, CA on October 24-26.  Hosted by California First Lady Maria Shriver and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Women’s Conference® 2010 is the nation’s premier forum for women, empowering women to be Architects of Change in their own lives, their communities and the world.

Daymond will join other speakers, such as Former First Lady Laura Bush, motivational speaker and consultant Tony Robbins, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, NBC news anchor Brian Williams, and many more prominent and influential personalities. For more information regarding the conference please visit http://www.womensconference.org.

On September 11, 2010, Daymond and the rest of Team FUBU were honored in their hometown of Hollis, Queens. Inspired by Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, the Hollis Hip Hop Walk of Fame honored other influential personalities, such as Russell Simmons, RUN DMC & JMJ, and Ed Lover, for their achievements in Music & the Arts.