By: Thomas Haire
The ‘Godfather of Urban Fashion’ and ‘Shark Tank’ TV star Daymond John takes a crack at the DRTV business.
Besides creating FUBU, my greatest professional accomplishment has to be making the initial transition from that success and creating more brands,” says Daymond John, New York-based founder of urban fashion brand FUBU, star of the ABC television series “Shark Tank” and owner of Daymond John’s Shark Branding. “I refused to be a one-hit wonder. I wanted to set a career and a lifestyle for myself, and continue to succeed.”
Succeed, he has. Aside from FUBU (which has amassed more than $6 billion in global sales)and Daymond John’s Shark Branding, he has a hand in the Coogi, Heatherette and DrunknMunky clothing brands, and is author of two books including 2007’s, “Display of Power: How FUBU Changed a World of Fashion, Branding and Lifestyle.”
But it was his initial foray into business, creating the FUBU brand (FUBU stands for “For Us, By Us”), that entrepreneurs anywhere can relate with. The personal investment and hard work that helped create a brand that hit $350 million in annual revenue — and a willingness to share his experience and expertise — made him a popular contact for new businessmen even before ABC cast him as one of the “sharks” on the popular TV series.
“I jumped into consulting and public speaking because there’s always something in it for me. I truly want to give back,” John says. “I wrote two books, knowing that publishing is usually a money-losing proposition, to try to help people. I have the kind of personality where I always push the limits with what I do. With speaking, I am always trying to perfect the art of it, but at my best, I always feel I’m only 50 percent of the way there.”
