Fashion, Business, Entrepreneurship and humble beginnings make up Daymond John

Guest blog post by: Francisco Lopez, NY Urban Fashion Examiner

On bright and sunny day in NYC, sitting in the waiting area on the 66th floor of the Empire State Building awaits this already inspired writer as he is about to interview one of the most iconic, and accomplished men in the fashion world to ever come out of the city of New York, Daymond John.  Over the last 20 years, Daymond has evolved from one of the most successful fashion icons of his generation to one of the most sought after branding experts, business, and motivational speakers in the country.

Daymond’s creative vision and strong knowledge of the marketplace helped him create one of the most iconic fashion brands in recent years. FUBU, standing for “For Us By Us”, represented a lifestyle that was neglected by other clothing companies. Realizing this need in the marketplace, Daymond created the untapped urban apparel space and laid the groundwork for other companies to compete in this newly established market.  Daymond grew up in the community of Hollis, Queens, quickly becoming known as the birthplace of the new genre of music called Hip-Hop, with acts like RUN DMC and Salt-N-Pepa rapidly making names for themselves. The brand hit a tipping point when Daymond convinced Hollis native and Hip-Hop superstar, LL Cool J, to wear FUBU for a promotional campaign. This was the catalyst behind the entire Hip-Hop community supporting the new brand and instantly giving it credibility.

FUBU eventually recorded annual sales of $350 million, placing it in the same stratosphere as designer sportswear labels such as Donna Karan New York and Tommy Hilfiger.  In 2009, John joined the cast of the ABC entrepreneurial business show, Shark Tank, produced by acclaimed TV producer Mark Burnett. As one of the “Sharks”, Daymond and four other prominent executives listen to business pitches from everyday people hoping to launch their company or product to new heights. Investing his own money in every project, Daymond becomes partners with the entrepreneurs helping turn their dreams into a reality. Millions of viewers tune into the show as Daymond demonstrates his marketing prowess and entrepreneurial insights.
Daymond created Shark Branding, which provides companies with the marketing insights that have made Daymond’s companies successful over the years. Daymond also entered the literary world with his two books, “Display of Power” and his second book “The Brand Within”.  He has a third book on the way as well as many other business ventures in the works.

Shark Tank began last season with a huge showing with 6.9 million viewers, with outspoken co-hosts Robert Herjavec, former owner of an IT security firm, Barbara Corcoran, former owner of the real estate company, The Corcoran Group, Kevin O'Leary, co-host of CBC's The Lang and O'Leary Exchange, and former president of The Learning Company, Kevin Harrington, pioneer in the infomercial industry, Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Landmark Theatres, and chairman of the HDTV cable network HDNet, Jeff Foxworthy, Grammy Award winner, author and TV host and Daymond John, founder of the clothing company FUBU, this season will be full of scheming, back handed deals, arguments, hurt feeling and a lot of money to be invested.  Season 3 of Shark Tank starts Friday January 20th at 8:00pm on ABC.
I spent a few with Mr. Daymond John as we discussed FUBU, Shark Tank and advice on business here is a sample of our discussion:
There was a long standing rumor that you and your partners at FUBU sold the company and no longer get along, is that true?
We do still get along and we still hangout.  We all have different things that we’re doing, do we fight? Yes, but at the end we’re brothers and we will always be brothers and partners.