His mother, no longer able to provide for him, turned him over to the foster care system. At 22, he was homeless with a two-year-old son to care for.
The only way he could go was up. With $700 start-up cash, he pursued his vision.
Paul Mitchell hair products and eventually Patrón tequila.
One of the most significant traits of his success, he says, was overcoming rejection.
“You’ve got to be prepared in life for a lot of rejections.”
Pointing to a time, he had to sell encyclopedias door-to-door to put food on the table. Many doors, literally, closed in his face. As a result, he came to expect rejection, which proved to be beneficial, as he learned this:
“You must be just as enthusiastic on door 51 as you were on door 50, even if all 50 of those doors are closed in your face!”
John Paul DeJoria’s journey from homeless to entrepreneur and philanthropist – now you know…the rest of the story.
