{"id":13479,"date":"2026-05-21T01:52:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T01:52:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=13479"},"modified":"2026-05-21T01:52:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T01:52:29","slug":"john-paul-dejorias-path-from-homelessness-to-billionaire-status","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=13479","title":{"rendered":"John Paul DeJoria&#8217;s Path From Homelessness to Billionaire Status"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>John Paul DeJoria has lived one hell of a life. The billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist co-founded John Paul Mitchell Systems with just $700 and later helped build Patr\u00f3n into a category-defining brand. His memoir, <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Success-Unshared-Failure-John-DeJoria-ebook\/dp\/B0GKPWLB4H\/ref=sr_1_1\">Success Unshared is Failure<\/a>, comes out June 30 and traces a life that spans homelessness to mindblowing success, digging deep into his philosophy of social responsibility and relentless drive. He joined me on How Success Happens to tell his remarkable story, and I\u2019ve broken down his insights to help inspire your next big swing <strong><strong><span style=\"color: red\">three, two, one!<\/span><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-listen-here\">Listen Here<\/h2>\n<p><iframe frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/playlist.megaphone.fm?e=EML2143839342\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Subscribe now:\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/how-success-happens\/id1288418637\">Apple<\/a>\u00a0|<a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/7zAcFs6B1nwjGXPTpK6gPB?si=Kh-jG4ZZS_u0V92JhcsTvQ&amp;nd=1&amp;dlsi=1b7da5539ac742f3\">\u00a0Spotify<\/a>\u00a0|<a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@EntrepreneurPodcasts\">\u00a0YouTube<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-three-key-insights\"><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><span style=\"color: red\">Three<\/span> <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>Key Insights<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-rejection-is-a-toll-booth-not-a-dead-end-nbsp-nbsp\">1. Rejection Is a Toll Booth, Not a Dead End\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>DeJoria says entrepreneurs have to stop treating \u201cno\u201d like a verdict. \u201cBe prepared for rejection,\u201d he advises, and recalled the importance of staying just as enthusiastic on the next try, even after getting dozens of nos while selling encyclopedias door-to-door. That try, try, try mindset helped him keep going when he was broke and living in his car. It kept him going as he launched Paul Mitchell and was trying to get people to try a product he knew in his heart was excellent. His larger point is simple: persistence is not motivational poster b.s. \u2014 it has to be a part of your operating system.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Takeaway: <\/strong>Treat every no as part of the price of admission to be in this game, then show up to your next at-bat ready to swing.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-build-for-the-reorder-not-the-first-sale-nbsp-nbsp\">2. Build for the Reorder, Not the First Sale\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>DeJoria said something every founder should tape to a wall: \u201cMake sure that you don\u2019t go into the <em>selling<\/em> business. Go into the <em>reorder<\/em> business.\u201d He believed Paul Mitchell would survive hardship because \u201cif I had enough people trying my product out, it was so darn good they would reorder,\u201d and he carried that same logic into Patr\u00f3n, even when people said a $37.95 bottle of tequila was too expensive. The experts told him the brand would never top 20,000 cases a year. By the time he sold it, they were selling 3.5 million a year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Takeaway: <\/strong>Make your product or service so good that customers will enthusiastically come back without being pushed. That\u2019s how scale happens.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-success-means-more-when-it-s-shared-nbsp-nbsp\">3. Success Means More When It\u2019s Shared\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>The title of DeJoria\u2019s memoir is also his personal philosophy: Success unshared is failure. He traced that belief back to his childhood, when his mother, despite being poor, had him donate a dime to the Salvation Army. She told him there would always be people more in need than you. Today, that lesson shows up in his <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peacelovehappinessfoundation.org\/\">Peace, Love &amp; Happiness Foundation<\/a>, which supports human and animal needs, and in the broader giving work he described around homelessness, hunger, and environmental causes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Takeaway:<\/strong> Decide now how your success will help other people, even before the big payday arrives.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/info.entrepreneur.com\/hsh\">Subscribe to the free\u00a0How Success Happens\u00a0Newsletter<\/a> for weekly inspiration.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-two-free-resources-to-learn-more\"><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><span style=\"color: red\">Two<\/span> <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>Free Resources to Learn More<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Buy or pre-order <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Success-Unshared-Failure-John-DeJoria-ebook\/dp\/B0GKPWLB4H\/ref=sr_1_1\">Success Unshared is Failure<\/a> to get his remarkable full life story.<\/li>\n<li>Learn how giving back can become the biggest driver of your company\u2019s success.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-one-question-to-ponder\"><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><span style=\"color: red\">One<\/span><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong> Question to Ponder<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>What is a hardship that, later in life, you realize was an invaluable training moment for you?<\/p>\n<p>Send your answer to howsuccesshappens@entrepreneur.com, and we\u2019ll read selected responses on a future episode.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-about-how-success-happens-nbsp-nbsp\">About How Success Happens\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>Each episode of How Success Happens shares the inspiring, entertaining, and unexpected journeys that influential leaders in business, the arts, and sports traveled on their way to becoming household names. It\u2019s a reminder that behind every big-time career, there is a person who persisted in the face of self-doubt, failure, and anything else that got thrown in their way.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>John Paul DeJoria has lived one hell of a life. The billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist co-founded John Paul Mitchell Systems with just $700 and later helped build Patr\u00f3n into a category-defining brand. His memoir, <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Success-Unshared-Failure-John-DeJoria-ebook\/dp\/B0GKPWLB4H\/ref=sr_1_1\">Success Unshared is Failure<\/a>, comes out June 30 and traces a life that spans homelessness to mindblowing success, digging deep into his philosophy of social responsibility and relentless drive. He joined me on How Success Happens to tell his remarkable story, and I\u2019ve broken down his insights to help inspire your next big swing <strong><strong><span style=\"color: red\">three, two, one!<\/span><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-listen-here\">Listen Here<\/h2>\n<p><iframe frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/playlist.megaphone.fm?e=EML2143839342\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Subscribe now:\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/how-success-happens\/id1288418637\">Apple<\/a>\u00a0|<a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/7zAcFs6B1nwjGXPTpK6gPB?si=Kh-jG4ZZS_u0V92JhcsTvQ&amp;nd=1&amp;dlsi=1b7da5539ac742f3\">\u00a0Spotify<\/a>\u00a0|<a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@EntrepreneurPodcasts\">\u00a0YouTube<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-three-key-insights\"><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><span style=\"color: red\">Three<\/span> <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>Key Insights<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-rejection-is-a-toll-booth-not-a-dead-end-nbsp-nbsp\">1. Rejection Is a Toll Booth, Not a Dead End\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>DeJoria says entrepreneurs have to stop treating \u201cno\u201d like a verdict. \u201cBe prepared for rejection,\u201d he advises, and recalled the importance of staying just as enthusiastic on the next try, even after getting dozens of nos while selling encyclopedias door-to-door. That try, try, try mindset helped him keep going when he was broke and living in his car. It kept him going as he launched Paul Mitchell and was trying to get people to try a product he knew in his heart was excellent. His larger point is simple: persistence is not motivational poster b.s. \u2014 it has to be a part of your operating system.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/business-news\/john-paul-dejoria-started-a-business-with-just-700-now-hes-a-billionaire\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>John Paul DeJoria has lived one hell of a life. The billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist co-founded John Paul Mitchell Systems with just $700 and later helped build Patr\u00f3n into a category-defining brand. His memoir, Success Unshared is Failure, comes out June 30 and traces a life that spans homelessness to mindblowing success, digging deep into<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13480,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-green-brands"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13479\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}