Daymond John
Daymond John was an entrepreneur from the beginning. He started designing hats and clothes at a young age and was quickly noticed as a talented designer. He created the successful fashion brand FUBU at a young age. Daymond’s extensive experience in the business world and his entrepreneurial spirit have made him a popular speaker and successful marketing and branding expert.
Daymond John has been described as a young entrepreneur, highly regarded marketing expert, industry pioneer and a man who has surpassed new heights of commercial and financial success. Over the last two decades, Daymond John (The Shark) has evolved from one of the most successful fashion icons of his generation to a highly sought after author, consultant, branding expert, and as a speaker in business and motivational genres.
Daymond’s strong knowledge of the marketplace in addition to his creative vision created one of the most iconic fashion brands in recent years. FUBU, (“For Us By Us”), represented a lifestyle that was neglected by other clothing companies. Daymond Realized this need in the marketplace and helped to create the untapped urban apparel space. This laid the groundwork for other companies to compete in this newly established market.
Daymond grew up in the community of Hollis, Queens, which was an incubator for stars of a new genre of music called Hip-Hop. Daymond was surrounded by people who gave him the inspiration to create a clothing line, which would ultimately change the fashion world.
At a young age, Daymond started making tie-top hats for himself and his friends. Realizing he was on to something, Daymond made a sizeable order of the tie-top hats, sold them on the streets of Queens and made $800 in just a few hours. A buzz for Daymond’s products arose that simply could not be ignored.
Based on that early success, Daymond recruited some of his neighborhood friends: Keith Perrin, J. Martin and Carl Brown, and FUBU was born. They created a distinctive FUBU logo and began sewing it on T-shirts, sweatshirts and hats. 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 Hip-Hop community supporting the new brand and instantly giving it credibility.
FUBU soon had a contract with the New York City-based department store chain Macy’s, and it began expanding its line to include jeans and outerwear.
The momentum of the line didn’t stop there. FUBU quickly became an international success and, in 2001, it grew almost 75 freestanding stores in countries such as Mexico, Korea, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, China, and Japan.
In an attempt to expand his fashion empire, Mr. John and his partners also acquired several other apparel companies that appealed to all different kinds of consumer bases, such as – Willie Esco, Kappa USA, Drunkin Monkey, Heatherette, Coogi and Crown Holder – just to name a few. Acquiring and operating so many diverse products slowly made Mr. John an expert in marketing and branding.
As Mr. John grew to be a sought after a speaker, his dedication to his company would not permit him the time to share his knowledge with as many people as he would of liked to, so in 2005 Daymond entered the literary world with his first book “Display of Power: How FUBU Changed A World of Fashion, Branding, And Lifestyle,” which tells the story of his awe inspiring journey and provides a roadmap for those who aspire to succeed in business and in life. He later followed up with his second book, The Brand Within: How We Brand Ourselves, From Birth To The Boardroom, which examines the loyal relationships companies seek to establish with the public by attaching celebrities to their brands and the instantaneous impulses consumers exhibit when purchasing a product.
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. On the show, Daymond demonstrates his marketing prowess and entrepreneurial insights, which have earned him his nickname as “The Shark.”
Due to the increasing amount of requests from major companies, Shark Branding was formed to provide companies with the marketing insights that have made The Shark, Daymond John’s companies successful over the years. The firm consults companies on innovative strategies to connect with their consumers more effectively by associating with the world’s most influential celebrities, musicians, and personalities.
In recognition of his contributions to fashion and the face of American business, Daymond has been honored with some of the most prestigious awards. These awads include: Brandweek Marketer of the Year, the Advertising Age Marketing 1000 Award for Outstanding Ad Campaign, the first ever Essence Award given to a company, Crain’s Business of New York Forty Under Forty Award, Ernst & Young’s New York Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the Brandeis University International Business School’s Asper Award for Excellence in Global Entrepreneurship, the NAACP Entrepreneurs of the Year Award and the Congressional Achievement Award for Entrepreneurship just to name a few.
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DAYMOND JOHN’S THREE MOST REQUESTED TOPICS
- GOALS/MOTIVATION
In this keynote, presented in his charismatic style, “The Shark” Daymond John takes audience members on an inspiring, emotional rollercoaster ride. They will hear, first-hand, how a man, with no formal business training whatsoever, went from driving cabs and waiting tables to creating a global fashion empire with retail sales exceeding four billion dollars to date and a starring role on ABC!s hit reality business show, Shark Tank. Daymond entertains and awes audience members with true-life tales of his incredible successes and numerous failures. Equally as important, he motivates, inspires, and teaches them how to set their own goals and go after them with new found focus and determination.
Audience members will be galvanized as they realize they have been setting goals for themselves all of their lives – whether they realized it or not! What’s more, to their surprise, many attendees will learn that the goals they have been setting have been self-destructive.
Unlike some “motivational speakers”, rather than spitting-out tiresome “I can make it, so can you” clichés, Daymond shares the exact goal-setting strategies that he attributes to his success and teaches audience members how to incorporate them into their endeavors. This keynote will challenge attendees to exercise their brains in a way that cultivates a positive, goal-setting mindset.
- BRANDING/MARKETING
When William Shakespeare said, “All the world’s a stage”, he was indirectly talking about branding! This informative keynote is like nothing else on the market. Sure, there are other speakers that may explain how to market and brand a product, but how many explain, step-by-step, how to brand yourself and transfer that power into your job, company or product? Do you realize that you are a brand? According to The Shark, you were branded the day you were born and continuously every second since!
In this keynote “The Shark” Daymond John gives audience members in-depth insight into how your personal brand affects all aspects of your life. Not only will attendees learn the importance of branding, Daymond will reveal some of the tricks that helped him expand his brand into dozens of countries around the globe. The techniques shared can be applied to personal branding, as well as to the branding of products and concepts.
Corporations love employees with a strong sense of branding because it inspires out-of-the-box thinking which creates an infectious energy that flows throughout the work environment. It’s no secret that the world has gotten smaller. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Foursquare, and dozens of other social websites have increased the desire for people to be noticed as a brand. Let “The Shark” Daymond John show you how.
- NEGOTIATION STRATEGIES FOR WOMEN
Women – You have more power than you may think!
Although “The Shark” Daymond John is one of the most recognized negotiators on network television and has conducted hundreds of negotiations with both men and women throughout his twenty years in business, he never planned on speaking on negotiation strategies for women. That is until California!s First Lady, Maria Shriver, called upon him to speak on this very topic for her annual Women’s Conference.
Feeling a bit out of his realm and comfort zone “The Shark” Daymond John immersed himself into researching what, if any, differences existed between how men and women negotiate with each other. In this keynote, Daymond shares what he discovered in his research and personal experiences over the years. His findings will have audience members sitting up and taking notes! According to The Shark, not only do women have several distinct advantages over men when negotiating – in both professional and personal settings, but quite a few disadvantages as well.
Daymond will share specific techniques on how to respond to today’s negotiation challenges. Not only will this keynote leave every attendee feeling empowered, more confident, and ready to tackle the world, but they will have lots of fun and laughs in the process.
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