From Homeless To Billionaire

 


Meet the cofounder of John Paul Mitchell Systems and Patrón Spirits!

John Paul DeJoria co-founder of John Paul Mitchell Systems and Patron Spirits shared his inspiring journey with me during an interview when I was a talk show host for The Assignment America Radio Show.

At 73, DeJoria boasts a net worth of $3.1 billion! But his journey wasn't easy—he faced homelessness twice, even living in his car.  In 1980, he teamed up with Paul Mitchell to create John Paul Mitchell Systems from just $700. Despite losing Mitchell to cancer, the brand thrives today with a whopping $1 billion in annual revenue!   A true philanthropist, he's signed the "Giving Pledge," donating 50% of his earnings to over 160 charities worldwide.

From the start, DeJoria stayed true to his beliefs.  A devoted animal lover, he promised never to test on animals—he tests on himself instead! 

Once a homeless single father, now a Malibu millionaire with all the toys.  How? He works hard and gives back more than he receives!  Every business choice aligns with philanthropy!

“Success means being the best at what you do,” DeJoria asserts. “And remember, success unshared is failure.”  He’s said in many interviews.

He isn’t a perfect man, nor has he ever claimed to be, but his positive attitude has pulled him up in tough times and pushed him to the top of any field he’s pursued. A father of four, he believes in learning from mistakes and failures. “In the end, everything will be ok,” DeJoria says. “And, if it’s not ok, it’s not the end.” 

Back to his thoughts on success: “You may not have a lot of money, but do you do something to help somebody else out? That’s success."

Elizabeth Kilbride is a Writer and Editor with 40 years of experience in writing, 12 of which are in the online content sphere. Author of 5 books and a Graduate with an Associate of Arts degree in Business Management, a bachelor’s in mass communication and cyber-analysis, a master’s in criminology with emphasis on Cybercrime and Identity Theft and is currently studying for her Ph.D. degree in Criminology. Her work portfolio includes coverage of politics, current affairs, elections, history, and true crime. Elizabeth is also a gourmet cook, life coach, and avid artist in her spare time, proficient in watercolor, acrylic, oil, pen and ink, gouache, and pastels. As a political operative who has worked on over 300 campaigns during her career, Elizabeth has turned many life events into books and movie scripts while using history to weave interesting storylines. She also runs 7 blogs ranging from art to life coaching, food, writing, Gardening, and opinion or history pieces each week.


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