Daymond John Speaks on New Book, POWERSHIFT in NYC

I had the honor to attend Fueled by Culture Presents POWERSHIFT, a book launch event where author, entrepreneur, and star of ABC’s Shark Tank Daymond John talk about his journey creating his clothing brand and how those struggles inspired him to write his latest book. Before the show began, I had the pleasure of meeting other influencers and self-made entrepreneurs who were also looking for advice on how to persevere and grow their companies. The atmosphere was welcoming, and you could tell that everyone here was ready to learn from a man that was able to find success and willing to share his knowledge.

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As the event began, Daymond John sat down to discuss the story behind his largest enterprise FUBU, his clothing line centered around American Hip Hop apparel. Daymond John saw a market, not by advertising to the hip hop artists themselves, but by advertising to the people around the artist such as bodyguards. The idea was simple, to have everyone around an artist wear the same gear so that the artist would start to see the appeal and begin to wear the apparel himself. The shirts were advertised as double XL, as it was the style of the time, this allowed FUBU to reach two markets, the regular artist who wore larger shirts, and the more heavyset individual, tackling both markets at the same time is what allowed the brand to grow.

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It wasn’t all smooth sailing as Daymond would explain, “I needed to turn my house into a factory, I sold everything, my mom moved out, I rented out the rooms, and had to sleep on the floor. I did all this so that the rest of the house could be turned into a factory to print out shirts.” He also never left his job in Red Lobster to maintain a constant financial flow. Not only that, but with the help of other Red Lobster employees, he was able to network and move his merchandise.

Daymond John, also reflected on the current world and how social media is the largest platform to start influencing. “The danger of social media,” Daymond explained, “social media is not about how many followers you have, but what you bring to the table before you approach anyone.” Basically, you must have a brand for yourself before you can call yourself an influencer.

He also talked about the power of negotiation, and the essential rules to be able to get the most out of negotiating. Daymond John explained when he partnered with Samsung to expand his FUBU brand; he needed to convince Samsung to maintain the same price for his product, despite Samsung wanting to lower the costs to compete with other brands. Daymond John explained, “the rule of negotiation is to figure out what is in the best interest of both parties.”

Overall, Fueled by Culture Presents POWERSHIFT, was an empowering look at the mind of Daymond John, a man who managed to work hard and find success. Not by luck, but by educating himself and understanding that you need to create a brand for yourself. Even after all the struggles, you will be able to POWERSHIFT into greater success.