John Paul DeJoria Biography
(Businessperson)
Birthday: April 13, 1944 (Aries)
Born In: Los Angeles, California, United States
John Paul DeJoria is an American entrepreneur who is the founder of The Patrón Spirits Company, and a co-founder of the Paul Mitchell line of hair products. A self-made billionaire, he has been through his share of struggles—he was twice homeless and lived out of his car, selling shampoo and encyclopedia door-to-door to make ends meet. He finally struck gold after he teamed up with Paul Mitchell in 1980, and turned a $700 investment into the John Paul Mitchell Systems, now going strong with $1 billion in annual revenues. As their company took off, Mitchell died of cancer, and DeJoria took over. He is the founder of more than a dozen other businesses—from Patrón Spirits to the House of Blues to DeJoria Diamonds. He is interested in a range of industries like life sciences, telecom and yachts. DeJoria, as a philanthropist, has signed a ‘Giving Pledge’ along with 150 billionaires to give 50% of his earnings for the improvement of the world. He supports over 160 charities worldwide. An avid animal lover, he vowed never to test his products on animals, and instead opted to test on himself. Today, he lives in a $50 million estate in Malibu, California, with all the luxuries one can think of. Even though he is in his 70s, he still works hard, and gives back as much as he can. All his business decisions are always in line with philanthropic aspects. He believes that “in the end, everything will be ok, and, if it’s not ok, it’s not the end.” He also believes that when you do something to help somebody, that’s what real success is all about.