Building A Billion Dollar Brand with Daymond John and Joe Polish

Daymond John shares how he built FUBU into a $6 billion global brand and the hidden costs of success and fame. In this candid conversation with Joe Polish, he reveals lessons on money, mindset, partnerships, and staying grounded while building an empire.

Here’s a glance at what you’ll discover in this episode:

• The dark sides of fame and fortune most Entrepreneurs never talk about
• How Daymond turned a mortgaged home and $500 in the bank into a global brand
• Why distribution and positioning matter more than product
• The biggest investing lessons from Shark Tank (and how one deal changed everything)
• Time management struggles even billion-dollar Entrepreneurs face
• How to build loyalty, attract great talent, and turn them into long-term partners

If you’d like to join world-renowned Entrepreneurs at the next Genius Network® Event – then apply today for your invitation to attend at https://geniusnetwork.com.

Show Notes:

Success, Fame, and the Hidden Costs

• The dark side of fame: others say you’ve changed even when you haven’t

• Missing time with family and learning to balance entrepreneurial drive with relationships

• Cutting off the “CEO mode” at home and regaining your soft side

The Early Days of FUBU

• Mortgaging the family home to fund $300K worth of orders

• Overcoming rejection from 27 banks and learning hard lessons in cash flow

• Strategic partnership with Samsung that transformed the business

Secrets to Building a $6 Billion Brand

• Distribution and positioning are everything—nothing is truly new, only re-positioned

• Don’t fall in love with the product—fall in love with solving distribution challenges

• Strategic partnerships and licensing as levers for global growth

Shark Tank Lessons & Investing Wisdom

• Early seasons brought losses; later success came through better deal flow and sharper vetting

• One deal (Talbott Teas sold to Jamba Juice) paid back years of losses

• Today’s real opportunity: online communities, social media influence, and continuity models

Talent, Time, and Team Building

• Hire people hungry to prove themselves; compensate with ownership opportunities

• Create structures where great talent becomes long-term partners

• The biggest struggle: time management, communication breakdowns, and the “20/40/60” rule of lost clarity

Entrepreneurial Mindset & Legacy

• Stay hungry by surrounding yourself with people who bet on you—and whom you bet on

• Lessons from hip-hop: leverage haters, perception becomes reality

• Build a life and business around having fun, not just chasing money or fame

Resources Mentioned

• FUBU – Daymond John’s iconic global fashion brand
• Shark Tank – ABC’s hit show where Daymond John stars as an investor
• Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill’s classic book on mindset and goal setting
• Brian Tracy – Author and speaker on success and productivity
• Jay Abraham – Marketing strategist and mentor to Daymond John