From homeless entrepreneur to billionaire, the unlikely rise of John Paul DeJoria
In short: Born in Los Angeles to immigrant parents, John Paul DeJoria spent his childhood in foster care and his early adulthood working as a janitor. He eventually launched a global hair care empire while living in a vintage car, later becoming a billionaire investor and a prominent figure in American business.
John Paul Jones DeJoria was born in 1944 in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. After his parents divorced when he was two, he spent time in a foster home before beginning his working life at age nine by selling newspapers and Christmas cards. Following a stint in the United States Navy aboard the USS Hornet, he cycled through various roles, including encyclopedia salesman and janitor, before entering the hair care industry at Redken Laboratories. He was eventually fired from that role, a setback that preceded his 1980 founding of John Paul Mitchell Systems with a $700 loan while living in a 20-year-old Rolls-Royce.
His business interests expanded significantly beyond hair care. In 1989, he co-founded the Patrón Spirits Company, which he later sold to Bacardi in 2018. His portfolio has included everything from the House of Blues nightclub chain and mobile technology firms to bison farming and boat manufacturing. In 2017, he was ranked as the third-richest guest investor to appear on the reality series Shark Tank, with a net worth of $3.1 billion. His diverse ventures also extend to real estate, such as his 2019 purchase of the former McDonald's global headquarters campus in Illinois.
DeJoria is also known for his philanthropic efforts and complex legal battles. He has supported organizations like Food4Africa and co-created Grow Appalachia in 2009. In 2018, he faced a significant financial challenge when his lawyer, Stephen Jones, absconded with £10 million intended for the purchase of Taymouth Castle. DeJoria successfully pursued restitution, eventually recovering $7 million through a court order against the lawyer's insurers. Today, his influence spans from energy investments in West Texas to the preservation of historic vessels like the 19th-century frigate HMS Unicorn.
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