10 People Who Exemplify the American Dream
4. John Paul Dejoria
Dejoria was born the second son of an Italian immigrant father and a Greek immigrant mother on April 13, 1944, in a Los Angeles neighborhood.
Dejoria’s parents divorced by the time he was two-years old and at the age of about nine, he was selling Christmas Cards and newspapers to support his struggling family. Unfortunately, it would do little to prevent him from eventually ending up foster care.
He had some rough beginnings that included running with gangs in school. He managed to graduate and join the navy, but it offered little success for him. He tried to attend dental school and because he lacked tuition money, he was forced to drop out and go into sales. Dejoria would sell encyclopedias, copying machines, insurance, medical linens, and ad space. He began his path to success when he began working at Redken Laboratories in 1971, selling hair care products. In 1980, Dejoria took a huge risk in deciding to start a Redken competitor. With only $700 which he had borrowed, he partnered with a long-time industry acquaintance and hairdresser, Paul Mitchell, and founded the hair care product company John Paul Mitchell Systems.
Dejoria serves as CEO at Paul Mitchell Systems and draws roughly $900 million in revenue annually. Still, he has expanded into other business ventures, including well-known tequila giant, Patron. He is also the founding partner of the House of Blues Nightclub chain.
