From $1 to $1 Billion: John Paul DeJoria on Building a Business That Gave Everything Back | Leadership | E25
Mon Feb 02 2026
John Paul DeJoria’s father left when he was two years old. His mother was in poverty and struggled with medical issues. He and his brother were in foster care five days a week. Yet, John Paul never felt like a victim; his mother always maintained a positive attitude and instilled in them that there are always people who have less than you, no matter how little you have. This mindset propelled John Paul’s billion-dollar career as an entrepreneur who uses his wealth to support those who need it most. In this episode of Miracle Mentality, John Paul joins Tim to talk about how his mother taught him philanthropy at a young age and how he continued to give back at every stage of his life. He also talks about how he and hair stylist Paul Mitchell built their hair product empire from nothing.
John Paul DeJoria is an author, entrepreneur, billionaire, and philanthropist who has co-founded major companies like John Paul Mitchell Systems and Patrón Spirits Company. His new book, Success Unshared Is Failure, will be available in April 2026.
In this episode, Tim and John Paul discuss:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:56) How He Learned Philanthropy At 6 Years Old
(06:29) Growing Up In The Melting Pot Of Echo Park
(13:27) The One Thing That’s Stealing All Of Your Energy
(16:58) The Euphoria Of Helping Others
(20:46) The Power Of Accepting Rejection In Advance
(23:21) Going Into Business With Paul Mitchell
(27:23) From No Vendors To $1 Billion Sale Of Patrón
(31:50) Clint Eastwood’s Special Gift To John Paul
(35:47) How To Be A Good Billionaire
(38:20) What’s Included In John Paul’s New Book
(42:01) How Paul Mitchell Schools Are Feeding Millions
(46:00) How To Start A Business With No Money
(52:07) What It Means To Lead With Love
John Paul DeJoria is an author, entrepreneur, billionaire, and philanthropist. He co-founded John Paul Mitchell Systems in 1980 with Paul Mitchell, which now has more than 300 employees globally. John Paul also co-founded Patrón Spirits Company in 1989, which he later sold for $5.1 billion. He has placed great emphasis on philanthropy throughout his career, regularly contributing to organizations like Mobile Loaves & Fishes, Food4Africa, Mineseeker, and Blazer House. His new book, Success Unshared Is Failure, will be available in April 2026.
Connect with John Paul:
Pre-order John Paul’s new book, Success Unshared is Failure: https://www.amazon.com/Success-Unshared-Failure-John-DeJoria/dp/B0FSTBMCJ8
GlobalSKU: https://globalsku.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-paul-dejoria-35b2a460
Connect with Tim:
Website: https://www.timstorey.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timstoreyofficial
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MiracleMentalitywithTimStorey
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timstoreyofficial
If this episode inspired you, leave a review and share it with someone who’s ready for their comeback. Every story has a comeback. What’s yours going to be?
Motivation, Self Help, Mindset, Faith, Purpose, Resilience, Mental Health, Healing, Transformation, Inspiration, Growth, Leadership, Comeback, Spirituality, Personal Development, Breakthrough, Overcoming, Growth Mindset, Hope, Life Transformation, Determination, Confidence, Vision
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John Paul DeJoria’s father left when he was two years old. His mother was in poverty and struggled with medical issues. He and his brother were in foster care five days a week. Yet, John Paul never felt like a victim; his mother always maintained a positive attitude and instilled in them that there are always people who have less than you, no matter how little you have. This mindset propelled John Paul’s billion-dollar career as an entrepreneur who uses his wealth to support those who need it most. In this episode of Miracle Mentality, John Paul joins Tim to talk about how his mother taught him philanthropy at a young age and how he continued to give back at every stage of his life. He also talks about how he and hair stylist Paul Mitchell built their hair product empire from nothing. John Paul DeJoria is an author, entrepreneur, billionaire, and philanthropist who has co-founded major companies like John Paul Mitchell Systems and Patrón Spirits Company. His new book, Success Unshared Is Failure, will be available in April 2026. In this episode, Tim and John Paul discuss: (00:00) Introduction (01:56) How He Learned Philanthropy At 6 Years Old (06:29) Growing Up In The Melting Pot Of Echo Park (13:27) The One Thing That’s Stealing All Of Your Energy (16:58) The Euphoria Of Helping Others (20:46) The Power Of Accepting Rejection In Advance (23:21) Going Into Business With Paul Mitchell (27:23) From No Vendors To $1 Billion Sale Of Patrón (31:50) Clint Eastwood’s Special Gift To John Paul (35:47) How To Be A Good Billionaire (38:20) What’s Included In John Paul’s New Book (42:01) How Paul Mitchell Schools Are Feeding Millions (46:00) How To Start A Business With No Money (52:07) What It Means To Lead With Love John Paul DeJoria is an author, entrepreneur, billionaire, and philanthropist. He co-founded John Paul Mitchell Systems in 1980 with Paul Mitchell, which now has more than 300 employees globally. John Paul also co-founded Patrón Spirits Company in 1989, which he later sold for $5.1 billion. He has placed great emphasis on philanthropy throughout his career, regularly contributing to organizations like Mobile Loaves & Fishes, Food4Africa, Mineseeker, and Blazer House. His new book, Success Unshared Is Failure, will be available in April 2026. Connect with John Paul: Pre-order John Paul’s new book, Success Unshared is Failure: https://www.amazon.com/Success-Unshared-Failure-John-DeJoria/dp/B0FSTBMCJ8 GlobalSKU: https://globalsku.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-paul-dejoria-35b2a460 Connect with Tim: Website: https://www.timstorey.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timstoreyofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MiracleMentalitywithTimStorey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timstoreyofficial If this episode inspired you, leave a review and share it with someone who’s ready for their comeback. Every story has a comeback. What’s yours going to be? Motivation, Self Help, Mindset, Faith, Purpose, Resilience, Mental Health, Healing, Transformation, Inspiration, Growth, Leadership, Comeback, Spirituality, Personal Development, Breakthrough, Overcoming, Growth Mindset, Hope, Life Transformation, Determination, Confidence, Vision