Daymond John gives lecture at University of Toledo

Would you take the deal? It’s a dream that many have: the opportunity to be invested in by Shark Tank’s finest. Investing in others is one way that Daymond John gives back.

The University of Toledo welcomed entrepreneur John to speak on Tuesday night as part of the Jesup Scott Honors College Distinguished Lecture Series. John’s lecture seemed more like a show with his DJ in the back playing music and John’s jokes kept the audience laughing and engaged.

John addressed the crowd by first explaining what an entrepreuner is: “when everyone says ‘no,’ an entrepreuner says ‘yes.’”

John’s lecture was aimed at inspiring and encouraging others to think outside the box. Trent Peterson, a first-year pre-business major, attended the event for inspiration.

“I admire his work ethic,” Peterson said. “I hope to gain knowledge on how he started his business because that is one of my goals, to start my own clothing line.”

John is the founder and CEO of the $6 billion clothing company FUBU (For Us By Us), which he started in his mother’s basement. He is also a co-star on the ABC show Shark Tank, a best-selling author and a motivational speaker.

John also mentors and works with entrepreneurs with poor prospects.

According to John’s biography on his website, he has also been tapped to work with President Barack Obama on his ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ program, which will help to create opportunities for men of color via mentorship and education who normally do not have access to those programs.

“Daymond John is a highly successful entrepreneur, but also a remarkable person who constantly challenges himself to learn more and do more, much like our honors students,” said Dr. Heidi Appel, dean of the UT honors college.

Along with the success of his clothing company, John has also received over 35 awards, including Brandweek Marketer of the Year and Ernst and Young’s New York Entrepreneur of the Year award.

“What’s interesting is that FUBU is not all that popular in the US anymore, but I was living in Korea and obviously I hadn’t heard the word FUBU since I was a junior in high school,” said Julian Branch, a UT admissions counselor. “Then I saw FUBU in all the malls in South Korea. So it’s still a living, breathing company overseas, which is interesting.”

Much of John’s lecture was aimed at the millennial generation and their future impact.

“Millennials have overthrown governments using Twitter,” John said. “I think millennials are going to leave us in some very good hands.”

John also expressed the importance of setting goals. He explained that without setting his goals, he would not have achieved his success.

“If you don’t set your own goals, you let somebody set them for you,” John said. “They say ‘you can’t get that job, that girl, that guy.’ We become what we think about most of the time. I had to set a goal that I was going to prosper in the world of hip-hop.”

During the lecture, John also warned that he was not shy about bragging. That bragging includes his failures though. John spoke about being turned down by 27 banks and losing track of his personal life. However, he says his failures are a part of the process of learning.

Another point John said was important to success was love and how it is important to love what you do. It’s not about the money, he explained. John joked that you can have a Lamborghini, but that just means you have to drive up to your problems in a Lamborghini.

“I loved what I was doing,” John said. “I would have done it for free. I would have dressed people for free for the rest of my life. It’s amour.”

The next speaker for the lecture series will be Alex Sheen, founder of ‘because I said I would,’ on Feb. 16.