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Writer's pictureGreat Companies

From Living in His car, to Owning three Private Jets


In the beginning, John Paul DeJoria ran his business from his car. According to a recent Entrepreneur article, “DeJoria was born in Los Angeles, a first-generation American. He started out his business life selling Christmas cards and newspapers before he even turned 10. He also spent time in a gang. The path ahead looked like a disastrous one for DeJoria. But, instead, he created John Paul Mitchell Systems using a $700 loan. He lived out of his car and sold shampoo door to door.”

Motivational Sales Story Lesson: We could all use some of Paul Dejoria’s determination and positivity. This is such a motivational sales story, because Dejoria didn’t make any excuses. He easily could have used his homelessness as a reason not to start a business, but he didn’t let anything stop him—and you shouldn’t either. While your case may not be as extreme as his, we all suffer through times where we feel like everything is against us. This story gives me the faith that if you continue to push yourself through hard times (or a rough quarter or two) you will reap the rewards.


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