Speaker 1: 0:13

Welcome back to another episode of the Burn. I am Ben Newman and you know how we do this every single week we're going to bring you a story of an athlete, an entertainer, a celebrity, somebody from the business world who has helped us understand that why and purpose is not enough. It's the underlying burn that ignites your why and purpose and causes you to show up on the days you don't feel like it, and especially after you win. Today is very exciting for me as I have an opportunity to bring somebody onto the burn that I would have loved to have had onto the burn going back to year one, but it always happens at the right time. And today we're going to have the opportunity to hear from Damon John, and there's a couple of things that I love. I know I don't do a lot on the backgrounds and bios, but when somebody's got a background and bio like this, we want to make sure that we hit it. And from being a best-selling author to one of the most sought-after speakers in the world today to being my favorite and I'm not just saying that, but our family loves watching Shark Tank, he's our favorite to watch on Shark Tank to the tens of businesses that he's invested in His story is amazing. He is amazing.

Speaker 1: 1:23

One thing I want to share, because it's a connection that he and I have and I think it may come out in his burn is growing up in a house with a single mom. Now our stories are going to be different. He's going to share his, but for me, having that mom who passed away from amyloidosis far too soon mom and dad being divorced at six months old, my mom only getting to live until 38 gave me that burn, Me being 46, those eight extra years she never got. And there's something about a mom, there's something about the way she leads in the home, there's something about the lesson she can teach us about life. She still inspires me to this day, even though she's been gone far too soon. And so I'm excited, Damon John, to welcome you to the Burn. I know, born and raised in Queens, New York one hell of a story. Welcome to the burn.

Speaker 2: 2:09

Thank you. That's a really amazing and very humbling intro and I appreciate it and I'm just happy to be here. Thank you, brother.

Speaker 1: 2:17

Absolutely. And so here's where I really want to start, because it's such a unique thing. Really want to start because it's such a unique thing. What is really when you hear the burn or that deeper than why and purpose, where does that take you when you think of your story and your success and how you got started?

Speaker 2: 2:36

uh, I, I think, when I hear that the concept of the burn, it is pushing through, you know, you know you can either say the burn of burning energy, the burn of that muscle, or fighting through the burn, right, the fire running through it. To me, you know this, you know, I like, I like to say the. There's an old saying the burn and is, you know, it shines more inside me than it is externally. Uh, that I gotta fight through. So it's just the, the constant knowing that, uh, no matter where you are in life, you have to have a driving force and a burn to break through things. To me, or there's nothing else to live for, to be very honest, I don't care. The burn is in my family and my faith. Uh, you know, in business it's, uh, you know, righting the wrongs that are out there or fighting for those who can't fight for themselves. I think the burn is, it's a drive that just you got to tap into.

Speaker 1: 3:33

And so how much of that drive early on, was there a similar drive that came from from your mom growing up? Is it? Was it something that was even deeper and different? Where did that come from, really, at its earliest ages?

Speaker 2: 3:47

Yeah, well, you know, I think, as you touched on you know, we were both raised by single mothers and I think that and I always say that there's entrepreneurship cannot at all compared to being a single mother, and I think that it was the drive to see her fight for me, fight for us as a family, you know, fight for herself. You know it purely came from her. You know I see her come home and work in one job and then she goes to another job and after she finished that job she comes home and tries to open a business and you know, at home, when the business is not working, she's writing down on all these pads and pens and papers on what else can she do? You know it's it's, it's it's not accepting what you know we were given. It was just there's gotta be a better way and I and it's up to me to figure it out- One of the one of the things I love about your story when you think about figuring it out.

Speaker 1: 4:40

And you, you've got me beat, because I remember my first job, 13 years old, selling hot dogs for $3.25 an hour, and I think your first job was $2 an hour, so you had to find it out. What were you doing for $2 an hour? And then, little side note, I don't even think you could get anybody to work for the types of dollars that we were working for back in the day.

Speaker 2: 5:08

People always want so much more rather than just doing what it takes. You know, I don't even know they had working papers. I think they had working papers at that time. But uh, you know, 10, 10 at 10 years old, uh, 2.25, handing out flyers on corners, uh. And then I actually I was god I was just thinking about because I've had so many jobs as a kid um, I was actually an apprentice electrician. I wouldn't even call an apprentice. I was a kid helping an electrician and I was wiring BX cable in burned down buildings in the Bronx. So there's a couple of buildings in the Bronx right now that I just want you to know are wired by a 12-year-old. Just so you know.

Speaker 1: 5:45

Incredible that that's where you start and similar FUBU, which everybody knows FUBU, and incredible what you've done, the brand that you built, but the story says that you started FUBU with $40. Take us back to that.

Speaker 2: 6:05

Yeah, so the place I was handing out the flyers for when I was 10 years old was a, a mall called the coliseum mall that was just opening in my neighborhood, not a big mall like a flea market. Um, fast forward, uh, to 10 years later, 1989. Good friday, three o'clock in the afternoon, 3.15 in the afternoon. I would make a bunch of hats the night before at home on a sewing machine, but these hats look like a ski cap but with a tie on the top right, and I bought that with $40 worth of fabric. And I made them because I knew. You know, african-americans we love to party on Easter. After we go to church, it's party time. Everybody wanted to look fresh. I stood on that same exact corner that I would hand out flyers and I would hand out those hats. 10 years almost to the date, and I would sell $800 worth of hats in one hour.

Speaker 2: 6:59

And it was that moment in my life that the light bulb went off, because before that I had always had some kind of a job or something else, but I was working for somebody else, some sense. But this time it was my ability to actually manufacture it myself and uh and, and then create this ability to convey why there was value to somebody to buy the hat. It wasn't the same pitch to everybody. One pitch was keep your head warm. The next one you look like dls, so the next one you're fashion forward. The next one is seek yourself after a hard week of work, um, and I understood at that point, in that one moment. I understood manufacturing, the value of it, uh, controlling it, I understand the ability to sell and I understood the ability to get out there and risk it all at that one moment, kind of all these things that I saw my mother do or heard or whatever. It culminated at that one time.

Speaker 1: 7:53

It's incredible. So you have that feeling. You learn to read different people. It sounds like there were so many life lessons. What was the vision back then? When did you start to cast a vision? You're like, hey, I'm on to something, I got some rolling here. What was the vision like? What are the things you would think about back then?

Speaker 2: 8:06

You know, I think about most entrepreneurs that are successful. They wake up with this vision and the vision is how can I be a better service today than I was yesterday for my customer? They wake up with what's keeping my customer up at night and how can I improve my value on my, what I'm giving the customer? The vision then was to make more hats the next day, and after that it was, you know, create a hat and t-shirt. Then it was maybe have a store that I can own, my own store, and then it was well distributed to more and go so on and so on and so on, but the vision purely was to over-provide and make a better hat for another day for another customer so my, my wife, we uh, who also a uh a fan, as I told you, I'm telling you we watch it almost every night, like it's I love it man it is either literally in our house sports because we're watching athletes that I work with, who it's a blessing to work with them and watch them compete on tv, or we literally, like shark tank is where I go to just get me in chill mode and I can just

Speaker 1: 9:11

relax and get away like we. I mean for years and years and years. Amy's like you gotta ask Damon, how did you know what to do? I mean, what was it? Mentors was it was like so how did you because some people they say 40 to selling this company for hundreds of millions, like how did he even know what to do?

Speaker 2: 9:32

and so Amy said, said, you gotta ask, amy, I didn't. It's the same as ray. You know you have kids, right?

Speaker 1: 9:38

oh, yeah too all right.

Speaker 2: 9:39

Well, you know what book showed you what to do. You figured it out, man, like amy I'll, you know, you know. So I like to tell people that I am wrong, fail or lose, 80 of the time or more. But that 80 of the time or more, but that 80% of the time you got to think that's a thousand attempts. But the 20, forget even 20, the 5% of times that I have been right has been FUBU, shark Tank, my faith, my marriage, fighting and making the right decision over cancer or, you know, stopping, stopping alcohol. You know the the times that I've been right. So it was.

Speaker 2: 10:18

It was on that corner that I saw those hats. I mean, I'm sure the first five people that walked by I was like $30. They were like go screw yourself. $20. Get the hell out of here. $10. I'm interested. Okay, you know, and you know it's just purely figuring out, you know, I think that I think that how do I know what to do? At the end of the day, it becomes not having an ego is what to do, and do this, you know. So it's always analyzing and figuring it out, and and and and knowing you need the information. I'm constantly educating myself.

Speaker 1: 11:03

So I I've got. I'm looking on your sweatshirt and there's a word on that sweatshirt that has always meant so much to me and I'm thinking about the intention word. And I'm thinking about the intention word and I'm thinking about the fact that you and I and I'm very excited are going to share the stage for a mastermind that Success Magazine has never done in August, and I look forward to that in L, to now get to go spend time live, and they've never done it. I look forward to it. And one of the things that I think about in our coaching work that we highlighted in the article that comes out for us in June is, I believe there's a difference between focus and what I've always taught, which is intentional focus. And so when I look at that intention on your sweatshirt, how much intention was there in your thought?

Speaker 1: 11:56

Because I think a lot of times people think, oh, I'm focused, I'm gonna go grind today, and it's like you can't just have focus and grind. You have to have intention to know what you're going to do when you face challenge and adversity, because some of the numbers you just shared, people are going to say wait a second. I gotta got to lose a thousand times to win five. Like Damon, you don't understand, like, how do you do that? So how important has intentional focus, like great intention, staying the course, resilience how important has that been for you?

Speaker 2: 12:28

Well, you ask a very. First of all, thank you for asking the question. I've never been asked before, but the basic way to do to talk about intention is I like the way that Jeff Bezos says you've got to be very, very clear on the outcome of what you want to achieve, but you have no idea how you're going to get there. And you're going to know that a path to getting there is going to be 400 roads that have dead ends, but then that 401st road doesn't. But the intention at the end of the day is this is what I'm going to create. I'm going to create Now, did I say to myself, I'm going to create a global brand? No, not at all. What was the intention? I'm going to make other. I'm going to make people feel proud about what they're wearing and whether this is before social media existed or the internet or cell phone, but whether somebody is walking across the street, they're going to know that that person loves hip hop. That person, you know, identifies with this new genre of music that is so empowering. And I am going to. My intention is I'm going to create the uniform for people. So when I create something, they're going to maybe interpret it differently, but we are going to be part of a culturally relevant something that we are no longer dependent on other people making clothes for us and telling us we have to reinterpret it for the streets. We are going to do this. It's for us, by us, baby, and that was the overall intention. Now, how am I going to start that? What hats with shirts or pants? I don't know. I started off with 10 color t-shirts because I'm like every designer. What I want to have? This big breath. Wait a minute, damon. 65% of all clothes that people wear are black. Another 20% are white. Wait a minute. You don't need 10 clothes, you need only three red, black and white. Wait a minute. Oh, look at all these logos. Oh, they're only buying the FB and the 05. Okay, well, I'm going to. Oh, no, they're only buying the t-shirt. You start, your intention starts to home in. You go okay, go. What can I do with the best of that? Because I'm starting to make headway in this area. I'm not gonna allow my ego to say to me well, damon, don't close that area because other people gonna laugh at you and don't worry about that. No, the intention is to get somebody to wear it and I I love these people who are wearing it and supporting. Well, they're not wearing it the way that you designed it. I don't give a shit how they're wearing it, they're wearing it. And you know what? I never even thought about it being worn like that. Wait a minute, let's make more of those.

Speaker 2: 15:00

The intention keeps going back to what the end goal is, and I've done that all my entire life, because I read the great book by Napoleon Hill thinking grow rich at the age of 16. And I have read it 23 times still today, cause I'm dyslexic like eight of the other 12 sharks, and I read the same exact goals Every night before I go to bed and every morning when I wake up and S and I read 10 goals. Six of them expire in six months. The other four expire in two years, five years, 10 years and 20 years, and I never hit those six on goal because I set them so big. So I'm gonna do this amount of business. When I do this amount, I reset it, but that intention keeps staying in. It keeps me back on course to what my, what my drive is and what, what I, what I want, to what I want to accomplish you got me so fired up right now.

Speaker 1: 15:49

It's got me thinking. I learned an amazing lesson from my five years with Coach Saban at Alabama and my 11 years I've had with Coach Kleiman at Kansas State. Both those men always talk about find your edge in the details. Everybody those last three minutes you need to run that back like 18 times, maybe 25 times, and listen to what Damon said In the business world. He just did the equivalent of Buddy. Those last three minutes you need to run that back like 18 times, maybe 25 times, and listen to what Damon said In the business world. He just did the equivalent of breaking down game film, like we do for football players. He literally broke down how he would find his edge, get inside the intention, what's working, what's not working. Far too often we're moving so fast we don't slow down to accurately analyze, with great intention, what's working and then repeat what's working. I told you you got me fired up.

Speaker 1: 16:33

It's like when you finally negotiate with somebody that I love and you get up and clap and you go give somebody a hug on the show. It's that moment where like let's go and so for all of you.

Speaker 1: 16:44

What else did Damon just say? He said he sets goals that are six months and he never hits the six month goals, and I think everybody's trying to protect themselves to do what's easy. How important has it been for you to do the uncomfortable, the hard, and know that it's OK to fall short, because you're a great example If you keep telling us you never hit the six month goals and you keep falling short, you've painted a hell of a picture for where we all can get to by falling short.

Speaker 2: 17:10

Well, you got to remember every single problem that you solve. If you are effective in life, every single problem you solve, you create another problem. That is the only way to think about progression, right? You know, when food was sorted out, we had had, we were doing really good, but we didn't have enough customer service. Well, now we got to solve that problem. We got customer service.

Speaker 2: 17:34

Well, guess what happens? Well, now you got a lot of goods coming back because you solved that problem. Well, now the goods are coming back. Let's solve that problem where we're gonna put them. Oh, now you got a warehouse. You put them in. Wait a minute, you're spending more on the warehouse than you are holding these goods in.

Speaker 2: 17:50

Well, now, what do you got to do? Well, you got to find a place to get rid of those goods. Well, now, what do you got to do when you come back next season? You got to buy more sharply. Well, how do you buy more sharply? You design better. You have to solve a problem every single time. So to get that intention means you are rehacking yourself and you're taking inventory of what you currently have.

Speaker 2: 18:10

Okay, you're an empty nester, honey. We've raised some beautiful kids and now they are out and they're going to college. Let's go. Let's start to reignite our relationship. Who are you? Cause I forgot who you were. In the last 20 years, we've been of service to these other kids. Let's, baby, let's start traveling some more. Well, honey, we got to start trying to find a way to downsize some of this. So we travel, all right, we're getting to know each other. We're traveling around the world. We solved that problem, honey. We got grandkids Through that. We got to be better. You know like your body is not going to function the same way, damon John. At 20 years old, I can eat pizza and sleep two hours a night. That is a different Damon John than at 56 years old. Every single thing you solve, you create another problem, and that means that I look forward to the new problem I'm going to create in life, because that's going to take me to a different and better place in life.

Speaker 1: 19:07

I love it.

Speaker 2: 19:08

I love you.

Speaker 1: 19:08

You got me fired up and ready to go. I got one final question, because two things Number one, I know that you're busy and I'm so excited we're able to do this. But number two, we got to save something for the stage in August, for people to come and hang with us in LA. But here's the final question I have for you Thinking about intention, teaching the importance of that. It's okay to be uncomfortable and to get started when it's not about the money but it's the pursuit of figuring out how great you can be. Tell us a little bit about your intention as a father, because we could talk about making hundreds of millions of dollars and investing in companies, but hey, I'm an emotional dude of dollars and invested in companies. But hey, I'm an emotional dude and I just I love seeing you and family. And so tell us about the intention of legacy and being a father.

Speaker 2: 19:55

I've never met anybody that did things purely for the point of money that have ended up in the right place. They've either ended up miserable, in the wrong place. Let's even talk about Kevin O'Leary. Kevin O'Leary claims he likes money, but I'll tell you what Kevin O'Leary likes. He likes financials, complicated financial structures that manage his downside. He really just liked that. That's why you see him. He's a chess player. You know family is.

Speaker 2: 20:18

You know my intentions have changed in my family all my life. You know I was. I wasn't too young of a father but I was about 30 years old, 27 years old. I was almost homeless because food would just taken off the year after and once I got in fubu, really taken off. Um, you know my intentions for my kid. My legacy was I gotta make as much money as I can now that it's taking off to give these children what they need. Now I always say, even if I was one of these people working sanitation, one of these great people working sanitation, keeping us clean from drugs I mean sickness and filth and dirt Like every parent listening to me right now, I'd have worked every overtime hour I could have. I'd have slept in a refrigerator box with my little girls to have education and have medicine. So my intention at that time was to I had a bite of the apple where I was able to make, hopefully enough money to give these girls a fair shot at life. But now, you know, I ended up having another child, my second marriage, when I was, you know, about 48, 49, you know my intention now is how much love can I give this little girl and for my family in general? You know I have a different form of intention. You know, back then it was making money. Now it's a legacy.

Speaker 2: 21:31

And what is the legacy? The legacy is the legacy to not to damage them. These children weren't asked to be brought into this world. We want to protect them against everything, but can puppies children, Cosby's children, Epstein or Weinstein's children walk in the room and get a fair shake at life?

Speaker 2: 21:48

A wine scene children walk in the room and get a fair shake at life. They can't even tell who their parents are, because what those men did to selfishly uh, you know, um, you know advance themselves and whatever they thought an advancement was, they will damage their children and their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren for the rest of their lives. Those children will have to have a a mark on them and that they can't be proud of. My intention is to have my little girl to walk in the room and my family walk in the room and say you know what their father was American dream, and he was a fair man. And we would need to give these kids a fair shot of what they want to do so they can, they can be able to be who they want to be.

Speaker 1: 22:28

Damon, that might be, in seven years of this show, the most powerful answer that anybody's ever given, and here's why we talked about intention in terms of business. What Damon just shared with all of you is maybe one of the greatest life lessons of intention, with a real, direct answer for everybody to say you better pay attention to every decision and choice you make every single day with intention, because it's not about you, it's about everybody who comes after you with your name, and that is legacy, damon. I can't think of a better way to finish. I mean, that is intention and life, thank you.

Speaker 2: 23:08

I appreciate it. Thank you, I don't want to get too intense on you, man, I'm sorry. I can tell you're an intense dude, so I appreciate it, man.

Speaker 1: 23:17

I know that vein starts popping out of my neck. We go to the same barber, so that must be the intentionality. But I can't thank you enough for how you show up in the world. Everybody already knows how to find you, but if, for some reason, somebody hasn't figured out how to find Damon John, make sure in the show notes we're going to have links to books, links to all the ways that you can stay connected, ways for you to be able to bring Damon in for your next event.

Speaker 1: 23:41

It's this is one of the greatest minds and thinkers in the world today. I know he doesn't want that credit, but he just proved it with what he just said, with those powerful thoughts on intention to create legacy. Please share this episode with somebody who needs to hear it, and I am so grateful to each and every single one of you who spend time with us every week to connect to that burn that ignites that why and purpose and causes you to show up on the days you don't feel like it, and especially after you win. Damon John, thank you again for coming on the burn and for all of you, I'll look forward to seeing you next week. Thank you, man.