One modern-day entrepreneur who has heeded this advice is Daymond John, creator of FUBU, the young, urban male fashion line. Born of humble means in Queens, New York, John has gone on to build a multimillion-dollar business and develop himself as a celebrity icon. His book, Display of Power, chronicles his rise to power and fame, and strives to inspire other young entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams. John, with the help of collaborator Daniel Paisner, writes in colorful street language: simple, sometimes dirty, but truthful and direct.
From an early age, John sought to lift himself up out of a neighborhood dominated by drugs, gangs and violence. He sold pencils, reconditioned cars and did other odd jobs to make money. But it wasn’t until his mid-20s that he found his fortune when he and a group of neighborhood friends decided to create a clothing line that captured the true spirit and fashion tastes of urban youth. The new line of T-shirts, hats, jackets and other items was christened FUBU, an acronym for for us, by us. The rest was history. We somehow managed to build FUBU into a lifestyle brand, a line that seemed to symbolize a certain kind of success, a certain way of expressing yourself, John writes. With each monetary success, there was also a tremendous sense of validation.
