The legend himself, Damon Jones.
Damon Jones is a legendary entrepreneur, best-selling author, and celebrated branding expert.
He turned Fubu into a $6 billion global powerhouse.
And as founder and CEO of the shark group, continues to mentor and empower the next generation of entrepreneurs.
“When you're a parent, do you really think of a legacy?”
That's what the business is, right? You think of taking care of this child today and doing the best you can do to give that child the ability is right to teach it to read to write, to deal with bullies, to not deal with this.
You know, you wake up every day and be of service to the child and to the business. Most beginners, they actually have more of the long-time vision without the reality of what should happen in the short time. You've got to have a long-term reality of ongoing or create
this at the end of the day, but it just changes. I mean, these things change. I don't know how many businesses that are big today started off as what it was going to be. Someone's out there, they're entrepreneur,
they get in started that trying to build a brand and eventually build a legacy and make that life better in the life of other people. What are some general tips you'd give them? I do understand, listen.
[MUSIC PLAYING] It spans the globe. Like a super high school, internet Elvis. [MUSIC PLAYING] Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone.
It's not over, I'll tell how we're-- --the living your legacy podcast for those who live. To leave a legacy. [MUSIC PLAYING] Oh, that is sensational.
Look. Open. She covered with the lead. You said, well, it's about just not on the planet. You can live your dreams.
OK, so Damon, we're talking about legacy, right?
“And I believe entrepreneurship and legacy combine.”
I mean, a lot of people think entrepreneurship from the outside's about money, but most entrepreneurs, I know it's about making the world a better-- I'm really sure it was not about money. Yeah, just talk about that.
Well, what do you mean most entrepreneurs are really passionate about?
I've never met an entrepreneur that they did it for money.
Let's look at Kevin and Larry. I mean, we're talking about a skumbag here, or just a pure skumbag. He actually is not doing it for money. Money is a byproduct of him liking complicated,
financial structures that manage a downside. Do you think about it right there? Have you ever seen him one there when he's like, oh, you know, I would do this at a dollar, move it over here, move it over there.
He likes the puzzle, right? So the people who end up doing it from money is like street drug dealer, people who is just-- it's not money, man. And what about entrepreneurs that are trying
to do it for good, right? And to build a better planet in some way or fix or solve a problem? What would some advice you would give to them? Because a lot of them are starting out.
They have these big goals and dreams. They have this legacy they want to leave. But I try and explain there's a lot of middle steps that they have to master. You know, I think some way you can relate to a lot of things.
They can relate to something being apparent. When you're a parent, do you really think of a legacy? Do you really think of what-- and that's what the business is, right? You think of taking care of this child today
and doing the best you can do to give that child the ability is right to teach you to read to write, to deal with bullies, to not deal with this, to whatever the case is. You don't sit there and go, my child is going to be a president or an actor or an actress or a scientist or a doctor.
You can't predict these things. You know, you wake up every day and be of service to the child and to the business. It's the same thing. I didn't create food with thinking it was going to be.
If you think about all of these things that when Steve Jobs or all of these are created out of the garages
and all of that, they'll never have a legacy,
you just don't think of it like that.
“So what you can think of though, if you want to think”
of your legacy is, what's your DNA? What are you trying to accomplish? What do you want to be known as in every single day? Do you wake up and you say, I'm going to-- I'm bomb a stop, so I want to keep dressing
as many people they can in the homeless community or I'm so forth. I'm going to create content that's going to make everybody lap and smile. You know what I mean?
That's really what it is. I'm somebody who won't come over to skin cream and I want to make sure that everybody are getting the nice, the proper things in the biggest organ on their body and not killing themselves.
Yeah, I think it's interesting that blend between the long-term vision and the short-term goals, right? I think most beginners, they actually have more of the long-term vision without the reality of what should happen in the short-term.
Yeah, because I do want to say, listen, you've got to have a long-term reality of I'm going to create this at the end of the day. But it just changes. I mean, these things change.
I don't know how many businesses that are big today started off as what it was going to be. Sony started off as rice cookers. The listener in started off is a polish to take off a furniture, you know, like--
I just don't know who thinks like that.
There's so many examples of those big brands.
They do.
“Like a totally different now to what they did.”
Absolutely, totally different, yeah. And that's, I mean, a good follow-up to like, being willing to change and pivot and test stuff. How important is that in entrepreneurship? The entrepreneur who runs the company
are going to have different drives. I feel bad after a while when I can get it up to being hopefully more of a globally recognized company and bigger. But I couldn't look at the FB and the O5, but so much more. And I felt horrible.
Like, this is my baby. It's so empowering.
I love the brand, still even till today.
Then I saw Richard Branch in the speak one day. And he said, you know what?
“He, when he had version, I think version of the record”
is a whatever case is he just couldn't focus on it any longer. I don't know how some people look at that Nike swoosh after 30 years. And he said, then once he turned it into a public company now, he has 300 forms of version.
He loves, it's like, crack attacks. It's the same thing. I think that's why I'm on Shark Tank. And people see me with the little stupid product reviews. I just love this type of stuff.
That's a different type of entrepreneur than some entrepreneurs who, my buddy Kevin Plank can look at that under Armour every day and be just as excited. It has to fit who you are, too. - Love that.
Last question for you. Someone's out there, there's entrepreneur that getting started that trying to build a brand and eventually build a legacy and make that life better in the life of other people. What are some general tips you'd give them?
You know, stay true to who you are because, you know, business is the reality of business. You gotta pay the bills and a lot of people gonna ask you to do things that aren't necessarily in the direction that you set out to be.
Once you do those type of things, you're true customer and the true people that know you feel betrayed. So you gotta keep it real in a sense with a little slow growth and understand what that is.
Don't try to go too quick. Don't try to think that, you know,
“you need to grow this big because your legacy's gonna be today.”
You know, it's a big world. A lot of people don't create a legacy until after they're gone. If you're doing it for the right reasons, they say that a true visionary is a man who are a woman
who plans seeds but they'll never get to sit in the shade
that the tree will actually produce. And that's somebody who cares about the long term of fact of what they're gonna do. And understand that a lot of people will hate you. A lot of people won't see the vision that'll hate you.
They won't credit you. You're not doing it for them. You're doing it for the one person. Two people, seven people that you really care about. I love that.
Well guys, say you have it. How to build a legacy some tips from the man himself. They legend himself, Damon Jones. Thank you. (upbeat music)
