Official event flyer for “An Evening with Daymond John” from SJSU events.
On Tuesday, September 27, 2022, Shark Tank’s Daymond John spoke at the Hammer Theatre. This event was part of the San Jose State University Insights Speaker Series through the support of the Valley Foundation.
SJSU students had a chance to buy a ticket for just $5 during the first two weeks of sales. The event sold out! Daymond John is a judge on ABC’s “Shark Tank” and the founder of FUBU (For Us, By Us).
“An Evening with Daymond John” consisted of him speaking about his journey with FUBU, and he gave the “5 Shark Points For Success” along the way.
The following are the “5 Shark Points For Success”, where each first letter spells “S.H.A.R.K”:
- Set a goal
John advised to set goals for yourself and become fully in charge of them. He thought about meeting or working with legendary artist Michael Jackson and boxer Muhammad Ali. With the success of FUBU, his apparel company, he was not only able to meet them but have them wear his brand.
Arielle Lew, a fourth-year marketing major, says “Daymond John was able to take universally well-known concepts and revitalize them in an engaging and entertaining way. While money and experience are definitely contributing factors to success, he eloquently explained how consistency and tenacity determine success above all else”.
- Homework
John said, “do your homework”. Before it was FUBU, it was called BUFU, which he learned had a different meaning. When creating a new product or brand, it’s important to know the competitors, the customer, the product, and where it lies in the market.
- Amore
John spoke about not only loving what you do but also loving and caring for the people around you. First, he stressed the importance of passion in your work and loving what you do. Then, he told the story of the time he neglected his role as a father.
Because he was so focused on his brand and meeting successful people, John failed to value his family and daughters.
Once he shifted to entrepreneurship, things changed, and he spent more time with his two daughters. He spoke about having the right work-life balance because there are so many things more important than work in life.
Aditya Sachdeva, a second-year finance student, came to the event and learned, “a visualized pathway into the future and love what you do is important for success. Everyone will encounter difficult times in their journey but it’s important to push through”.
- Remember you are the brand
“I learned the importance of seeing yourself as a brand and branding yourself in the ways that you want to be seen. Daymond gave the example of being able to say who you are in 5 words or less which I thought was really helpful”, said Kevin Shim, a second-year marketing student.
This point was also about life being a series of pitches and about building your brand image.
- Keep swimming
I thought of Dory from “Finding Nemo” when John ended his talk with “keep swimming”. He was also referring to sharks, of course. This meant taking care of your well-being and yourself physically because life is too short. John suffered from stage 2 thyroid cancer, and he spoke about early detection and briefly about what he learned from his cancer journey.
What are your thoughts on SJSU’s Insight Speaker Series? Let us know at @HerCampusSJSU!