Daymond John's business story began with a practical task: learning to make a hat. Raised in Hollis, Queens, after being born in Brooklyn, he asked his mother to teach him to sew. He sold his own hats and worked with friends on what became FUBU, short for “For Us, By Us.” Their home became a workplace as well as a place to live.
The label grew through several kinds of help. His mother supported the venture, his partners worked on the clothing business, and neighborhood acquaintance LL Cool J wore FUBU for a promotional campaign. A 1994 Las Vegas trade show brought retail orders. Macy's and a distribution arrangement with Samsung became part of the company's expansion.
Reading was the hard part. In an interview published by Yale's Center for Dyslexia and Creativity, John described strengths in mathematics and science alongside persistent difficulty with reading and spelling. At Bayside High School, he entered a cooperative program that alternated school weeks with full-time work. His placement at First Boston gave him experience in a business setting before his clothing career. He later described asking colleagues to help confirm his reading of documents. Yale's account also documents his role as an investor on *Shark Tank* and his books *Display of Power* and *The Brand Within*.
The Library of Congress includes John among contemporary African American entrepreneurs and records his creation of the branding consultancy The Shark Group. In 2020, he introduced Black Entrepreneurs Day. His account of the first event describes conversations with business and entertainment figures, including Shaquille O’Neal and LL Cool J.
