Who is John Paul DeJoria? Guest Shark Tank Judge

John Paul DeJoria earned his keep long before he became a Season 5 Shark Tank Judge. Did you know he’s now worth $2.8 billion dollars as of 2022?

John Paul Dejoria shark tank guest judge

Who is John Paul Dejoria?

John Paul Dejoria is an entrepreneur who also involves himself in non-profit pursuits. He was born to an Italian dad and a Greek mother in 1994. Echo Park, Los Angeles, California is his birthplace.

John Paul probably didn’t know his parents that well. He and his older brother ended up in a foster home after his parents divorced.

DeJoria’s mom couldn’t afford to take care of the two boys at that time. However, he and his brother did return to his mother when he was nine years old.

You could say Dejoria started his sales career earlier than most people. He and his brothers sold Christmas cards and newspapers to bring in money to support the family as a child.

What is John Paul Dejoria Most Known For?

From 2013 to 2014, you’ll hear Shark Tank attached to John Paul’s name. His background with successful investments is part of what qualified him to advise new entrepreneurs.

In 1980, it was a different story. You would probably have thought DeJoria was crazy for starting the Paul Mitchell company with Paul Mitchell, a hairdresser in his financial state.

Dejoria’s mere $700 investment, which was probably all the money DeJoria had on him at the time, grew to $900 million per year. This shows you what you can accomplish when you take risks.

Sometimes, you just don’t have much to lose. Think about it. What can you really do with $700, even back in the late 1980s? Back then, you already couldn’t pay for an apartment for a month in some large metropolitan neighborhoods.

What don’t we know about John Paul Dejoria that we should?

DeJoria did spend a couple of years in the navy, and the USS Hornet was his ship. He also did struggle with gang involvement as a teenager before a teacher encouraged him to change directions in life.

It would take a while before he would rise to the top, however. He even spent some time homeless and living in his car and would have yet to be fired from Redken Laboratories. All this happened before forming John Paul Mitchell Systems and becoming a billionaire.

How did John Dejoria start out?

Like most people first starting out, he worked low-paying jobs just to get by. For instance, he did spend time in janitorial work and sold insurance. By the way, he also used to sell shampoo door-to-door before starting his haircare and hairdressing company.

His Family Life

John Paul Dejoria is married. As of 2022, he lives with his six children in Austin, Texas and is 78 years old.

More Investments Made By John Paul

John DeJoria partnered up with others for other investments besides the haircare company. For instance, he helped found the House of Blues Nightclub chain. In addition, he joined in on marketing booze brands, including Ultimate Vodka, Pyrat Rum and Patron Tequila.

He helped start the Patron Spirits Company, by the way, in 1989. John DeJoria was never all about liquor, however. He also invested in a dealership specializing in Harley-Davidson sales, Three Star Energy, Touchstone Natural gas, and a diamond company, among other ventures.

He didn’t stop there, however. John Paul also has a ROK Stars electronic brand. He will produce a series of 3D mobile phones in 2019.

Did John Paul Dejoria ever make investment mistakes?

Dejoria admits to having lost money on several investments, but that’s true of most investors taking risks. Regarding his water filtration investment experience, he tried helping the owners. They were soon to run the company into the ground.

Dejoria said that he didn’t sell his stock in it to someone else because he knew that investors would lose money. Protecting new investors is not the “mistake” Dejoria is referring to though.

Dejoria says that the mistake he made was that he should have gotten a third advisor in on the deal. This would have helped him decide if the investment was economically feasible.

“It cost me a few million dollars, but I learned my mistake,” he said.

To him, however, that’s probably pocket change in contrast to his net worth.

Fun Facts About John Paul Dejoria

John Paul apparently had a passion for historical trains. He currently owns the Patron Tequila Express which the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad previously used for goods transport.

“Car No. 50,” the Patron used to be called. DeJoria first acquired it in 1996 and remodeled it.

John Paul also spent time in the television and film industry before appearing on Shark Tank. Perhaps you’ve DeJoria in the second season of the show Weeds. More interestingly, he played his former business partner, Paul Mitchell, in a movie called “The Big Tease.”

What volunteer work did John Paul Dejoria do?

He supports Food4Africa, and he teamed up with Nelson Mandela. Together they fed more than 17,000 orphans. Another 400,000 children received food through the Paul Mitchell company.

Whatever happened to John’s partner, Paul Mitchell?

John Paul Mitchell, who was born as Cyril Thomson Mitchell in 1936, died of pancreatic cancer in 1989, almost a year after his diagnosis. His mother, Jenny, was the first person to provide hairdressing services in the village of Carnwath in Scotland, where Mitchell grew up.

What Shark Tank investment did John Paul Dejoria make?

John Paul Dejoria’s fierceness in the investment world influenced the development of the Tree T Pee. Dejoria invested $150,000 in exchange for 20% equity in this cone-shaped plan pot.

How is John Dejoria’s Tree T Pee Investment doing?

As of 2022, the Tree T Pee net worth is $100 million. This plant vessel made from 100% recycled plastic materials, collects and stores three inches of rainwater for every hour it rains. This wet supply is then sent to the tree’s roots.

The Tree T Pee water storage and dispensation system cuts irrigation needs down to 800 gallons. Now, Johnny Georges, owner of the Tree T Pee, doesn’t have to pump 25,000 gallons of water per year into his farm crops.

It’s not just about water though. Georges and his father designed the T Pee device to prevent fruit trees from frost damage.

Tree T Pee Sales

After the T Pee launch in 2013, the company sold 125 of them. It’s still currently for sale for about $9.95 on the company website. Jonny George and John Paul Dejoria still collaborate toward forwarding its sales.