- Company
- John Paul Mitchell Systems
- Role
- Co-Founder & Chairman
- Est. Net Worth
- $2.7 Billion
- Stage
- Elite
- Industry
- Retail
John Paul DeJoria
Co-Founder & Chairman at John Paul Mitchell Systems
About
John Paul DeJoria co-founded John Paul Mitchell Systems in 1980 with hairstylist Paul Mitchell, launching the company with a $700 loan while living out of his car. Against industry norms, he refused to sell through big-box retailers, building loyalty through salons — a distribution strategy that turned Paul Mitchell into one of the world's most recognized professional hair care brands. He later co-founded Patrón Spirits, transforming tequila from a shot drink into a premium spirit category, and sold it to Bacardi in 2018 for $5.1 billion. His rags-to-riches story — from foster homes and homelessness to billionaire philanthropist — embodies the resilience narrative of American entrepreneurship.
Current Company
John Paul Mitchell Systems — Co-Founder & Chairman
From Homeless to Hair Care Icon
John Paul DeJoria's origin story is one of the most extreme rags-to-riches narratives in American business. Born to immigrant parents, raised partly in foster care, and twice homeless as a young man, he launched John Paul Mitchell Systems in 1980 with hairstylist Paul Mitchell and just $700 — money he had to borrow. They sold their first products door to door from the trunk of a car, often sleeping in it. DeJoria's refusal to sell through drugstores and mass retailers — insisting on salon-only distribution — seemed like commercial suicide, but it built fierce loyalty among stylists who appreciated having an exclusive professional brand.
Paul Mitchell grew into a hair care empire generating over $1 billion in annual retail sales, with DeJoria maintaining the salon-only distribution model for over four decades. The brand's black-and-white packaging became instantly recognizable, and its products — from Awapuhi shampoo to Tea Tree line — achieved cult status among both professionals and consumers willing to visit salons to buy them.
Tequila, Philanthropy, and the Serial Entrepreneur
DeJoria's second major venture, Patron Spirits, transformed the tequila industry. Co-founded in 1989, Patron introduced handblown glass bottles and positioned tequila as a sipping spirit rather than a shot drink, creating the ultra-premium tequila category almost single-handedly. When Bacardi acquired Patron in 2018 for $5.1 billion, it was the largest tequila deal in history.
Throughout his career, DeJoria has signed the Giving Pledge and committed to donating the majority of his wealth. His philanthropic focus includes homelessness, food insecurity, environmental sustainability, and supporting military veterans — causes that reflect his own experiences with poverty and displacement. He often says that success isn't about how much you make but how much you give back, a philosophy grounded in the lived experience of having nothing.