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5 gems from Daymond John’s ‘Breakfast Club’ interview that will make you hustle

When it comes to success, there aren’t many business men that have it figured out like FUBU’s CEO and legendary business mogul Daymond John.

He flipped his $40 dollar budget to a $6 billion fashion titan, reinvented himself on ABC’s Shark Tank, he’s a New York Times best-selling author and most recently, President Barack Obama appointed Daymond a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship.

This past Tuesday (Feb 13th) he visited Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club to promote his newest book, Rise & Grind and shared what it took to achieve your vision of success.

As a black business owner who, over last two plus decades, managed to remain relevant and preserve his brand, he had a lot of wisdom to share. Here’s five of the most motivational quotes from the interview.

“I don’t even know what day it is today. And I won’t know what day it is today. Some people have to remind me what day it is.”

Everyday is a Monday. The name of the week is irrelevant when the mission doesn’t change.

Once you see that everyday there’s something you can do to inch yourself closer to something you’ve always wanted, you’ll want to invest every second into insuring it happens, as opposed to living purposeless moments.


“If you’re binge watching, then you’ve already lost”

Here, Daymond John is saying the time it takes to actually binge watch a show, any show, is too valuable and could be spent elsewhere.

It only sounds obsessive when you don’t think it can be done.


“When you complain, 20% percent of the people don’t care about your problems and the other 80% are really, really, happy you have them.

Everybody’s got their own problems, their own dreams and hopes. It’s almost egotistical to think that your problems and what you’re going through should take priority over someone else’s.

Complaining has never helped anyone, and Daymond is saying it surely did not help him. Our worst fears are never the end of the world, so taking the hand we’re dealt and making the best out of it, is far better for everyone in the end.


Do not answer any emails for the first hour of the day.

How you set the tone for your day is critical. Oftentimes it’s not the side of the bed we got up on, but what we first registered in our conscious.

Once you get up and start opening your emails, you’re taking care of everyone else’s problems. Instead, do something for you.

Read the paper, listen to a podcast. If anything, send emails and go on the offense, rather than immediately subjecting yourself to other’s demands.

Instagram, too. Why would you want to start you day on a negative note? Instagram is instant social media depression. Everyone looks skinnier, sexier, richer. When in reality they’re all projections of their best selves, far, very far from the mean.

We must be intentional about what energy we start the day with.


Schedule in the things you love

If the time you put into your dream does not match what you put into your day job, it should be a daily mission to accomplish.

Time will continue on; all while we’re at the same job, all while we put off our dreams, all while we make another excuse. We must make time for the things we want to accomplish.

Daymond John’s book Rise & Grind is a compilation of these very principles he shared on The Breakfast Club and includes quotes and words from stars like Zendaya and Gary Vaynerchuk as well. Peep it here!