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Daymond John on FUBU, hustle and Shark Tank: interview summary

Daymond John on starting FUBU, CRAZY Kardashians story, Shark Tank TV career | Jeff Teague & 520

Club 520 Podcast · Aug 3, 2026 · about 51 min

Uploaded Aug 3, 2026 · 98.3K views (as of Oct 30, 2026)

Some value given

He made 50 calls a day for six months, and nobody picked up for the first three months.
FUBU spread when artists asked for the clothes after seeing people around them wear it.
Early sales came from going straight to neighborhoods like 145th Street.
He bought a small booth at the Black Expo at the Javits Center to find partners.
On Shark Tank, he says losing the Scrub Daddy deal came from pushing the price up on another shark.

How did Daymond John get FUBU started with no money?

He says he set a rule to make 50 calls a day for six months, to record labels, stores and manufacturers. Nobody picked up for the first three months. After that, people started taking his calls because they saw he wasn't going away, and the doors slowly opened.

Worth watching?Some value given. A loose, funny podcast with plenty of jokes between stories. The FUBU origin and the 50 calls a day habit are the parts founders should hear.

ActionableLessons

Actionable

Set a daily outreach number and keep it for 90 days before judging the results.
Go where your customers already are, and sell to them in person.
Put your product on people others already watch and copy.
When negotiating, ask whether playing games could cost you the deal.

Lessons

Persistence makes people take you seriously.
Word of mouth starts with the right early wearers.
Being in the room with customers teaches you fast.
Getting too clever in a negotiation can backfire.

Quick answer

Daymond John sat down with Club 520 Podcast for this interview, published Aug 3, 2026. Here's our summary in our own words: a verdict, the answer to the big question, 5 takeaways, Actionable and Lessons tabs, then the stories, frameworks and how to use them.

What 125x is: 125x is a web app at 125x.app. You connect your YouTube subscriptions, and it gives you a feed of the latest videos from the channels you follow, each with a summary: a verdict, the 5 key takeaways, and the spoiler, plus Actionable and Lessons tabs with more tips. You read that and decide what's actually worth opening.

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Watch the interview

Watch on YouTube: Daymond John on starting FUBU, CRAZY Kardashians story, Shark Tank TV career | Jeff Teague & 520

Channel: Club 520 Podcast. Published Aug 3, 2026. About 51 minutes.

Who is Daymond John?

Daymond John co-founded the clothing brand FUBU in Queens and later became an investor on Shark Tank.

This is a long sit-down on the Club 520 Podcast with former NBA player Jeff Teague and friends.

Key stories from the interview

He talks about auditioning as a teen to dance on tour, and his mother saying no.
He explains the 50 calls rule and how it finally paid off.
He tells how artists started asking for FUBU after seeing it on people they knew.
He laughs about doubting Mark Cuban would join Shark Tank, and shares how he lost the Scrub Daddy deal.

Frameworks and ideas

The 50 calls rule: daily volume until people know you're serious.
Seeding: get the product on people who influence others.
Go to the street: sell where the customer lives.
Know your number: in a deal, overreaching can lose it.

In their words (paraphrased)

I'm just going to make 50 calls a day for 6 months.
Nobody picked up my call for the first 3 months.
They were like, 'You ain't going away.'

How to apply this

Pick one goal and set a daily outreach number you can keep.
Find five people your customers admire and get your product to one of them.
Before your next negotiation, write the number where you'll simply say yes.

A note on this summary

This page reports what was said in the interview, in our own words. Lines under 'In their words' are paraphrased from the transcript, so check the video for exact wording.

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FAQ: questions people ask

How did Daymond John start FUBU?

With no money, he made 50 calls a day for six months and sold directly in neighborhoods.

What deal did Daymond John lose on Shark Tank?

He says he lost Scrub Daddy by pushing the price up on another shark.

Is the Daymond John Club 520 interview worth watching?

Some value given. Fun and loose, with a few strong founder stories.