Success Unshared is Failure

Chapter 1: Foreword

Overview

Mark Victor Hansen, the legendary co-creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul, opens this foreword by drawing a striking metaphor: John Paul DeJoria transforms life’s tragedies into triumphs the way a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. Hansen first met JP in the mid-90s through a mutual friend, and their connection was immediate—both grew up as sons of immigrant parents with barely enough, selling greeting cards at age nine and running newspaper routes. That shared hunger fueled an entrepreneurial fire that led each man from humble beginnings to extraordinary success.

Hansen recalls visiting JP’s Malibu Beach home, where they shared a shot of Patrón tequila and swapped stories. Back then, Hansen knew JP only as the smiling face from Paul Mitchell commercials. But that afternoon, he discovered a kindred spirit: a man who launched a billion-dollar hair care company with just $700 and a co-founder, then later built Patrón into a global tequila empire. What struck Hansen most was not the wealth, but what JP did with it.

A Giver First

JP’s personal mantra—Success Unshared is Failure—became the book’s title, and Hansen watched it play out in real time. He saw JP restore hurricane-ravaged Barbuda by rebuilding coral reefs and creating jobs for displaced residents. He heard from Malian leader Yeah Samake about how JP’s water projects were feeding entire villages. In Austin, Texas, JP partnered with a homeless outreach program that not only fed people but guided them back to employment—so effective it became a model for other cities.

Hansen describes JP as having “such an enormous spirit, that the universe responds equally, and in kind, to the largess of the goodness he embodies.” That spirit earned JP the Horatio Alger Award for Distinguished Americans, an honor presented at the U.S. Supreme Court and shared by Hansen himself—yet another uncanny parallel in their intertwined journeys. The award recognizes individuals who rose from poverty and gave back extravagantly; Horatio Alger has granted over $265 million in scholarships through its members.

Why This Book Matters

Hansen closes the foreword with a simple but profound observation: there are givers and takers in life, and John Paul DeJoria is a master giver. He frames JP not as an exception but as an example—proof that white-hot desire and relentless dedication can lift anyone from nothing. The pages that follow, Hansen promises, are filled with dramatic stories of adversity turned into advantage, offering a template for living “to your fullest expression of joy and success.”

Key Takeaways

• Shared roots fuel shared drive: Hansen and DeJoria both came from immigrant, low-resource backgrounds that sparked an early entrepreneurial instinct—selling cards, delivering papers, hustling door-to-door.
• Success is only meaningful when shared: JP’s core philosophy—Success Unshared is Failure—is not a slogan but a lived practice, demonstrated through reef restoration, water access projects, and homeless-to-employment programs.
• Philanthropy as a natural extension of achievement: JP’s giving is not an afterthought; it’s the logical outcome of his business victories, rewarded by the Horatio Alger Award and the respect of peers.
• One person can change entire communities: From Barbuda to Mali to Austin, JP shows what a single, on-purpose human being can accomplish when resources are combined with genuine compassion.
• This book is a playbook, not just a biography: Hansen predicts it will become a treasured resource for anyone seeking to replicate JP’s blend of resilience, generosity, and success.

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Chapter 2: Introduction

Overview

The Introduction to Success Unshared is Failure is less a conventional opening and more a personal creed from John Paul DeJoria. He wastes no time laying his cards on the table: the book’s title isn’t just a catchy phrase—it’s the philosophy his mother taught him as a boy, the principle he and his business partner Paul Mitchell built their company on, and the idea that continues to guide him today. DeJoria explains that when you improve your own situation, bringing others along isn’t optional; it’s the very definition of real success. He frames this as a kind of moral and emotional necessity: hoarding good fortune, whether it’s money, knowledge, or opportunity, leads to emptiness. By contrast, sharing expands your reach and your frequency—his word for the positive energy that comes from helping others.

DeJoria then connects this idea directly to how John Paul Mitchell Systems was designed. From day one, the company was built with hairdressers, not just for them. Products were created with their needs in mind, marketing included them, and the company supported them during tough times. Later, when Paul Mitchell Schools launched, students were folded into that same inclusive culture. That vision turned a $700 startup into the largest independently-owned professional hair care company, operating in over a hundred countries. DeJoria calls this his first billion-dollar opportunity, but the real point is that the company’s success was never just about money—it was about building a community of shared purpose.

The Introduction also hints at what’s to come: DeJoria has used his wealth to invest in projects that provide food, water, and environmental solutions, not because they promise returns, but because they “touch his heart.” He insists you don’t need to be rich to live out this philosophy. His mother’s lesson was simple: no matter how bad things seem for you, someone else is facing even greater struggles, and you won’t find real happiness until you find a way to help them. He ends by revealing his own unlikely path—fired three times from the beauty industry before launching JPMS—and credits those failures with shaping both the company and himself. “Faith is real,” he says, grounding the entire introduction in a belief that setbacks can lead to something far greater.

Key Takeaways

• Success isn’t measured by what you keep, but by what you share; “success unshared is failure” is both a moral and practical principle.
• John Paul Mitchell Systems was built on inclusion—designing products and culture with hairdressers and students, not just for them.
• You don’t need wealth to practice this philosophy; helping others can start small, especially when you remember someone always has it harder.
• Personal failures (like being fired three times) can become the foundation for extraordinary success if you keep faith and learn from them.

Chapter 3: Chapter 1 Believe in Yourself and You Will Succeed

Overview

Chapter 1 introduces the foundation of everything that shaped John Paul DeJoria’s life and career: his mother’s unwavering belief in happiness over wealth, the scrappy lessons of a childhood spent making do, and the early sparks of entrepreneurial spirit. From selling handmade planter boxes as a boy to earning a raise by cleaning better than anyone expected, this chapter is a vivid tour of the experiences that taught him that success isn’t about money—it’s about doing your best, believing in yourself, and helping others along the way.

A Mother’s Wisdom: Happiness Is the Real Wealth

Yvonne Madelo DeJoria raised two boys alone after her marriage ended, often with very little money. One Friday, when their entire fortune was just twenty-seven cents, she told her sons they were rich because the bills were paid, they had each other, and food was in the icebox. That lesson stuck. She taught them to give the bigger half of a cookie to a friend, to help the Salvation Army even when a dime felt like a fortune, and to understand that “success unshared is failure.” These weren’t just words; they became the blueprint for how John Paul would later treat employees, partners, and strangers.

Boys Club, Planter Boxes, and the Thrill of the Sale

At the Variety Boys Club in East L.A., John Paul and his brother Robert discovered the joy of making things. They built a flower planter box, paying twenty-five cents for materials on credit and spending days sanding and varnishing it to perfection. Selling it to a waitress for fifty cents gave them a quarter profit—and a lifelong lesson in quality and hustle. They reinvested their earnings into another box, and another. Around the same time, John Paul became a wildly enthusiastic newspaper salesman, genuinely believing the Los Angeles Examiner had “the best funny papers in the world.” That enthusiasm was contagious, and it taught him that when you love what you do, your excitement sells itself.

A Gang of Pink Rats and a Teacher’s Prediction

The chapter touches lightly on a childhood street gang called the Pink Rats—just kids with push-button knives and a clubhouse tree—and the more serious moment when a high school teacher read a note aloud and declared that John Paul and his friend Michelle Gilliam would never succeed in business. Michelle later became Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas, and John Paul built Paul Mitchell. Neither let that prediction stick. He reflects that self-belief was the only thing that mattered; they simply needed to “figure out better ways to pass our notes.”

The Cleanest Janitor in the World

At sixteen, working at Stewart’s Cleaners for minimum wage, John Paul cleaned the way his mother had taught him: moving furniture, sweeping under everything, leaving no dust behind. When his boss discovered the spotless area behind a cot—done without anyone watching—he gave the kid a twenty-five-cent raise. The lesson: success isn’t about the title. It’s about being the best darned janitor you can be, because someone will eventually notice.

Friendship and Paying It Forward

A high school friend, Lee Meyer, loaned John Paul a car after an accident, then never blamed him when that car was wrecked too. Lee’s kindness and faith left a deep mark. Years later, John Paul repaid the favor with a new car and a job offer at John Paul Mitchell Systems. The chapter makes clear that the people who believed in him—and those he believes in—are part of the same cycle of trust and generosity.

Key Takeaways

• Belief in yourself is more powerful than any teacher’s prediction. Don’t let anyone decide your ceiling.
• Do your best even when no one is watching. That’s how you earn raises, respect, and a reputation.
• Love what you do, and your passion becomes your best sales pitch.
• Success means sharing. Give the bigger half of the cookie; help those with less; never let a dime convince you that giving back isn’t worth it.
• Early lessons in quality and hustle stick. Whether it’s a planter box or a janitor’s broom, take pride in the details.

Chapter 4: Chapter 2 Life's Misfortunes Can Teach You a Lot

Overview

Life’s misfortunes can teach you a lot—and this chapter proves it by taking you through early setbacks that built a foundation for success. It starts in 1962 with a seventeen-year-old who had no money for college, so he joined the Navy. Serving on the USS Hornet, he learned management, teamwork, and how ordinary people achieve extraordinary results together.

Back in civilian life, he bounced through gritty jobs before landing in door-to-door encyclopedia sales for Collier’s. The average salesman lasted three days; he lasted three and a half years. That grind taught him two lessons: be prepared for rejection (the next door might open after a hundred slams), and successful people do what unsuccessful people won’t—like working nights and weekends.

Confidence is great, but cockiness can get you killed. In 1965, during the Watts riots, he and a buddy drove into the chaos to see what was happening. They stashed a rusty shotgun in the car, a cop spotted it, and they ended up in jail. Charges were dismissed, but he walked away determined never to mistake confidence for stupidity again.

Personal life hit rock bottom. He’d gotten married underage with a phony ID, and after a son arrived, his wife drove off, emptied the bank account, and left unpaid rent. Suddenly he and his two-year-old son were homeless, living out of a beat-up 1951 Cadillac, collecting soda bottles for cash, showering at Griffith Park. Too proud to ask family for help, he reminded himself they had a choice—to stay grateful and keep moving.

Kindness arrived from an old junior high buddy, Lee Meyer, a tough biker who offered a room in his mother’s house for twenty-three dollars a month. The biker community became family; the women watched his son while he worked.

Over the next few years he sold dictating machines, photocopiers, life insurance, drove a linen truck. By 1970 he was circulation manager at Time Inc., running a boiler room of fifty cold-callers—and he hated the monotony. When he asked for a promotion, his boss told him to come back when he was thirty-five because he hadn’t been to college. That dead-end moment made him realize he needed growth.

An employment counselor named John Capra suggested the professional beauty industry. “You won’t make much money at first, but it’s wide open, and you’ll have a blast.” That led to a company called Redken. He excelled there—opened schools, broke records, went from sales rep to national manager in eighteen months. His philosophy was treat people the way you want to be treated. That collided with company culture when he objected to using Marmoset monkeys for product tests that had nothing to do with hair. He was fired.

Then came Syntex. He boosted revenues from $8 million to $12 million in a year—and was fired because he didn’t socialize on weekends. Next, the Institute of Trichology gave him a sweetheart deal; he tripled sales. The owners said, “You made more money than the founder. We’re letting you go.” Getting fired three times in six years sounds like a disaster, but he later saw it as heaven-sent. Each job taught him something essential about sales, manufacturing, and marketing that he’d need to start JPMS. Every slammed door became a lesson in what he did wrong and how to keep going.

The core theme is that misfortunes don’t define you; how you face them does. Mistakes are tuition, not tragedies. Trust that life is guiding you somewhere bigger—even if the payoff takes years. And don’t let others’ definitions of “fitting in” stop you from doing what you believe is right. Refusing to play politics or mistreat animals cost him jobs, but it built the character and the company that would come next.

Key Takeaways

• Misfortunes don’t define you; how you face them does. Each failure is a stepping stone if you’re willing to learn.
• Trust that life is guiding you somewhere bigger. You may not see the payoff for years, but it’s coming.
• Don’t let others’ definitions of “fitting in” stop you from doing what you believe is right. JP’s refusal to play politics or mistreat animals cost him jobs, but it built his character and his company.