You're listening to the Impact Theory Podcast, your source of empowering ideas and actionable techniques from the world's highest achievers.

Join host Tom Billio, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of the billion dollar brand Quest Nutrition, on a journey to unlock your potential and realize your vision of success.

Welcome to Impact Theory.

Welcome to another episode of Impact Theory. You are here, my friends, because you believe that human potential is nearly limitless, but you know that having potential is not the same as actually doing something with it.

So our goal with this show and company is to introduce you to the people and ideas that will help you actually execute on your dreams.

Alright, today's guest is the quintessential Rags to Rich's Story.

He was born to immigrant parents, grew up hard on the streets of East LA, and drifted in and out of biker gangs, but ultimately took himself from homeless to self-made multi-billionaire.

His life literally sounds like it's been ripped from the pages of a Hollywood screenplay.

His father left when he was just two years old, he had to sell newspapers and Christmas cards at the age of nine to help support his family.

At one point, he and his young son were forced to live out of a car.

He ended up having to sell encyclopedias, door to door to make ends meet, and even that success proof-leading, leaving him homeless again at age 36.

But as with any great Hollywood tale, things were darkest just before the dawn, and he ended up turning a fortuitous encounter with a hairstylist named Paul into an idea for a company, and despite the backers pulling out at the 11th hour, the pair went on to launch and grow through sheer force of will, what is now the global powerhouse, Paul Mitchell.

A company that made him a household name and fantastically wealthy in the process, but that was just the beginning, and less than 10 years later, he co-founded, and even more successful company called Patron Tequila, placing him in the very rare pantheon of entrepreneurs who have had multiple home runs.

And what makes his success so beautiful is that he's done it the right way.

Putting his employees first, John Paul Mitchell Systems has had turnover of less than 70 people in 35 years, and he has baked philanthropy into the core culture of all of his companies.

So please, help me in welcoming the recipient of the Horatio Alger Award for Distinguished Americans, the philanthropist, and founder of the Peace, Love, and Happiness Foundation, John Paul DeGioria.

Thank you, John Mark. That's a great introduction. Thank you very much. Very kind. America still works.

And that's a perfect place to start. So reading your story, it really feels like the American dream that I grew up with as a kid, that I'm not sure people think of as the same American dream.

If you had to define the American dream, what would you say it is?

That when you think that there's all the opportunity you want, and you don't know any better, you go after it.

In my generation, it was a pleasure work. Whether it was at the Variety Boys Club at seven years old, making flower pots, going on selling them, or Christmas cards at nine, or going on the streets at 11 years old, delivering morning newspapers.

For us, it was fun to work. Now, what do we do with the money? We give to my mom so we have a better way of life.

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