Page 13 - FHM - USA (January 2020)
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“Well, we had a backer for took the seven hundred Tragedy and furniture to sell the architects,
five hundred thousand dollars dollars, so when I called the Tequila he went down there with my
to start John Paul Mitchell bottle man and the silk With John Paul Mitchell builder Jack who was building
Systems but our backer pulled screener, we had no money. Systems steadily growing a house for me at the time,
out in 1980 because our But I did have a thirty-day into a professional beauty and came back with these two
hostages were still in Iran, oil credit line set up. So it took powerhouse, tragedy struck great bottles of tequila. They
was through the ceiling, two weeks from the time the in 1989 as DeJoria’s business were really good. Smoother
unemployment in the United bottles left the bottle company partner, co-founder and than anything we tasted. He
States was over ten percent. to the silk screener to the friend Paul Mitchell sadly lost said, “You know, JP? I could
Inflation was twelve percent filling company, and then we his battle with cancer leaving go down there and change this
and interest rates were twenty had a product. I went DeJoria as the sole owner of formula to be even smoother.
percent. He said, “Nope, can’t knocking on doors, visiting the booming business. It was And by the way, look at this
go into any new business.” beauty salons and going emotionally tough on great bottle I found down
Paul was in Los Angeles at the door-to-door selling our DeJoria, but once again the there. And I can make a great
time. I had everything all set product and Paul did the man who used to sell pop label.” Martin was a fabulous
up. I said, “Paul, how much same thing off the stage when caps to support himself and designer so he did it and I
do you have?” He says, “I he did beauty shows. And we his infant son, he soldiered said, “Well, let’s go and make
don’t have a lot. I can spare kind of worked together at the on to make sure that the an ecological product.” He
three hundred and fifty grassroots level. Finally when company grew even more in said, “JP? How about recycled
dollars.” I got three hundred the bill was due – the first bill the memory of his dear bottles?” So we came up with a
and fifty dollars. That was was due in two weeks. We friend. Yet his next business product where every single
seven hundred dollars. The didn’t have enough to pay the venture would not be in the bottle was recycled of Patrone.
first thing we had to do was to bill, so it was, “The check’s in beauty industry but instead All the paper and cardboard
go to our, uh, artist who did the mail.” Two days later, we his focus would turn to used was recycled. And what
our artwork and say, “Hey, had just enough to pay the tequila. we would do with our product
your artwork, these three bill and we ran behind for “In 1989, I was with a line is present it and
products. Our first three two years. We knew we made friend of mine – Martin. And introduce it. But it was very
products are a thousand it at John Paul Mitchell we were sipping the normal expensive to make. We
dollars. We only have seven Systems two years after we tequilas of the day. And we introduced it in 1989 at
hundred dollars, that’s it. Can were in business. And that’s decided there had to be a thirty-seven dollars a bottle.
we give you three or four because after two years, we better tequila because you Very expensive. Normal
hundred [CHUCKLES] and had enough money to pay our have to hold your breath with tequila was ten dollars a
give you the rest later?” He bill on time. Not pay it off, most of them or mix them with bottle, five dollars a bottle.
says, “Nope. Your bill’s a but pay all of our bills on something or just do a shot And it took a while to take off.
thousand dollars, but I’ll take time and have an extra and go [SIGHS]. We were in And my feeling was this – it
the seven hundred dollars couple thousand dollars in the architectural business – so was so good that if we didn’t
from you right now cause I’ll the bank. Then we knew we on his next buying trip down sell one bottle and I bought
never see another penny.” He really made it.” to Mexico to buy pavers and one thousand cases, twelve
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