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‘Shark Tank’ star Daymond John says ‘you’ll be screwed’ if you do this when starting a business
Daymond John, the entrepreneur and "Shark Tank" star, has offered blunt advice to aspiring business owners, warning that those who start a company purely to chase money rather than out of genuine passion are setting themselves up to fail. He shared his views with Fox News Digital while attending Fanatics Fest, framing the warning as a core principle for anyone hoping to build a sustainable business rather than a quick cash-in.
According to the 57-year-old, passion for the venture itself is essential, and entrepreneurs who lack it risk being "screwed" further down the line. The interview came amid Fanatics Fest, a sports and memorabilia convention, though the article does not elaborate further on the specific circumstances or additional details of John's comments beyond this central message.
In short
- Daymond John says passion, not money alone, is key to business success
- Starting a business purely for cash will "screw" you, he warns
- Comments made to Fox News Digital at Fanatics Fest
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Daymond John's position reflects a fundamental truth about entrepreneurship: sustained success requires the emotional energy and commitment that only genuine passion provides. When inevitable setbacks arrive—and they invariably do—financial motivation alone rarely sustains entrepreneurs through the pivotal moments that determine success or failure. Passionate founders attract better talent, create superior products through deeper engagement, and persist where purely profit-motivated competitors give up, making passion essential rather than merely desirable.
The case against
The emphasis on passion risks romanticising entrepreneurship and overlooking the legitimate power of sound business strategy and market opportunity. Many thriving ventures are built by pragmatic operators focused primarily on identifying underserved markets and executing disciplined operations, without requiring deep personal passion for the product itself. Overemphasising passion can distract from the harder realities of profitability and scalability, and the frequently cited connection between passion and success may reflect survivorship bias—successful founders retrospectively credit passion, but what often distinguished them was strategic insight and operational excellence regardless of emotional investment.
Explained simply
Daymond John is an American entrepreneur best known for appearing on "Shark Tank," a television programme where successful business people assess pitches from aspiring entrepreneurs seeking investment. His track record in building his own companies has made his views on business widely listened to by people considering starting their own ventures.
Many people view starting a business primarily as a means to make money, but experienced business figures often argue this overlooks something important about how businesses actually function. The question of what motivates someone to launch a company—and whether that motivation matters to long-term success—is a recurring topic in business advice and entrepreneurship discussion.
The relationship between personal motivation and business success has long interested entrepreneurs and observers. There is ongoing debate about whether starting a company should be chiefly a financial decision, and what role genuine interest in the product or service plays in creating a business that can actually survive and thrive over time.
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