What does it really take to build something meaningful? Not fairy tales. Not meteoric rises. The stories that follow are lived reality, full of hardship, hope, risk, and heart. Written for anyone who dreams of building a business that matters, they show that where you come from doesn’t determine where you can go.

In this post, you’ll meet:

1. John Paul DeJoria – from foster care and homelessness to billion-dollar brands
2. Kathryn Minshew – rejected 148 times before The Muse changed careers forever
3. Richard Montañez – a janitor who sparked a snack revolution
   …plus, deeper insights: lessons every founder should know, and how you can start today.

1. John Paul DeJoria’s - From Poverty to Billion-Dollar Brands

John Paul DeJoria’s roots were rocky. Born in Los Angeles in 1944, he bounced between foster homes and poverty. As a child, he sold Christmas cards and newspapers, not just for pocket money but out of pride—he learned early that persistence matters more than privilege.

As a young adult, he survived on menial jobs—janitor, encyclopedia salesman, tow truck driver. When he reached senior roles at Redken Laboratories, it felt like a breakthrough. But in 1980, at the age of 36, he was fired again. With no job and no prospects, he found himself living out of his car—a Rolls-Royce that had once been a symbol of prestige, now just a shell.

Rolling the Dice

That same year, a haircut changed his life. He met Paul Mitchell, a hairstylist with a vision to revolutionize the hair care industry. With just $700 ($350 from his mother, $350 from himself), they founded John Paul Mitchell Systems. Without marketing teams or investors, they bottled samples, knocked on salon doors, and even shampooed clients personally.

The Turning Point

Two years in, they were barely scraping by. However, they then received their first meaningful order, finally cleared enough to pay suppliers and cover rent. That’s when everything shifted. With grit, celebrity endorsements, and hands-on consistency, they scaled into a global brand.

And in 1989, DeJoria launched Patrón Tequila—built the same way: painstaking attention to product, pricing it as a premium spirit, and a strategy that spoke tasting louder than marketing.

Giving Back with Purpose

Success didn’t alter his humility. DeJoria founded the Peace, Love & Happiness Foundation, supports environmental causes, stands for cruelty‑free beauty, and fights poverty in Africa. His mantra: “Success unshared is failure.” That’s a hero’s legacy.

2. Kathryn Minshew’s - From 148 “Nos” to Building a Platform Empowering Millions

Kathryn Minshew had the qualifications: McKinsey, Clinton Health Access Initiative. But she felt unmoored—like she was building someone else’s goals, not her own. That’s when she found her calling: career advice rooted in empathy and reality.

The Brutal Rejections

When she launched The Daily Muse, investors responded 148 times with: “No.” The sting of rejection nearly stopped her, fear of failure loomed larger than ever. But Kathryn listened to her heart, and to the stories of people who craved purpose, not just a paycheck.

A Breakthrough at YC

Their entry into Y Combinator in 2012 became a turning point. Pitching with emotion and conviction, Kathryn convinced investors not only of her idea but of her resolve. Funding followed. Credibility followed. And the Muse grew to over a million monthly users.

The Power of Persistence

Today, Kathryn speaks the truth: entrepreneurship is messy, emotional, and extremely non-linear. But every setback was part of the journey. Her brand stands not on Excel sheets, but on purpose—and that, she says, is what moves people.

3. Richard Montañez’s - From Overnight Custodian to Snack Legend:

Richard Montañez was born in 1958 in Ontario, California, to a family so large that they shared a kitchen with dozens of others. He dropped out in fourth grade, working from an early age to help support his family. His grandfather taught him early: “If you work, make it shine.”

In 1976, he began working at a Frito-Lay plant as a janitor. He witnessed the company’s factory and decided to treat every floor, every machine unknown, as if it were his own. When a memo arrived saying “act like an owner,” he took it as a personal challenge.

A Flavorful Spark

He began making trips with truck drivers. Years later, he trotted into the CEO’s office carrying bags of home-dusted Cheetos, spiced with chili powder from his kitchen. They were snacks infused with passion, and he demanded they meet the company’s national lineup.

From Test Runs to Tactical Growth

The test run in Southern California became a full-scale rollout. Flamin’ Hot Cheetos became a cultural sensation—nascent flavor trend, slammed social content, red-cheek visuals. Montañez climbed to Vice-President of Multicultural Sales & Community Promotion.

Controversy, Clarified, and Committed

In 2021, Frito-Lay acknowledged that part of the concept had come from an internal product team, but also emphasized Montañez’s role in brand expansion. He responded humbly:

“I don’t care. I know the story.”

By 2024, he’d published memoirs, become a motivational speaker, and even filed a lawsuit to protect his version of the truth—mirroring his lifelong drive: to be heard, to be seen, and to inspire.

Lessons from their success

These stories are astonishing—but they aren’t anomalies. They show founding truths every entrepreneur should embrace:

1. Grit Beats Whimsy

At the core of every powerful founder story is one unshakable trait: Grit.

John Paul DeJoria wasn’t selling hair products because it was glamorous. He was living in a car, scraping together $700 to start a company with zero runway. But he showed up anyway—every day, knocking on doors, offering samples, and giving salon owners a reason to believe in something unproven. His success wasn’t a stroke of luck; it was the result of enduring one “no” after another until the tide turned.

Kathryn Minshew faced a different but equally brutal test. Imagine walking into over 140 investor meetings, pitching your heart out, and walking out with nothing—not even a callback. Most people would stop at 10. Or 50. But she logged every rejection, fine-tuned her message, and kept going. Grit, not glamour, moved her forward.

And Richard Montañez? He was mopping factory floors when he got the message to “act like an owner.” He could’ve laughed it off. Instead, he internalized it. He studied the business from the bottom up, watched how people interacted with chips, and invented a product nobody asked for—because he knew the market needed it.

Grit is about doing the work even when it’s boring, thankless, or unseen. It’s persistence in motion. Where whimsy says “follow your passion,” grit says “carry your purpose through the mud.”

Actionable Takeaway: Set a “grit quota.” How many rejections, failures, or pivots can you endure this month—and what will you learn from each?

2. Purpose Over Profit

Many entrepreneurs start with profit goals—monthly revenue, conversion rates, and fundraising milestones. These are important. But the most lasting businesses start from purpose.

DeJoria didn’t just want to sell shampoo; he wanted to empower stylists and create a cruelty-free beauty empire. Even after the billions came in, he didn’t retire on a beach—he built schools in Africa, funded eco-causes, and created job opportunities for people like his younger self. His foundation isn’t a PR stunt—it’s a continuation of the why behind his what.

Minshew’s mission came from lived experience: a smart, ambitious woman who didn’t feel connected to her career path. She didn’t want others to feel lost in jobs they hated. Her platform—The Muse—wasn’t just about job listings. It was about helping people find meaning, community, and direction. Her empathy for the end user is why millions of people kept returning.

For Montañez, it wasn’t just about chips—it was about cultural identity. As a Latino growing up in America, he didn’t see his community represented in snacks, ads, or supermarket aisles. By inventing Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, he wasn’t just spicing up food—he was opening the door for Latino representation in corporate America. He built a brand that spoke to his people in their language, with their flavors, and he did it unapologetically.

Actionable Takeaway: Ask yourself: if your business stopped tomorrow, who would be affected, and why? Purpose is what keeps your business alive when profit runs dry.

3. Constraints Breed Creativity

All three of these founders started with very real constraints: no money, no network, no credentials, no backing. But instead of letting those limits paralyze them, they used them as creative springboards.

DeJoria had to borrow $350 from his mother, who had very little herself. That forced him to be lean, scrappy, and direct. He didn’t have a marketing agency, so he walked into salons. He didn’t have distribution, so he hand-delivered. The lack of cash forced a personal touch that built fierce loyalty.

Minshew, fresh off a failed startup, had no capital and no clout. What she did have was a clear problem to solve—and a laptop. She blogged, wrote job descriptions, and emailed strangers until the idea gained traction. Y Combinator didn’t take her in because she was fancy. They took her in because she had hustle and clarity under pressure.

Montañez didn’t have a product line, factory backing, or marketing plan. He had a bag of plain Cheetos, a few chili spices from his home kitchen, and a vision. He sealed his samples with an iron and hand-drew the packaging. That wasn’t a lack of professionalism—it was raw ingenuity.

Actionable Takeaway: List your top three constraints. Then brainstorm three ways those limits can force smarter, faster, more human-scale solutions. Constraints are invitations, not obstacles.

4. Tell Your Truth

In a world saturated with filters, storytelling is your most underrated business tool. Not a pitch. Not a slogan. Not a resume. Your real story.

John Paul DeJoria doesn’t hide the fact that he lived in his car—he embraces it. Why? Because it shows his audience that success didn’t come wrapped in privilege or polish. He builds trust by showing where he started, not just where he is.

Minshew wasn’t afraid to admit she was terrified. She didn’t pretend to have it all together. Her two-minute Y Combinator pitch that changed everything wasn’t a deck of graphs—it was her personal narrative, full of vulnerability, frustration, and fire.

Montañez? He broke every rule. He cold-called a CEO. He wore a $3 tie. He gave a boardroom presentation with hand-drawn visuals. And he told them: “This is who I am, and this is what I believe will work.” Even when his origin story came under scrutiny years later, he stood by his truth. Not because it was neat, but because it was his.

When you tell your story with sincerity, you permit others to connect—not just to your business, but to your why.

Actionable Takeaway: Write the story of your idea’s origin without editing or branding it. Share that raw version with your community or audience. Watch what happens.

5. Scale Thoughtfully

Growth isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing right.

Too many entrepreneurs focus on scaling fast: raising money, hiring teams, launching features. But the founders we’ve explored scaled slowly and thoughtfully. They didn’t expand until their foundation was solid.

DeJoria didn’t start with a dozen products. He had one, a shampoo. He didn’t flood the market. He went salon by salon, building real relationships. That gave him feedback loops and loyalty that outperformed flashy competitors.

Minshew started with daily blogs. She interviewed users, refined job listings, and let her brand grow organically. The Muse didn’t start as a giant platform. It evolved because she listened and adapted.

Montañez didn’t launch nationwide immediately. He convinced Frito-Lay to test Flamin’ Hot Cheetos in Southern California first. That local success gave him data, testimonials, and momentum. Only then did they roll it out to stores everywhere.

Actionable Takeaway: Ask yourself, “Have I earned the right to grow?” Focus on delighting your first 100 users before chasing the next thousand. Iteration is more powerful than expansion.

✨ Final Thoughts

These lessons aren’t just theoretical—they were paid for in sweat, setbacks, and second chances. What unites DeJoria, Minshew, and Montañez isn’t genius or resources. It’s the mindset to keep going, keep learning, and keep leading with meaning.

You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to start from where you are, tell your truth, and take one brave step every day, especially when it’s hard.

Because what it truly takes to build something big… is already inside you.

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