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Rise and Grind Fundraising Adventure
January 25, 2018 @ 8:00 pm PST
About the Event
Adventures by the Book® is pleased to offer an exciting event to benefit Reality Changers, a nonprofit organization that transforms the lives of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Join Shark Tank star Daymond John, a New York Times bestselling author, as he shares valuable insights into success. Have you wondered how you can outperform, outwork and outhustle your way to a successful and rewarding life? Well, Daymond John is here to reveal the not-so-secret formula to his success.
Your adventure includes a signed, first edition, hardcover copy of Daymond John’s book, Rise and Grind, a generous donation to Reality Changers, author presentation, Q&A, and book signing.
And, if you really want to make a difference, consider purchasing extra copies of Rise and Grind to donate to Reality Changers students, or make a donation directly to Reality Changers, here.
About the Author
From his wildly successful role on ABC’s smash hit, Shark Tank, to his distinguished status as a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship, Daymond John has become globally recognized for his relentless commitment to promoting and supporting entrepreneurs.
Daymond initially made his mark as the entrepreneur and branding expert behind the groundbreaking lifestyle brand, FUBU, which eclipsed more than $6 billion in global retail sales. From the streets of Hollis, Queens, Daymond started a global movement from the basement of his mother’s house by capitalizing on the then fledgling hip-hop culture. Today, the streetwear market that FUBU pioneered is a $20 billion dollar industry.
Since then, Daymond has continued to challenge himself and the business world in which he operates. In 2009, Daymond was tapped by lauded television producer, Mark Burnett, to join the cast of a new business-reality concept, Shark Tank. After 8 seasons, 3 Emmy Awards, multiple Critic’s Choice Awards and millions of dollars in investments, the show has become the most watched program on Friday nights, and one of the most successful business reality series of all time. Over the course of the series, Daymond has been a mainstay of the cast of Sharks and is now affectionately referred to as, “The People’s Shark.” Season 9 was shot in June of 2017 and will air on Sunday nights later in the year.
A recipient of more than thirty-five awards, including the Brandweek Marketer of the Year and Ernst & Young’s Master Entrepreneur of the Year, Daymond serves as CEO of the brand consultancy, The Shark Group, which specializes in brand strategy and development, artist relations and talent development. Under Daymond’s leadership, The Shark Group has re- written the script on how companies, brands and products can seamlessly work together to yield a sum greater than its parts. The Shark Group works with a wide range of businesses and brands, including Capital One, HSN, Forbes, Miller Lite, Gillette, Shopify and Infusionsoft and superstars such as Muhammad Ali, the Kardashians, Pitbull, Stan Lee, Carlos Santana, Jillian Michaels and others.
About Reality Changers
Created in 2001, Reality Changers serves nearly 1,000 youth from disadvantaged backgrounds every year and is based on the principle that it is just not right that most inner-city students today know more people who have been shot or killed in the street than people who are on the road to college.
Reality Changers focuses on how to build first generation college students. Measures were put in place to not give any “face time” to the negative behaviors that dominated the streets of the inner-city. This new approach led to the development of Reality Changers’ “Tightrope Theory,” which suggests that messages such as “Don’t do drugs!” and “Don’t be in gangs” are the equivalent of yelling at a tightrope walker, “Hey, don’t look down!”
Instead, students must be coached to focus on their goals that await them on the other side of the symbolic tightrope. The students then use Reality Changers as their balancing pole while they learn to take the steps necessary to get across to the other side.
This shift in approach – from deficit-based to asset-based – has resulted in turning the $300 of seed money with which Reality Changers started in 2001 into over $100,000,000 in college scholarships for low-income youth in San Diego by May 2016.
