. >> he pounded the pavement for almost four years before a chance job at redken, the hair-care gianta different path. then he was fired. along the way, though, he made a very important connection. he became friends with paul mitchell, a renowned hair stylist living in hawaii at the time. in 1980, they decided to take on the highly competitive beauty industry and make their own hair-care products. >> you know, there's only two of us -- my partner the hairdresser, who didn't do business, and me the businessman in marketing, sales, and i helped formulate the products. >> they developed a system of hair care they believed could change the way hair salons operated. they called the system "john paul mitchell," combining their names. >> we had a shampoo where you only had to use it once instead of twice. we developed a conditioner that you left in your hair and a setting lotion that didn't flake. we called it sculpting lotion. >> ever the salesman, dejoria found an investor willing to stake a half-million dollars in the new products. next, he found manufacturers, promising them huge initial