“Can see straight through it” - Shark Tank investor Daymond advises entrepreneurs not to buy followers on social media

Shark Tank investor Daymond John is a branding expert and a two-time New York Times bestselling author. He published The Power of Broke in 2016 and Rise and Grind in 2018, which was also on the list of Wall Street Journal Best Sellers. Apart from that, Daymond provides guidance to young entrepreneurs and new business owners through his social media accounts and his active presence on Instagram.

On January 27, 2025, an Instagram reel was posted to Daymond John's official Instagram account. In the short clip, John warned young entrepreneurs not to buy followers on social media platforms as "people can see right through it." He said:

"Listen, I have a program where I buy CEOs and train them damn near manage them, and when I onboard them, the first thing they always ask is why don't I just buy these likes and followers? Because people can see straight through it."

The Instagram reel is captioned as:

"For those who have been on this new trend of buying fake followers and likes lately. You might not know this. But….we are all watching, we just aren't saying anything. Buying fake things to impress others to increase our status is nothing new. I personally don't believe anyone should buy followers."

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Shark Tank investor Daymond John shares advice for business owners regarding their social media following

The video caption continued by stating the impact of social media on someone's influence and personal brand. According to the Shark Tank investor Daymond, people easily notice buying fake followers as they can see the number of likes and shares, which might not match the number of followers. It stated:

"Be aware of the power of social media. Your fellow leaders, The Press, Employees, competition, and enemies are all taking notice. It could have a daily negative effect on your brand, and you would have no idea that people are even noticing. You can thank me later."

In the clip, Daymond stated that while training other people to elevate their business and brand, the most common question asked by entrepreneurs is whether they can establish a social media presence by buying followers. As per the Shark Tank investor, it shows how desperate an individual is "for attention" and can negatively impact the brand's overall impression. He explained:

"You want to buy likes and buy followers because everybody is doing it and it's tempting and I understand. Please take my advice. Do not do it. It's like a bad P and L sheet, it's like nasty dirty inventory."

Daymond elaborated that even if an entrepreneur has an established business, people can easily point out that they have bought followers on social media. This action can harm their reputation. John encouraged new business owners to connect to their followers who willingly follow them rather than spend money on buying followers. The Shark Tank investor concluded by sharing a lesson of not getting tempted if others are doing this, he said:

"Because now everybody's just talking about how desperate you are and your significant other, if they're doing the same exact thing, it looks like look at us, we need attention."

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New episodes of Shark Tank are available to stream exclusively on ABC on Fridays at 8 pm ET/7 pm CT. Viewers can follow Daymond John on his official Instagram account @thesharkdaymond.