Jamie is a real builder — scrappy, original, and unsatisfied by the status quo. He’s poured his missionary spirit into this book, and his story is a real world primer on founder mentality. —Jeff Bezos
"When I first met him, I thought, who is this guy? Ding Dong is a story of hustle, heart, and never giving up. Jamie turned a doorbell into a movement. If you’ve ever had people doubt your big idea, read this." — Shaquille O’Neal
"A master class in turning rejection into rocket fuel. Jamie took a very public snub, staggered, kept his feet, and ended up building an empire. I backed him and his company because I saw someone building more than a product, but a mission. Ding Dong tells exactly how he did it." — Sir Richard Branson
"When he came on Shark Tank everyone said he was dead meat. I was the only one that made him an offer, which Jamie foolishly declined. Imagine where he would be now if he took the Mr. Wonderful offer!" —Kevin O’Leary, Mr. Wonderful from Shark Tank
"In his new book...Ring founder Jamie Siminoff pulls back the curtain on the chaotic, often absurd reality of building one of the most recognizable consumer tech brands of the last decade." — Fast Company
"In “Ding Dong,” Siminoff revisits the setbacks, rejections and near-failures that shaped Ring." — New York Post
About Ding Dong From a sweaty, near-catastrophic Shark Tank demo to a billion-dollar acquisition by Amazon, Jamie Siminoff’s story of founding Ring is the ultimate underdog tale of invention, grit, and relentless reinvention.
While tinkering in his garage to solve his problem of missed deliveries, Jamie hacked together a Wi-Fi video doorbell. His wife called it a safety game-changer. The Sharks called it a pass. After walking away from Shark Tank empty-handed and broke, Jamie rallied a ragtag team of Craigslist hires and turned rejection into rocket fuel.
Through near-bankruptcy, factory disasters, and wild wins, complete with celebrity investors like Shaq and Richard Branson, Jamie built one of the most iconic consumer tech brands of all time.
Told with unfiltered honesty and humor, Ding Dong isn’t a polished success story; it’s a blueprint for anyone who’s been underestimated, rejected, or told to quit.
Because when opportunity knocks, the real question will you answer the door?
About the Author A lifelong inventor and mission-driven entrepreneur, Jamie Siminoff created the world’s first wifi video doorbell while working in his garage in 2011. That doorbell has since transformed into Ring, the whole-home security powerhouse that was acquired by Amazon in 2018 for over $1 billion.
Jamie continues to make neighborhoods safer as the Chief Inventor of Ring. Jamie also has been active in impact investing and philanthropy through Shark Lake Explorations, his family office. His latest invention is a Ding Dong, a candid, behind-the-scenes account of how a scrappy garage startup called Doorbot turned into Ring, a household name and security brand now trusted by millions.
I don’t give too many of these but this book gets 5 stars.
Ding Dong is a truly enjoyable and inspiring read. Jamie Siminoff perfectly captures the grit, tenacity, and relentless drive of an entrepreneur, head down, pushing forward through constant obstacles, setbacks, and uncertainty. The story shows how perseverance, resilience, and a bit of luck can turn a simple idea started in a garage into a billion-dollar company. An unbelievable journey and a great reminder of what it really takes to chase a dream and see it through.
A new technology’s outcome often hangs on a knife’s edge, with only a thin line separating success from failure.
Exactly what I needed to read right now at this stage in our startup. The trials Simonoff undergoes stands in stark contrast to the manufactured self-afflicted toils of today’s bull-market-beneficiary founder shouting “996” on Twitter with years of runway in the bank but no true business needs to spend it on. Ring is incredibly intense because every day is a fight for survival. The team’s success is hard earned.
If you loved Shoe Dog or Made in America, you will love this book. It's a great story of hustle, ambition and the chaos that is inevitable behind the scenes at any rapidly scaling startup. Jamie is the real deal, and he shares all the ups and down of building Ring from modest beginnings in a garage to the category-defining business we all know today. It's a real and rare view into what it takes to build a business, and it just might inspire you to try yourself!
Great book which illustrates the relentless drive, sacrifice and hard work required to succeed in your own business venture. It takes the right founder & employees to get to the top.