What do you think?
Rate this book
Ding Dong: How Ring Went From Shark Tank Reject To Everyone's Front Door
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."
— N ew 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.
—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."
— N ew 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.
- GenresBusiness
288 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 10, 2025
37 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 12, 2026
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.
February 2, 2026
AMAZING book! Going from closing no shark offer on Sharktank in 2013 to sold to Amazon for over $1 billion in 2018. So interesting hearing about how many pre-screenings and pitches there are for Shark tank before featured on TV, and that many pitches never been shown. Then the rebranding from DoorBot to RING, stressing simplicity of a 4 letter name. Buying the domain ring.com and how much money he spent for it, well worth though.
10 quotes that I found very insightful.
1. “Players tune out pep talks—but they never tune out a great experience delivered perfectly, every single day.”
2. “We had to deliver an Apple-like experience, a Dyson-like experience, in every product, every feature, every encounter.”
3. “Your chance for success only goes up if you keep your head down and grind—the harder you work, the more lottery tickets you get.”
4. “Even with thousands of tickets, you’re never guaranteed success—but your odds are a hell of a lot better than with one.”
5. “The things you say no to can be more important than the ones you say yes to.”
6. “Little ideas are sparks—sparks become embers, and embers start fires.”
7. “Every big company has a mission statement, but people light up when the mission is ambitious, specific, and real.”
8. “We weren’t a doorbell company—we were a company whose technology made people feel safer.”
9. “If you’re not authentic, you can sell bullshit for a while—but not forever.”
10. “We win by selling an experience, not just a product—by building a caring community with a mission that actually matters.”
10 quotes that I found very insightful.
1. “Players tune out pep talks—but they never tune out a great experience delivered perfectly, every single day.”
2. “We had to deliver an Apple-like experience, a Dyson-like experience, in every product, every feature, every encounter.”
3. “Your chance for success only goes up if you keep your head down and grind—the harder you work, the more lottery tickets you get.”
4. “Even with thousands of tickets, you’re never guaranteed success—but your odds are a hell of a lot better than with one.”
5. “The things you say no to can be more important than the ones you say yes to.”
6. “Little ideas are sparks—sparks become embers, and embers start fires.”
7. “Every big company has a mission statement, but people light up when the mission is ambitious, specific, and real.”
8. “We weren’t a doorbell company—we were a company whose technology made people feel safer.”
9. “If you’re not authentic, you can sell bullshit for a while—but not forever.”
10. “We win by selling an experience, not just a product—by building a caring community with a mission that actually matters.”
January 20, 2026
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.
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.
February 17, 2026
This was a fantastic read. I worked in Jamie's telecom company back in Romania for a few years. Even though we didn't work directly, I got a chance to interact with him and you could tell there is something special there. He was warm, kind but motivated and driven.
Reading this book brings those brief interactions back. It felt like I was in a room with him and he was telling me this story. The book is Jamie. Beautiful read, with the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. He was one of the people that positively influenced my start in the professional life, even if he was not aware. So thank you for both that and this story 😊
Reading this book brings those brief interactions back. It felt like I was in a room with him and he was telling me this story. The book is Jamie. Beautiful read, with the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. He was one of the people that positively influenced my start in the professional life, even if he was not aware. So thank you for both that and this story 😊
March 29, 2026
Success doesn’t come free!
I’m a big fan of Ring. I actually was one of the few of the people I knew who had bought one in 2018. So, seeing a book written by its creator was a no-brainer for me to buy. Great and inspirational story of how perseverance and some craziness pay off, as this combination of factors help you navigate the ups and downs of owning a business. As someone from SoCal, this makes the whole story a little more special. Highly recommend this read if you like business books based on true stories!
I’m a big fan of Ring. I actually was one of the few of the people I knew who had bought one in 2018. So, seeing a book written by its creator was a no-brainer for me to buy. Great and inspirational story of how perseverance and some craziness pay off, as this combination of factors help you navigate the ups and downs of owning a business. As someone from SoCal, this makes the whole story a little more special. Highly recommend this read if you like business books based on true stories!
January 30, 2026
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!
January 31, 2026
Good story
This book provides an engaging, behind the scenes look into the creation and development of a product that seems to be everywhere now. One that i don't own.
As a guy that spent a good portion of his adult life testing and repairing newly developed hardware, i related today a lot of the sorry.
This book provides an engaging, behind the scenes look into the creation and development of a product that seems to be everywhere now. One that i don't own.
As a guy that spent a good portion of his adult life testing and repairing newly developed hardware, i related today a lot of the sorry.
January 4, 2026
Great book for entrepreneurs!
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.
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.
December 3, 2025
Wow, what an interesting writing.
April 7, 2026
The most raw and emotional book I’ve ever read on building a company. Deserves to be read by a lot more people
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews