How is The Net Worth of Kevin O’Leary a Whopping $400m?

What is Kevin O’Leary’s Net Worth?

The Usual Intro

Kevin O’Leary, also known as “Mr. Wonderful,” is an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, businessman, and T.V personality from Canada.

He is best known for his role as a ‘Shark’ on the American reality T.V show, “Shark Tank”. He has derived most of his $400 million net worth through business and investment, and recently made an attempt to enter the world of politics, albeit to little success.

Before the Spotlight

Terence Thomas Kevin O’Leary was born in Montreal, Quebec, on July 9, 1954. His father suffered from alcohol abuse, which led to his parent’s divorce. He grew up on Mount Royal with his elder brother, Shane O’Leary.

Because of his stepfather’s job at the United Nations, O’Leary’s family was always on the move. He explored multiple countries while still a child. He acquired early education in Quebec.

O’Leary initially wanted to become a photographer. However, his stepfather convinced him to continue his college education. He graduated with a bachelor’s in Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo in 1977, and a master’s in Entrepreneurship from the Ivey Business School in 1980.

O’Leary obtained early experience in business from his immediate family. His mother and father were businessmen, whereas his stepfather was an economist.

One of the most important things O’Leary learned from his mother was to invest at least one-third of his total income. This unceasing investment strategy ended up becoming the foundation of O’Leary’s own financial teachings. 

The Journey to Success

O’Leary started his career in 1978 as a television producer. His journey to financial success begun after he founded his company, SoftKey Products, in 1986. SoftKey products turned out to be a huge success. In the 1990s, it bought multiple industry competitors. Mattel acquired the company in 1999. Later, O’Leary endeavored in several other businesses, but they didn’t turn out to be as successful as SoftKey.

O’Leary appeared on Dragons’ Den from 2006 to 2014. He moved to the American version of the show, “Shark Tank,” in 2009. While Dragon’s Den was very popular in its own right, it was Kevin’s appearance as a judge on Shark Tank that earned him the spotlight for his face-to-face, brutal criticisms.

In addition to business and television, O’Leary is an author and has written three books on finance and related topics. His first book, “Cold Hard Truth: On Business, Money & Life,” was published in 2011. 

Today, Kevin O’Leary is renowned as an authority on all things finance and wealth. He has recently shown interest in crypto and NFTs.

The Best Moments

• Founded SoftKey products in 1986.
• Sold SoftKey products in 1999 for $4.2 billion and acquired millions in shares.
• Appeared on Dragon’s Den in 2006.
• Joined Shark Tank as a Shark in 2009.

The Private Side

Kevin O’Leary married Linda O’Leary in 1990. The two have been together since, with the only exception being a two-year separation from 2011 to 2013.

The couple has two children – a son and a daughter. Their son, Trevor, currently works as an engineer at Tesla, while their daughter, Savannah, is a filmmaker. O’Leary owns several properties, but he resides primarily at his house in Toronto.

O’Leary ventured into politics in 2017. He ran for the position of the leader of the conservative party of Canada. While he saw a positive public response in general, he withdrew his campaign a month before the elections because of opposition from Quebec. O’Leary has made a clear stance on matters such as energy, society, military, and immigration.

Kevin O’Leary Related YouTube Video

Famous Quotes of Kevin O’Leary

Kevin O’Leary provides insightful commentary on all things business, entrepreneurship, and finance. Here are some of his best quotes and sayings:

• “Business is war. I go out there; I want to kill the competitors. I want to make their lives miserable. I want to steal their market share. I want them to fear me, and I want everyone on my team thinking we’re going to win.”
  
• “All businesses require capital, management, and labor, and business executives, wanting to grow and maintain profitable enterprises, have a strong incentive to keep costs, including labor, as low as possible.”
  
• “Money is my military, each dollar a soldier. I never send my money into battle unprepared and undefended. I send it to conquer and take currency prisoner and bring it back to me.”

The Social World

Kevin O’Leary is active on social media. Here are the links to his official accounts, along with their number of followers:

• Facebook: 421k followers
• Instagram: 901k followers
• Twitter: 902.1k followers
• YouTube: 611k subscribers

Lessons for Entrepreneurs

Here are some success lessons we can learn from Kevin O’Leary:

1. Invest. O’Leary’s mother taught him to invest a third of his earnings. Such consistent investment practices significantly contributed to O’Leary’s success.
   
2. Be financially literate. O’Leary frequently educates the masses on financial literacy and wealth management. His writings discuss these topics extensively.
   
3. Learn how to pitch your idea. O’Leary places great emphasis on the importance of a pitch. He encourages entrepreneurs to learn how to be articulate, brief, and to the point.
   
4. Be bold. As O’Leary says, “Assholes get rich because they’re not afraid to ask for what they want.” Being overly modest isn’t the way to go when doing business.

The Unusual Stuff

Some interesting facts about Kevin O’Leary you might not have known before:

• Kevin O’Leary’s largest investment on Shark Tank was $2.5 million in exchange for 10% of a company called Zipz.
  
• American media company Variety estimates that the Sharks get paid $50,000 per episode.
  
• Kevin O’Leary had dyslexia as a child. 
  
• O’Leary is viewed by many as cold and direct. When a contestant on Dragons Den broke down in tears, O’Leary commented: “Money doesn’t care. Your tears don’t add any value.”
  
• O’Leary is fond of watches and boasts an impressive collection of Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Jacob & Co. When he travels, he has his watches shipped to the destination ahead of time so they can be stored in a secure vault!

Answering Frequent Questions

Has Shark Tank been canceled?

Shark Tank has not been canceled. The 14th season of Shark Tank will air from 2022 to 2023. The season is expected to commence on September 23, 2022.

How did Kevin O’Leary get the nickname “Mr. Wonderful”?

Kevin O’Leary was called Mr. Wonderful by an entrepreneur in season 1 of Shark Tank. The nickname stuck.

What happened to Kevin O’Leary’s wife?

In 2019, Kevin and Linda O’Leary were involved in a boat crash that killed two people in the opposite vessel. Since Linda was the one operating the boat, she was charged with “careless operation of a vessel.” She was found not guilty in September 2021.

The Closing Remarks

Kevin O’Leary is a Canadian businessman and T.V. personality who became popular due to his harsh and direct criticism on the show Shark Tank. However, experts recognize that there is merit and value in the criticism he provides. He teaches young and aspiring entrepreneurs about finance, life, and family.

O’Leary has recently been in the news for voicing his thoughts on cryptocurrency. According to him, bitcoin will experience a stage of extreme volatility before rising in value again. This came as a rebuke to prominent crypto critics, such as the renowned Warren Buffet. In O’Leary’s own words: “They have great success, does not mean they are right on cryptocurrencies.”

Featured image credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com