“Shark Tank” icon Kevin O’Leary reveals three things he’s looking for when investing millions in founders

O’Leary looks for three qualities in those who choose to do business. The 71-year-old investor says luck The most important feature is to have a “founder’s mindset.” Heart frame It prioritizes the “signals” or what you have to do in the next 18 hours, while owning the “noise” of daily life and complications. He witnessed this attitude while working at work apple It was affiliated with O’Leary’s $4.2 billion software company Softkey Software Products. He demands that the founders investing in have the same leadership spirit. Even if it’s of a difficult quality to come.

“You can filter out all the noise that comes to you and focus on three or five things you’re trying to do. It’s an amazing attribute,” says O’Leary. luck. “You find it in 30% of people, and you want to support those people because if they don’t succeed in their first mission, they’ll understand it. That attribute is very important.”

As for signal vs. noise, he is currently looking for an entrepreneur who can work with a 80:20 balance and turn his eyes to the ball, just like the job did while running Apple.

O’Leary admits that he doesn’t always have the right ratio to embody the founder’s mindset, but now he’s accomplished it and is looking for it in others.

“You have to decide on three or five things you have to do every 18 hours each day,” says O’Leary. “That’s not a big vision. The key is what we have to do in the next 18 hours.”

Two other characteristics that founders need to receive support from O’Leary

I’ve heard that if not thousands of people, then entrepreneurs are pleading for business cases while they’re starring Shark tank. Thanks to his intuition from decades in the game, he worked and invested with many winners.

In 2014, O’Leary fell $150,000 with 80% of license profits for Grovebook, a small photobook subscription service that became one of the show’s biggest acquisitions after Stocterfly bought it for $14.5 million.

He too I was lucky Sustainable Cleaning Product Business Blue Landinvest $270,000 in 3% shares and $0.50 per unit royalty until the principal is recovered. By 2022, I made the Blue Land Lifelong sales and profitability are $100 million, and the product is flying out of current shelves target Whole foods every 10 seconds.

It is clear that serial investors have turned their keen eye on what works. In addition to the “founder’s mindset,” serial investors also emphasize the importance of having a balanced listening ratio and strong execution skills.

He says he wasn’t always in a respectable balance. Wall Street and Silicon Valley executives may think they should be the loudest and most outspoken people in the room, but it’s also important to take the back seat and give the floor to others. Not enough to listen and talk too much may hold back the great business idea that owns.

“It reverses the ratio of talking to listening. Most people love to listen to their stories. I’ve been guilty of that crime for years. “I listen to two-thirds of the time, and a third of the time. That’s my new ratio, and it’s much more powerful.”

Finally, baby boomer investors look for unparalleled execution skills. It’s one thing to come up with the next billion-dollar business venture, but it’s another to bring it down from the ground.

O’Leary looks for founders and teams who can get the job done, even if multiple attempts are required. Being a good enforcer doesn’t always mean hitting a home run for the first time with a bat. Sometimes, O’Leary says investors and entrepreneurs need a little karma and luck.

“A great idea is a dozen dimes. It’s impossible to find executive skills,” continues O’Leary. “I ruined the first deal with a lot of teams over the years, they went to zero, then I invested again and I know they’re good, so I’m a big hit.

“I am now working on a deal with a team that I just finished a great run and hopefully it will be good with the second team.