American Consequences - November 2017

KEVIN O’LEARY: You’re right... You need diversification in your portfolio, and you certainly need it in venture investing. The one that I thought would never work that I ended up investing in was called Plated. It was one of the first companies to say, “We’re going to send out meal kits with just Celebrity entrepreneur and investor Kevin O’Leary from the hit ABC television show, Shark Tank , shares his tips and tribulations with a national television audience and turns Wall Street upside down in the process. When he’s not squeezing the market from his office in West Palm Beach, he travels the world looking for new opportunities to deploy his capital. One of his latest projects is an app called Beanstox , which allows investors to build a portfolio of stocks $20 at a time. For by Buck’s and Porter’s full interview of Kevin O’Leary, click here to sign up for the Investor Hour notification list. Like American Consequences, it’s 100% free. Each week, you’ll receive new show updates, previews, and access to transcripts and show notes. Whether it’s about investing... business... politics... or a controversial social issue... you’ll get the unfiltered information from behind the scenes.

Q: You’ve got a lot of irons in the fire. You’re turning into an entire media brand... What role do you think the “angry” persona played in the success of your show and of your personal brand? KEVIN O’LEARY: I don’t think it’s angry. I think it’s differentiated between those that tell you the truth about business and those that don’t. People say I’m angry... I’m just telling people the truth about business, which is binary... Either you make money or you lose it. And I think it’s important in the context of people taking risks with their own money, particularly their family’s wealth, putting it into an idea that has no merit, that will eventually go bankrupt, and I tell them the truth... And they think that’s angry? Not at all. It’s the truth. And I think people appreciate that over time. I’m a very conservative investor, and I try and help stop people from making disastrous mistakes. If you think I’m tough on Shark Tank , for example, wait until you see the real world... what that’s going to do to you. I’m your best friend. I’m the only shark that tells you the truth. Q: Can you think of a product on Shark Tank that you thought maybe was a little too niche, or a little too goofy, that ended up becoming a big success? Because one of the things that’s so interesting about business to me is it’s very hard to predict what will succeed and what won’t.

American Consequences | 71

Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker