Kevin O’Leary On Shark Tank (Image Source: Instagram/@sharktankabc)
Highlights
- Kevin O’Leary believes two-thirds of people aren’t meant to be entrepreneurs due to a lack of risk-taking abilities.
- He openly criticizes consulting firms for offering security without impactful decision-making.
- Kevin believes true entrepreneurial success comes from risk, passion, and creating freedom.
Shark Tank’s Mr. Wonderful, aka Kevin O’Leary, was invited on a podcast where he discussed on various fronts his love for watches, Shark Tank, and his thoughts about social media platforms such as TikTok. More startling, however, was when he voiced his opinions regarding who really has what it takes to be an entrepreneur.
About two-thirds of Americans should never be in an entrepreneurial program, said Kevin O’Leary. The reason he justifies is by taking some risk. “The number one tell is you can’t take the first step. You don’t have the risk-taking gene; therefore, your chance of being an entrepreneur is zero,” declared Kevin firmly. According to him, to be an entrepreneur, they ought to have basically the courage to take risks. Without this basic trait, Kevin suggests they ought to reevaluate their career.
Risk or Security: A Consultant’s Dilemma
He gave a story of his experience when he gave lectures at a business school. He saw that half the class pursued consulting while others pursued entrepreneurship. “As a rule, I have always taken those paths because of risk,” he commented on this posture. “They don’t have the guts because think about a consultant—they never make any decisions of consequence.”
Kevin admitted that consulting can be quite a lucrative career. Top consultants earn millions in a year. However, he argued that consulting is a very reasonable viewpoint but with very few consequences. It does not take a position with implications. He further remarked, “They don’t have the guts because think about a consultant—they never make any decisions of consequence.”
Kevin acknowledged that consulting can be a lucrative career. Top consultants can earn millions of dollars per year. However, he argued that consultants rarely make impactful decisions since their role is to provide opinions rather than take action. He bluntly stated, “Every decision you make is just a consultation.”
Why Kevin Doesn’t Turn to Consultants?
Kevin O’Leary is more than candid about his dislike of consulting. He stated that in his experience, he shies away from hiring consultants because they mostly acquire the attitude of just giving opinions without making decisions. “They get that virus. They’re just generating opinions; they’re not doing anything,” he added.
This shouldn’t be construed, though, that he takes offense or has neglected the consulting profession. His point of critique, therefore, relates to the non-challenging and risk-averse traits that make remarkable success unlikely. For Kevin, true bliss and success unfold when one focuses on their passions and assumes responsibility in making decisions that truly matter.
The Road to Mediocrity or Greatness?
Kevin explained that a consulting job, in a way, meant a career that would leave you in the middle, not really engaging the high-risk-high-reward dynamics so characteristic of entrepreneurship. He pointed out that even graduates from the same brand-name business schools often take sometimes diametrically opposed routes: one group finds a safe haven in consulting firms, while the other becomes entrepreneurs, willing to take those great leaps and the associated risks toward building something for themselves.
Risk-taking is, according to Kevin O’Leary, one of the characteristics that differentiate a successful start-up entrepreneur from those who continue with a comfortable but less impactful position. He stresses that the most exciting reward of being entrepreneurial comes through the independence and empowerment involved in creating a business that generates wealth and also leaves a mark.
Passion, Power, and Consequence
Following what Kevin O’Leary states, the essence of entrepreneurship lies in passion and the power one commands that allows their choices to have consequences. He quotes this very essence where the “real meat” of a career resides. Consulting, on the other hand, is regarded by him more as a secure, high-paying pathway with no fun simply because it takes away the pleasure in making any decision.
For Kevin, it is quite clear: If you live a life in consequence of purpose, you must take that risk by creating something of your own. In other words, entrepreneurship is so much more than mere money: it means attaining freedom, power, and a legacy.
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Do You Have the Guts?
Kevin O’Leary’s audacious thoughts challenge conventional career advice because he wants everyone to look beyond security and comfort. The message is simple, yet powerful: Not everyone is meant to be an entrepreneur, and that is okay. But those who take risks and make those critical decisions will gain far more than just money-their rewards will embrace freedom, fulfilment, and power to influence futures.
Entrepreneur, auteur, raconteur. Rob Merlino is a blogger and writer who enjoys the Shark Tank TV show and Hot Dogs. A father of five who freelances in a variety of publications, Rob has a stable of websites including Shark Tank Blog, Hot Dog Stories, Rob Merlino.com and more.
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