firsthand education on how the world really works . Living there and being there gives you a big experience .”
When the time came to head off to college , Kevin landed in environmental studies and psychology . That ’ s when his stepfather gave him the harsh advice that would shift the entire course of his life . Kevin ’ s degree wasn ’ t going to cut it in the wild ; he needed to find a backup plan , something with tangible potential to give him real roots .
Returning to business school led Kevin to business partners who helped him reshape his life path yet again . Kevin and his peers started Special Event Television , producing memorable sports series such as “ Bobby Orr and the Hockey Legends .” They eventually sold their business , and O ’ Leary started Softkey , which later became The Learning Company . Eventually , he sold to Mattel , positioning him as a business leader with a multimillion-dollar status . But O ’ Leary didn ’ t get comfortable there . “ If you think you can have a balanced life as an entrepreneur , that ’ s [ b . s .],” O ’ Leary said . “ There ’ s some guy who wants your customer who ’ s working 25 hours a day ; that ’ s what I ’ ve found … You ’ re either going to control your own destiny , or you ’ re going to be an employee . They ’ re both noble . One gives you time to be with your family … the other one is balls-to-the-wall , and the reason why you do it is more personal freedom .”
O ’ Leary married his wife , Linda , in a simple ceremony in 1990 , and the couple hosted their reception back at their apartment . As his family grew , O ’ Leary invested more sweat and tears into his businesses , building off that Irish grit he inherited from his father and the advice his stepfather instilled in him . They weren ’ t going to starve . He was going to make some money , and he wasn ’ t going to stop there .
After the sale of two successful businesses , O ’ Leary ’ s pursuit of personal freedom was far from over . The next two decades saw his rise as an author , investor , financial expert , and business leader . O ’ Leary joined ABC ’ s “ Shark Tank ” as one of the first sharks on the show in 2009 after the show ’ s producer , Mark Burnett , snagged O ’ Leary from the British CBC version of the show , “ Dragons ' Den .”
Today , O ’ Leary is a key investor in many household brands , including Honeyfund , Potato Parcel , LovePop Cards , and Wicked Good Cupcakes . Many of these products have catapulted to success , building off the path O ’ Leary has set for them while changing the game in business . And , they have taught this Irish Canadian shark a few lessons along the way , too .
Time Is Money . Stop Wasting It On Crap .
When Sara and Josh Margulis were planning their wedding , they knew they didn ’ t want more pots and pans or dish towels . They wanted a sweet honeymoon halfway across the globe in Fiji . But websites that offered that kind of registry were asking for a big chunk of the change their guests would have given them . Dismayed , the couple set up their own website , and the result is one of today ' s most well-known honeymoon registry sites : Honeyfund .
O ’ Leary met the Margulis couple on “ Shark Tank ” in 2014 when he invested in their business . Since then , the business has grown to its premier status and continues to climb .
Beyond the financial aspect , the impact Honeyfund has made on O ’ Leary is found in the lessons he ’ s learned from founder Sara Margulis . In fact , it ’ s a lesson that O ’ Leary believes is the biggest determining factor of a prosperous entrepreneur , and subsequently , their business .
“ If you look at what ’ s a common trait among entrepreneurs that are being successful , No . 1 is time management skills above all else ,” O ’ Leary said . “ The ability to take the working day and determine how it ’ s going to be used not only by themselves but also by their employees — that is what I ’ ve determined is actually the difference between successful and failing .”
According to O ’ Leary , Sara Margulis has some of the best time management skills he ’ s ever seen . The first thing she does every morning is determine the three big tasks she needs to complete before noon that day . Before she does anything else , she completes these tasks , racing against the ticking clock and prioritizing the biggest rocks in her business and life .