Kevin O’Leary has built a brand on saying the things other investors won’t. His latest target is the idea that founders can build something great while protecting their personal time.
Speaking on Harvard Business School’s The Founder Mindset podcast, hosted by senior lecturer and serial entrepreneur Reza Satchu, the Shark Tank investor argued that anyone trying to balance a young company against the rest of their life is fooling themselves. That’s particularly true in the earliest, most fragile period of building a company, he argued
“This concept in the founder years, which I call the first 36 months, the idea of balance is complete bullshit,” O’Leary said on the podcast posted Wednesday. “There is no balance. You have to work 25 hours a day, eight days a week because some guy in Mumbai or Shanghai is going to kick your ass.”
“It’s a global competition,” O’Leary continued. “Whatever your idea is, there’s somebody else with the same idea.”
O’Leary goes beyond the 24/7 concept to make a point. He wants entrepreneurs to understand dedication early on is the price of admission for success.
