Canadian billionaire investor and Shark Tank personality Kevin O’Leary has long been known for the hustle culture. Back in the year 2024, O’Leary told the entrepreneurs that success needs relentless effort and he even joked that the startup founders should work ’25 hours a day’ to stay ahead of global competition. Along with this, O’Leary also discussed the idea of work-life balance and warned that the founders unwilling to grind nonstop would be outpaced by rivals in Mumbai or Shanghai. But now the billionaire has changed his stance. In a recent post shared on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), O’Leary has criticised the young founders for bragging about working 16\8-hour days, calling it ‘stupid’. He now argues that good food, sleep and exercise are important for making sound business decisions. In the video shared in the post, he doubled down, “The worst advice I hear young founders talk about all the time is they want to work 18 hours a day. How stupid is that? You’ve got to get some sleep. You have to eat well and you’ve got to stay focused. That’s how you’re successful.”
Decisions made best in the morning
O’Leary also stressed on the fact that importance of timing places a very crucial role. He pointed to evidence that major decisions should be made in the morning, when entrepreneurs are well-rested and mentally sharp. “You should make the major decisions right after you wake up when you have the maximum energy and your mind is clear,” he said.Along with this, O’Leary also admitted to the fact that he avoid investing in founders who appear exhausted. “When I see somebody that looks like they’re dead and I’m going to meet this business startup, I don’t invest. That guy’s an idiot or a woman. Same thing. You’ve got to sleep,” he remarked.
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