Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary will prowl new waters in August. He will appear on CNBC’s Money Court, where he and two legal luminaries will hear financial disputes. O’Leary is expected to remain on Shark Tank, sitting leaning forward, fingertips joined, as he listens to business proposals from contestants.
Talking about the new show, O’Leary said, “The pandemic created a massive backlog of unresolved financial disputes in the court system. It is going to take years to clear this log jam. In the meantime, nothing destroys intrinsic value and growth in a business more than a money dispute. It tears families apart, disrupts lifelong relationships and destroys shareholder value. Money Court resolves these cases in a fair and objective manner and sets the litigants free to get back to work.”
As O’Leary diversifies his TV career, it is a good time to revisit some of the career advice he has offered in the past. Creative skills, he said last year, is one area which has new demand as businesses lay greater emphasis on their online presence.
“The remarkable thing about the pandemic is the arts are back: writing skills, editing skills, anything to do with social media now has become really, really important,” O’Leary told CNBC Make It last year.
He also advised posting a strong resume on LinkedIn, with a profile summary no more than three paragraphs.
“Next, use social media to market your abilities and connect with others in your preferred field,” O’Leary said. “Talk about what you’re good at and how you can help people run their businesses better.”
While O’Leary acknowledged an upswing in the demand for the arts, as he calls it, he himself was dissuaded from pursuing them by his stepfather. It may be hard to believe but the sharp-suited, number-crunching O’Leary once wished to be a photographer, musician or an artist of some kind.
“He (O’Leary’s stepfather) looked me in the eye and said, ‘You’re not good enough at any of those. And you might as well face the reality now that you’re going to starve to death if you pursue them,” O’Leary recalled on CNBC Make It.
“He said, How about you figure out what you’re good at? I think you’re a good marketer. You work hard. You hustle. Maybe you should pursue a business career. It was hard to hear at the time, but he was 100% right.”