Kevin O’Leary, also known as “Mr. Wonderful,” may be best known for his role as a tough and often intimidating investor on the hit show “Shark Tank,” but his success story as a startup founder and multi-millionaire entrepreneur is equally impressive. O’Leary started his career as an entrepreneur at a young age, selling Christmas ornaments and succeeding in various ventures throughout his early years. However, it was his experience as a founder of the educational software company, SoftKey, that catapulted him to financial success and set him on the path to becoming one of the most recognizable names in the business world.
In 1986, Kevin O’Leary co-founded SoftKey with a $10,000 investment from his mother. The company initially began by selling software for personal computers, but O’Leary saw a gap in the market for educational software and shifted the company’s focus. This decision proved to be a game-changer, as SoftKey’s sales went from $800,000 in 1991 to a staggering $2 billion in 1996. The company went public in 1993 and eventually acquired its major competitor, The Learning Company, in a deal worth $606 million. This acquisition made O’Leary a multi-millionaire and solidified his reputation as a savvy and successful
