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Kevin O’Leary, along with other successful entrepreneurs Barbara Corcoran and Daymond John, is an incredibly prolific and inventive business professional who stars on ABC’s “Shark Tank.” O’Leary, like his fellow sharks mentioned above, has struggled with dyslexia since before he can remember. In his hometown of Montreal, Canada, he recalls that he both needed and welcomed educational therapy when he began struggling to keep up with reading levels as he advanced through elementary school. For the 1960’s, O’Leary’s experience in educational therapy was quite progressive; in his book, Cold Hard Truth, he recounts one of these sessions and remembers being told “You have the ability to read backwards, read in a mirror, read upside down. Can any of your classmates do that?” This seemingly rhetorical question sparked a familiar sense of confidence in O’Leary, one that he had not felt before his struggles with reading began. Now, as a multimillionaire investor, CEO, and shark, he believes that overcoming and accepting dyslexia pays major dividends in his daily business life. In an interview with Entrepreneur Magazine, O’Leary says,“You have to put it in your own mind that this is not an affliction that will negatively impact your future. It shouldn’t in any way diminish your self-esteem or be considered something that is going to hurt your chances to be successful at work or in life. It’s just that it affects math and reading scores early on, and so what? That’s something you can get around. Never give up and never let dyslexia hold you back. It’s a gift.”
To read more about Kevin “Mr. Wonderful” O’Leary’s life, success in business, and shark tank investing, check out his website here.