Kevin O’Leary Says ‘Business Is War,’ Sara Blakely Disagrees

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Prior to appearing on “Shark Tank” together, Spanx founder Sara Blakely and investor Kevin O’Leary appeared on a business panel.

This week, Blakely Nostalgic Instagram Videos He then explained why he still believes what he said 12 years ago. CNBC Town Hall Event It’s titled “Back to Business.”

Related: Kevin O’Leary says this is a “huge red flag” when looking at a resume.

In the video, O’Leary says “business is war” and that he’s taking on competitors and taking an aggressive approach.

“You wake up in the morning and you think, how do you beat your competition,” O’Leary said. “How do you pour hot water? Compete, win, fight, win, compete.”

Blakely was against it, but she did launch Spanx in 2000. At age 27 $5,000 Save and use it Billion-dollar company By 2012 she I was especially nervous about telling Mr. Wonderful.

“I’ve done things very differently,” she says. “I haven’t been obsessed with the competition or focused on annihilating my competitors. I’ve just focused on my quality. What is the most valuable thing I can offer?”

The resistance worked. Spanx is now the largest Direct-to-Consumer Brands In the world. Blakely was a guest investor on Shark Tank. 2017 He’s returned many times, even sitting next to O’Leary, who has since served as a judge on Shark Tank. 2009.

^{Sara Blakely and Kevin O’Leary. Photo by Eric McCandless via Getty Images}

Blakely says he still stands by what he says, and that an obsession with competition is the wrong approach.

“I don’t think of business as a war at all,” she said. “I think it should be about focusing on the consumer and what we can do for them, how can we give them a better experience, a better product.”

“Be authentic. Be authentic in what you create for them. And give back,” she added. “Why does it feel like a war?”

Investment fund Blackstone bought In 2021, he acquired a majority stake in Spanx at a valuation of $1.2 billion. Blakely is currently value Estimated at $1.3 billion.

Related: 15 Career Lessons to Learn from Elon Musk, Warren Buffett, Sara Blakely, and Other Successful Founders