Kevin O’Leary says that if he had no money and just 30 days to earn $10,000, he wouldn’t chase a startup idea—he’d monetize a basic social media skill most businesses still struggle to use.
O’Leary’s $0-To-$10,000 Side Hustle Blueprint
The “Shark Tank” investor shared the strategy this week on X, arguing that customer acquisition through short-form video is one of the fastest ways to generate income with no upfront capital.
O’Leary said the plan hinges on offering businesses a results-based deal rather than traditional marketing services.
“If I woke up with zero dollars and had to make $10,000 in 30 days, I’d do one thing,” O’Leary wrote. “Sell customer acquisition with social media.”
Why Short-Form Video Is The Key
In a video accompanying the post, O’Leary explained that anyone who knows how to shoot, edit and post videos using a smartphone already has a marketable skill.
Many small business owners, he said, still don’t understand how to effectively use platforms like Meta Platforms, Inc.’s Instagram, ByteDance-owned TikTok or Elon Musk’s X to drive sales.
He suggested approaching businesses with a simple offer: create and post social media content and get paid per customer acquired—only when an actual sale occurs.
“If you know how to edit video and you know how to post it on social media, you can acquire customers and I simply say to them, for every customer I acquire for you, pay me 100 dollars and that means a buying customer, someone that actually bought a product or service,” he said in the video.
Performance-Based Marketing Over Traditional Ads
O’Leary highlighted that this approach shifts risk away from business owners, who are often hesitant to spend on ads with uncertain returns.
By tying compensation directly to sales, creators can build trust quickly and scale income by working with multiple clients.
At $100 per converted customer, reaching $10,000 would require just 100 sales—roughly three to four per day over a month.
He called social media content creation one of the most powerful income opportunities available today, particularly for people who grew up using smartphones.
Kevin O’Leary’s Wealth Secrets
O’Leary, also known as “Mr. Wonderful,” currently has a net worth of $400 million. He earlier also noted that although producing digital content has never been more affordable, the true cost—and real value—comes from the skill and talent driving it.
The investor previously also spoke about the reason many people struggle financially, saying that the first step to building wealth is learning to resist daily spending temptations.
He contended that society encourages consumers to spend on items that offer temporary pleasure while undermining long-term financial stability.
U.S. consumers increased their credit and debit card spending in October, recording the fastest annual growth in card usage since early 2024, according to recent data from the Bank of America Institute.
Read Next:
Photo Courtesy: Kathy Hutchins on Shutterstock.com
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Recent Comments