40: How he sold his company at 22, in under 18 months - Kieran O’Brien

Kieran O’Brien (Founder, MediaKits & ShopGenie) talks about his journey in the auto repair industry, successful approaches to fundraising, and invaluable lessons learned from his experiences in selling his companies.

He started his first company at 16 and has since sold MediaKits, a consumer SaaS platform for influencers and personalities. Now, he has found a new venture and launched a platform named ShopGenie.io, a brand new platform focused on data analytics for the automotive industry. Kieran's vision is to build a massive long-term business and create a platform that changes the face of the industry.

Kieran is passionate about cars and marketing and has always tried to combine these two passions in his businesses. At one point, he was the top competitor with 4Media’s Auto Marketing Team in the space. Since then, he has become great friends with Eddie and the rest of the 4Media team.

FOLLOW KIERAN:
Website: https://www.kieranobrien.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kieranobrien/?hl=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kieran-o-2522a9125/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kieranobrienofficial
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KieranOBrien1
Kieran’s New Business: https://www.shopgenie.io/

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Introduction
00:59 - Success in the automotive marketing space
03:07 - Selling his companies
04:25 - The inevitability of Mediakits.com's acquisition
09:03 - Kieran's new venture
12:29 - Fundraising
13:13 - The importance of smart money versus dumb money
15:22 - Investors need to ride or die with the business
19:59 - ShopGenie
24:29 - The success of Shop Accelerator
27:24 - Leaving Shop Accelerator
31:57 - Building proprietary AI tools and revolutionizing the auto repair industry
32:58 - Kieran's long-term plan for ShopGenie
35:00 - The importance of identifying opportunities and taking action
38:08 - Building something impactful versus building something quickly to flip
41:27 - Financial discipline and leadership
42:24 - The value of having a corporate background
43:00 - The LifeTime Fitness gang!
44:49 - The importance of seeking out mentors
48:52 - Kieran’s Fortune Cookie Advice
50:57 - Outro

FOLLOW 4MEDIA:
Main YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/4mediamarketing
Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNx7auVTseV865Mu1CZX0WQ
Website: https://4media.marketing/
Join Our Team: https://4media.marketing/jobs
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/4media.marketing/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@4media.marketing?

EDDIE
Instagram: https://instagram.com/eddiemaalouf
Twitter: https://twitter.com/imakegreatads
Marketing Course: https://www.brilliantmarketers.com/

ANDREW
Instagram: https://instagram.com/andrew_deitsch
Website: https://andrewdeitsch.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/andrewdeitsch
Andrew’s Other Podcast: https://www.andrewdeitsch.com/podcast