Kevin O’Leary says the best time to start a business is during chaos

In a wide range Interview with POLITICO He said on Monday that entrepreneurs have suffered from trade wars, periods of sky-high interest rates and real estate collapses.

“In fact, the best time to start a business, as statistics have proven, is a time of chaos,” O’Leary added. “Every time the U.S. economy goes through some kind of correction, it’s a great time to be an entrepreneur and start something. And then you have to figure out how to pivot through that.”

according to statistics office, Business formations surged during the pandemic after falling immediately after the lockdown and have been volatile ever since, with several big rises and sharp falls.

In August, the number of business orders rose 0.5% from the previous month, continuing an upward trend that began earlier this year despite a brief pullback that coincided with Trump’s tariff rollout, sparking chaos in financial markets as tariffs headed to their highest levels in nearly a century.

However, most of the recent gains were concentrated in retail trade, while the construction, administrative support and professional services sectors, as well as transportation and warehousing, remained flat.

O’Leary added that the emergence of artificial intelligence has enhanced productivity and contributed to the stock market reaching record levels.

“Every one of my companies is using it today and it is very productive. It helps boost profit margins. It also reduces costs in every sector of the economy,” he explained.

For example, homebuilders are using AI to help allocate capital and labor expenditures. While large companies such as automakers are exposed to rising costs, O’Leary said business deals are being struck.

Agreements with the European Union, Japan, and South Korea, for example, reduced customs duties on cars from 25% to 15%, while also committing them to US investments worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

The key in such an environment, O’Leary believes, is to look beyond politics and focus on policy “so you can make radical investment decisions with minimal risk.”

“If you’re looking for the path of least resistance, you want to find big opportunities because of disruption,” he explained. “You want to find something that has been completely dislocated and invested in because of policy changes.”

Meanwhile, O’Leary also warned the Trump administration about its agreement with the United States Intelinterference with the independence of the Fed, and the knock-on effects of the H-1B visa policy on startups, which will have more difficulty paying the proposed $100,000 fee than larger companies.

O’Leary noted that there is highly specialized talent that cannot all be filled with domestic workers. Startups that hire AI engineers from abroad, for example, gain a competitive advantage amid the global talent race.

“I don’t think we want to deprive American companies of that,” he said. “So I will amend this H-1B mandate to include only large businesses of the size that can afford it.”

Global Luck Forum It returns from October 26-27, 2025 in Riyadh. CEOs and global leaders will come together at a dynamic, invitation-only event to shape the future of business. Apply for an invitation.