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