Shaquille O’Neal has always been the master of all trades. In his early days in the NBA, Shaq had established a decent rap career on the side while performing at the highest level in the NBA. After his move to Los Angeles in 1996, the Diesel’s horizon expanded and he started starring in movies. Shaq’s retirement in 2011 has allowed him to focus on a multitude of things, including DJing, analysing basketball on TNT, and amassing a staggering $400 million net worth. In fact, the four-time NBA champion has been a trail blazer in showing NBA players how to compound their NBA salaries through lucrative and wise business deals. The list of brands Shaq owns or has a stake in is massive. But how does the Diesel manage all that and still lead a peaceful life? Shaq recently revealed during an interview.
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Shaquille O’Neal reportedly has over 100 businesses, which includes(at least part ownership in) 150 car washes, 40 24-hr fitness centers, 17 Auntie Annie’s pretzels, and 155 Five Guys restaurants, among other things. The Big Man also owns his own food outlet chain, Big Chicken. Shaq has also investments in a bunch of potent companies, including Forever 21, Google, Apple etc. He also owns the rights to brands like Elvis Presley, Muhammad Ali, and Marilyn Monroe.
Shaquille O’Neal reveals how he runs so many businesses
Shaq recently had an interview with Terry Rice of Entrepreneur regarding the strategies he has implemented to create and maintain his $400 million worth Empire. The basics have been always very simple for the big man. He had heard from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos that investing in things that aim to change people’s lives for the better is always lucrative.
Adopting that same policy had worked wonders for the Diesel. “If I don’t respect your product, I can’t take your money,” Shaq told Rice. However, one very important question may still plague the reader.
How does Shaq handle so many businesses, alongside talking hoops on TNT, DJing all around the country and beyond, appearing for countless podcast episodes etc. “They should ask me how I do so much. And the answer is delegation,” the Lakers legend explained to Rice. “That’s how I own a bunch of things, and be here in my country estate…And I don’t worry about anything. I do a check every Friday. You know, the important part about delegation is you have to be educated to know what’s going on.”
The 2000 NBA MVP further explained that he hires competent people in certain fields and then trusts their judgement to make the right decision, instead of micromanaging their work. He still checks in on every Friday to make sure everything’s running smoothly. However, Shaq still gets to spend a lot of time outside of basketball.
Gary Vee praised Shaq’s curiosity
During a sit-down in November of last year, Gary Vee and Shaq addressed the audience’s questions on business and being an entrepreneur. While praising Shaq, Vaynerchuck declared that Shaq’s curiosity and never-ending desire to know makes him a great businessman.
On the other hand, Shaq’s TNT colleague Kenny Smith also sang the big man’s praises on BigBoyTV recently, mentioning the big moves the big fella has been making. That’s certainly a lesson to not ignore.
