Businessman and television personality Robert Herjavec dazzled the crowd with his ASI Show Chicago keynote, offering sage entrepreneurial advice and weaving in humorous stories of his time on Shark Tank and Dancing with the Stars.

A native of Yugoslavia (modern day Croatia) who immigrated to Canada as a child with his family, Herjavec found business success by starting a cybersecurity company (Herjavec Group) that is now projected to exceed $200 million in annual revenue. Growing up relatively destitute in Toronto gave Herjavec the motivation to start his company and work long, hard hours to achieve success. “I never thought about being rich,” the 55-year-old said about starting his entrepreneurial journey. “I just got tired of being poor.”

Throughout his speech, Herjavec noted how it’s the person behind a company that makes it successful. Failing companies are often the result of unfocused, undedicated or unlikeable owners. On Shark Tank, he and the other Sharks know within three minutes if a pitch has a chance of being successful because they like the person and want to hear more. “[On Shark Tank,] people make the mistake of selling their product or service before they sell themselves,” Herjavec said in a post-speech Q&A with ASI CEO Tim Andrews.

Entrepreneurs and business people shouldn’t be afraid of rejection, Herjavec said. They’ll ask for feedback from family and friends (who won’t give an honest answer), but they won’t ask their customers directly how they can improve. “People are so afraid of rejection that they’ll do anything to avoid it,” he said. “They will take a fake ‘yes’ over a firm ‘no’ all day long.” Persistence pays off, he added, whether it’s in sales or starting a business. Herjavec cited examples of entrepreneurs who failed on Shark Tank but pursued their vision and still found success. Rejection by five potential investors, no matter how successful or noteworthy they are, isn’t a closed door: “If you get rejected by the Sharks, and that stops you, you are not going to succeed.”

Herjavec remarked on how much fun the promotional products industry is, and lamented his own company’s lack of coherent strategy when it came to buying branded items. His favorite promo, he recalled, was a package from American Express that “made me as a customer feel special.” He noted that in business, customers don’t remember what you say, but rather how you made them feel. “What’s amazing about your industry,” he said, “is that you give people the ability to make an emotional connection.”

Branding, he added, is extremely important. It’s why employees at The Herjavec Group can only wear a suit or a logoed shirt at work. The company’s logo – a wax seal used in olden times to close letters – was designed by Herjavec himself, and is displayed prominently across all of the company’s imagery and promotional materials. “One thing I’ve found is great companies believe in their brand, and marketing isn’t a dirty word,” Herjavec said.

The so-called “Nice Shark” had the audience laughing consistently with his stories of irrational confidence on Dancing with the Stars and trading barbs with “Mr. Wonderful” Kevin O’Leary on Shark Tank. He revealed that Shark Tank only films 11 days in a year, and yet “we complain about it like little spoiled children all day long.” He recounted hilarious stories of his parents (in a spot-on Eastern European accent), including his mother’s dismay when he shared that he was starting a company. Her reply? “‘Don’t worry, you get job one day.’”