5 Things You Didn't Know About Robert Herjavec

— -- Robert Herjavec had his first taste of extreme success long before "Shark Tank" was a household name. The Canadian businessman got his start waiting tables by day while he created his first technology company by night, which he says he sold to AT&T in 2000 for $30.2 million.

But not all wealthy venture capitalists become internationally recognized celebrities. Herjavec gained popularity by appearing regularly as an investor on ABC’s "Shark Tank" and the Canadian CBC TV series "Dragons' Den," investing his own money in entrepreneurs and small business owners who pitch their products and companies on the shows. He also appeared on season 20 of ABC’s "Dancing With the Stars," placing sixth with his partner, Kym Johnson. The pair announced in March that they are engaged and are expected to get married later this year.

Herjavec recently sat down with Rebecca Jarvis on “Real Biz With Rebecca Jarvis” and talked about everything from his best business advice to his own fear of failure. Herjavec may be a public figure, but there are a few things you may not know about this famous Shark:

1. He immigrated to North America on the SS Cristoforo Colombo. At age 8, Herjavec and his family left Croatia to escape communism and tried to come to America, where they were turned away. Instead, with only $20 and one suitcase, they settled in Canada, living for two years in a basement in Toronto.

“Well the first thing I learned is it’s not fun being poor, but I also learned poor is a state of mind. I didn’t know we were poor until we came to Canada, because I grew up in a little village where everybody lived like us,” Herjavec told Jarvis.

2. When he went to buy his first suit, he left the store with a job. After getting advice to dress the part as a sales professional, Herjavec went to buy his first “nice” suit, but realized he couldn’t afford the $500 outfit from Harry Rosen. When he was told that Harry Rosen employees received a 50 percent discount every six months, he started working there part time, not only getting a suit, but also getting his first taste of a customer-facing sales position.

3. He started his career in tech because “…nobody cares who your father is.” Despite failing math in school, he wanted to start his first business while he was still a teenager. Herjavec kept part-time jobs during the day, and worked on his first tech company at night, eventually selling it and becoming a multimillionaire.

4. The first thing he tried to do with that money was pay off his parents' mortgage, but his mother wouldn’t let him. He did buy his dad a Cadillac, which his father kept.

“When you’re Eastern European, a Cadillac! You know you’ve made it when you’re driving a Cadillac,” Herjavec said.

5. He has written three books: "Driven: How to Succeed in Business and Life" (2010); "The Will to Win: Leading, Competing, Succeeding" (2013); and most recently, "You Don’t Have to Be a Shark: Creating Your Own Success" (2016).