No doubt you’ve heard of Mark Cuban, one of the most successful entrepreneurs to emerge from the tech boom of the 1990s. Love him or hate him, it’s hard not to admire his business success. Mr. Cuban started his first business, MicroSolutions, after he was fired from a sales position for meeting with a client to dicsuss new business when he should have been opening the store. He later sold it for $6 million. His next venture was Audionet, which became Broadcast.com in 1995, growing to more than 300 employees by 1999. Broadcast was sold to Yahoo for almost $6 billion. Since then, Mark Cuban has invested in dozens of small businesses including SlideShare, Mahalo, IceRocket, and Flingo. He is probably most famous as the outspoken owner of the Dallas Mavericks. Over his career, Cuban has spoken at length about his experience as an entrepreneur, small business man, and investor. Here’s a sample of what he’s said that we find inspirational:
“Most people think it’s all about the idea. It’s not. EVERYONE has ideas. The hard part is doing the homework to know if the idea could work in an industry, then doing the preparation to be able to execute on the idea.”
“The thrill of victory in business blows away the thrill of victory in sports. Business is a sport 24/7/365.”
“What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur? It takes willingness to learn, to be able to focus, to absorb information, and to always realize that business is a 24/7 job where someone is always out there to kick your ass.”
“The only thing any entrepreneur, salesperson, or anyone in any position can control is their effort.”
“Make your product easier to buy than your competition, or you will find your customers buying from them, not you.”
“Find something you love to do. If you don’t make money at it, at least you love going to work.”
“Always wake up with a smile knowing that today you are going to have fun accomplishing what others are too afraid to do.”
“It doesn’t matter how many times you fail. It doesn’t matter how many times you almost get it right. No one is going to know or care about your failures, and neither should you. All you have to do is learn from them and those around you because… All that matters in business is that you get it right once. Then everyone can tell you how lucky you are.”
“There are no shortcuts. You have to work hard, and try to put yourself in a position where if luck strikes, you can see the opportunity and take advantage of it. I would also say it’s hard not to fool yourself. Everyone tells you how they are going to be “special,” but few do the work to get there. Do the work.”
“It is called working your ass off. The difference is what you are willing to sacrifice. For every writer who wants balance in their life, there is a guy like me who gives up a lot to make their dreams come true. There is always going to be someone out there that knows they have to compensate for maybe having less talent with harder work and preparation.”
“Sweat equity is the most valuable equity there is. Know your business and industry better than anyone else in the world. Love what you do or don’t do it.”
“If you’re looking where everybody else is looking, you’re looking in the wrong spot.”
“It’s not in the dreaming, it’s in the doing.”
—Mark Cuban, Entrepreneur
