5 Secrets To Success From Mark Cuban

Fans of Shark Tank know Mark Cuban's business acumen. They tune in to the show again and again to watch Cuban and his colleagues evaluate business opportunities. It's amazing to watch Cuban ask the questions that get him to the essence of the deal before him. All of the entrepreneurs that present on the show have unique and useful ideas, but not all of the businesses are destined for success. By watching Shark Tank, you see how a successful billionaire like Mark Cuban gets down to the real potential of each opportunity and picks the winners. Cuban, who started his first company in the mid-1980s, amassed such a fortune that he was able to buy the Dallas Mavericks in 2000. He did it on his own, starting with no money. These five secrets of success from Mark Cuban give great insight into how a self-made entrepreneur becomes a billionaire.

"It's not about money or connections, it's the willingness to outwork and outlearn everyone when it comes to your business."

Mark Cuban's personal history proves this quote. After college, he moved from Indiana to Dallas, Texas, where he got his first post-college job. He slept on the couch of a crowded apartment and worked hard. Ambitious, he wanted to close a sale at work but was ordered to clean instead. When he protested, he was fired. He didn't get discouraged, and instead, he started his own business called MicroSolutions, a software distributor. He had no money or connections, and over several years, he learned everything he could about PC software and coding. By outworking and outlearning the competition, he gained the edge he needed to scale the business into an enterprise that he sold for six million dollars in 1990. His success was self-directed, proving in the sport of business, "It's not about money or connections, it's the willingness to outwork and outlearn everyone when it comes to your business."