"I didn't take a vacation for 7 years. All I did was learn, constantly," Cuban recounted in a Sports Illustrated and Entrepreneur video program in June.
Cuban founded his first company, the software firm MicroSolutions, at the age of 24. At the time, he was sharing a three-bedroom apartment with six other people and had just lost his job at a software store. The difficult circumstances motivated him to build his company.
"I was dirt poor. But I always had an entrepreneurial spirit. I only had one way to go, and that was up, not back," the 66-year-old billionaire said.
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Mark Cuban at an event in Las Vegas, Nevada, 1/2024. Photo: Reuters |
Mark Cuban at an event in Las Vegas, Nevada, 1/2024. Photo: Reuters
Because of his absolute focus on work, Cuban didn't allow himself to rest. He believes he wouldn't have achieved his current success if he had pursued a work-life balance. Cuban has been on ABC's "Shark Tank" for 14 years, has owned a stake in the NBA's Dallas Mavericks since 2000, and currently has a net worth of $6 billion, according to Forbes.
According to Cuban, he only had two choices: work every day to grow his company or let someone else surpass him. "There's no balance. If you want a 9-to-5 job, you can have balance. But if you want to dominate the game, any game, there's always someone working 24/7 to take you down."
He has repeatedly emphasized that work ethic and willingness to work are the most important factors leading to success. "The one thing in life you can control is your effort. And being willing to work hard is a huge competitive advantage because most people aren't willing to do it," Cuban said in a video posted on LinkedIn in June 2023.
At 32, Cuban sold MicroSolutions to CompuServe for $6 million. He then founded the streaming service Broadcast.com and sold it to Yahoo in 1999 for $6 billion.
At an event in March 2024, Cuban recounted that when he became a millionaire, he took off his wristwatch and threw it away. This act was symbolic: with millions of dollars in the bank, he wanted to reclaim his time instead of being bound by it.
"I wanted to make enough money where I didn't have to answer to anybody. From this point forward, I could control my own schedule and live life the way I wanted to," Cuban said in a MasterClass lecture in February 2024.
Ha Thu (CNBC)
