The main shark, and an icon!
It was such a pleasure getting to speak with Mark Cuban and getting a little bit more in-depth look at where his hustle came from. Speaking with Mark on his hit show Shark Tank, his early life, the possibility of running for president in 2020, and more; it was a blast.
Thank you so much to Mark for taking the time to do this, especially when he’s one that doesn’t do too many interviews. His work ethic and overall self are incredibly inspiring and I hope to one day be as remotely successful as he is.
DL: Mark, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me, it’s an absolute honor. How are you?
MC: I’m great!
DL: You’re one of the world’s biggest and most bad ass businessmen, but where did this passion and drive of yours start?
MC: As long as I can remember I’ve been excited about being an entrepreneur. I was starting businesses back when I was 9 years old selling baseball cards to friends. My parents were very encouraging and it just grew from there!
DL: You’ve talked about your love of business since you were young trying to sell things and earn money, what made you first love it so much?
MC: Making spending money and being able to buy all kinds of fun stuff like baseball cards and comic books.
DL: Did you ever thing you’d be nearly as successful as you are now back then, or was it more of a goal of yours to get to where you are now?
MC: I was always motivated to be financially independent. I wanted to be able to control my own destiny. My parents busted their asses to raise my brothers and I. I wanted to be able to do the things we couldn’t afford.
DL: It’s no secret that you love basketball, but what made you decide to purchase the Dallas Mavericks?
MC: I was a season ticket holder and at the start of the 99 season I realized that I could afford to buy the team and see if I could turn things around, so I went for it.
DL: The team went on to be one of Forbes‘ “most valuable franchises” in sports, what was it like getting that news? Obviously they were a great team beforehand, but you made a hell of a difference when taking over.
MC: Really isn’t important to me at all. I have no plans to ever sell!
DL: If you could purchase any other sports team or even be a chairman of any, would you? If so, which one?
MC: Nope. 1 is enough. It’s such an emotional investment, it would be tough to own two haha.
DL: You joined the hit show ‘Shark Tank‘ back in 2011, what made you accept the offer to be on the show?
MC: I loved the concept. I thought it went a great message to kids and families that the American Dream is alive and well…plus it’s a Mark Burnett show, which meant it would be all quality.
DL: The ratings of the show increased astronomically after you joined season two, what has it been like getting to meet some extremely talented people who great business ideas for you and the other sharks?
MC: It’s incredible. There are so many talented people I get to meet in and more that I get to invest in. It really feels good to help someone grow their company and have their dreams come true.
DL: Is there any other person you’d like to join the show and become a fellow shark?
MC: Todd Wagner, he would be amazing. Jeff Bezos would be fun too !
DL: You’ve been extremely honest and outspoken regarding your thoughts on Donald Trump being in office as President, are you still having thoughts of running in 2020?
MC:
We will see!
DL: With your background, success, and compassion, I think you’d be an incredible President. If you could give Donald Trump one piece of advice that he’d have to take, what would it be?
MC: Be nice!
DL: You’ve also been an ally to the LGBTQ community throughout your life and career- that means a lot as someone who is openly gay, so thank you. Why do you feel it’s important to use your platform and stand with all people and use your voice for issues that matter?
MC: Everyone deserves respect for who they are. Each of us is unique in some way. Whatever those attributes are, I think it’s wrong to judge people I have a platform that allows me to have a public voice. I think standing up for those who don’t have a voice is the right thing to do!
DL: Many people do and/or work at places they hate just to make a living, what advice can you give to those people who aspire to do what they love and nothing else?
MC: That’s a tough one. I’ve worked at horrible jobs just to pay the bills , but I tried to keep on preparing myself for something better. Not everyone is that fortunate , but everyone can keep trying to better themselves to help reach their goals.
DL: What is your key to happiness and success?
MC: Waking up every day with a smile excited to make today a better day
DL: Is there anything you hope to accomplish personal or business wise in the next few years?
MC: I want to raise my kids to be great adults that can make the world a little bit better.
XO DIVA D 