Billionaire Mark Cuban recently told LinkedIn’s “The Path” podcast his three keys to success — and why what’s in his bank account isn’t one of them.
Cuban, 65, most widely known for his role on “Shark Tank,” boasts a net worth of $6.72 billion, according to Bloomberg. His journey into affluence began at 32, when he sold his initial business, software firm MicroSolutions, to CompuServe for $6 million. Eight years later, he climbed the billionaire ranks with the sale of his subsequent endeavor, Broadcast.com, to Yahoo for $5.7 billion.
Today, Cuban is the owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and the cofounder of Cost Plus Drugs, a company he launched last year with the objective of lowering prescription drug prices.
Here, Cuban offers advice to entrepreneurs about how to be successful in business — and in life.
1. Have goals
When it comes to success, Cuban believes it’s less about monetary gains, and more about setting intentional goals and feeling a sense of purpose in what one does.
“Success isn’t necessarily how much money you have,” Cuban said on the podcast. “Success is just setting a goal and being able to wake up every morning feeling really good about what you’ve accomplished.”
2. Keep learning and stay curious
“I think what I do that probably separates me is that I’m infinitely curious,” Cuban said. “There’s nothing I’m not interested in learning about.”
Cuban has long been vocal about his commitment to lifelong learning. In 2020, he told Men’s Health that “learning was truly a skill” and continuing to learn is how he’s “able to compete and keep up and get ahead of most people.”
Fellow billionaire Bill Gates also emphasizes reading to wind down — a habit that a 2019 study of over 200 self-made millionaires found to be a common practice, with 86% saying they turn to books instead of television to decompress.
3. Don’t stress it
Problems will arise in any workplace, but how you handle yourself (and those around you) will set you apart, and lead to more opportunities in the long run.
“Reduce the stress of people around you,” Cuban said. “If you’re a stress reducer, everybody wants you, so there’s always going to be something for you to do.”
