Q1 2020 Texas CEO Magazine

7
WITH
Feature
Mark Cuban
Quick Questions
We don’t need to introduce Mark Cuban, do we? Entrepreneur,
investor, author, Texan, Dallas Mavericks owner, Shark Tank
star—you know the drill. We threw seven quick questions to
Cuban. Let’s see what he had to say.
1. YOU HAVE THE RESOURCES TO LOCATE ANYWHERE
IN THE WORLD. WHAT KEEPS YOU IN TEXAS? The people.
The energy. The business climate. And of course my favorite
basketball team.
2. WHAT DO YOU THINK CAUSED YOU TO GO DOWN THE
ENTREPRENEURIAL PATH? My parents always encouraged me
to try new things, and more importantly, they were insistent that
if I wanted something, I had to find a way to earn the money
for it. That pushed me in the direction of selling everything and
anything a little kid could.
3. WHAT WERE THE FORMATIVE EXPERIENCES THAT
DEVELOPED YOUR MANAGEMENT APPROACH? Lots of
mistakes. Recognizing that if my vision wasn't aligned with
those of my employees and customers, nothing works.
I have to add that management is a skill that requires constant
developing. Managers have to be adaptive to what is happening—
not just in their marketplace but also culturally. And they have to
always learn from their mistakes.
4. WHILE THE MAVERICKS ARE A PRIVATE BUSINESS, THEY
OPERATE VERY PUBLICLY. WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR
CEOS WHO FIND THEMSELVES MOVING INTO THE PUBLIC
LIMELIGHT? There is nothing like running a sports team. For
any other CEO that finds themselves moving into the limelight—
or wishing to move into the limelight—develop relationships
with any and all media that impacts your industry. It could be a
blogger and Instagram influencer or it could be a magazine.
Don’t wait for them to come to you. Go to them and let them
know that your knowledge can help them create content and
make them look better at their job.
5. YOU LOOK AT A LOT OF DEALS AND VISIT WITH A
LOT OF ENTREPRENEURS. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR
TO MAKE YOU THINK THEY WILL BE SUCCESSFUL? I want
to see deals where my first reaction is “Why didn't I think of
that?” I want entrepreneurs who are agile. Always willing to
learn. Always willing to sell. Always willing to connect with
people and be nice. Nice is a very underrated skill.
6. IS THERE A PART OF BUSINESS YOU WISH YOU HAD
SPENT MORE TIME LEARNING ABOUT EARLY IN YOUR
CAREER? Video editing. It would be fun to be able to whip up any
video anytime, so I don't have to wait on others to get things done.
7. IS THERE A NEXT ACT FOR MARK CUBAN, AND WHAT
MIGHT IT BE? I haven’t had my first act yet. Stay tuned.
Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com
28 Texas CEO Magazine Q1 2020