Mark Cuban

Talent without effort is wasted talent. And while effort is the one thing you can control in your life, applying that effort intelligently is next on the list.

When I got to the Mavericks people were all giving me advice - change this, change that - and one thing that I didn't do was fire anybody.

Owning a popular sports team is very different than any other type of business. They don't throw parades when Apple has the biggest quarter in corporate history. People don't call and email asking for anyone from the team to come visit their sick child. They don't cry as they request a jersey of their child's favorite player to be buried with them.

Focus on building the best possible business. If you are great, people will notice and opportunities will appear.

Your customers can tell you the things that are broken and how they want to be made happy. Listen to them. Make them happy. But don't rely on them to create the future road map for your product or service. That's your job.

The thrill of victory in business blows away the thrill of victory in sports. Business is a sport 24/7/365.

Make your product easier to buy than your competition, or you will find your customers buying from them, not you.

Liquidity is a good proxy for relative net worth. You can't lie about cash, stocks, and bond values.

Learn to sell. In business you’re always selling: to your prospects, investors and employees. To be the best salesperson put yourself in the shoes of the person to whom you’re selling. Don’t sell your product. Solve their problems.

Time is the most valuable asset you don't own.

Do your homework and know your business better than anyone. Otherwise, someone who knows more and works harder will kick your ass.

All that matters in business is that you get it right once. Then everyone can tell you how lucky you are.

I have stocked shelves, waited on tables, and bartended. I have been a salesperson at many levels. Each giving me a unique view of what made a company successful and, even more importantly, what made a company fail.

When you post something, when you text something, you lose ownership of it when you hit enter or send. Who you send it to, where you post it, they take ownership of that information whether you like it or not. Unfortunately, you don't lose responsibility for that text or post.

I placed too much importance on comparing how much I had to others early on. Then I started realizing time was a far more valuable asset. When I started using money to create more time, I appreciated both more.

I have always been selling. I always had something going on. That was just my nature.

Anyone who says he is an expert in the market is lying to you. There is no such thing.

Staying true to who I am was tougher when I first got wealthy. Having great friends kept me grounded.

Culture is very important to the Mavs. Your best player has to be a fit for what you want the culture of the team to be. He has to be someone who leads by example. Someone who sets the tone in the locker room and on the court. It isn't about who talks the most or the loudest. It is about the demeanor and attitude he brings.

If you can't admit a failure, you're not an entrepreneur. You are not a good business person. There's nothing brilliant about what you are doing.

The people I don't like to work with are people like me. I need people who can complement my skill set, people who can do the nitty gritty with me.