Name: How to Win at the Sport of Business
Rating: 4.3 (54 reviews)
Author: Mark Cuban

What’s in it for me? Learn how to win the game of business.

Have you heard of Mark Cuban?

He’s one of those guys who moved to Dallas, Texas for the sunshine and the women. But he is also one of those extraordinary characters who took a little and turned it into a lot. Specifically, he is the founder of MicroSolutions and Broadcast.com, which he turned into multi-million dollar businesses, and also happens to be the owner of an NBA basketball team. Want to know how he did it?

In How to Win at the Sport of Business, Mark Cuban serves up his knowledge and personal experience from the business world on a silver platter. He also offers priceless tips on how to make your own business prosper and become a great success.

In these blinks, you’ll discover

why whining is a good thing after all;
how Mark Cuban turned his passion for basketball into a business; and
how to get ahead of your competitors.

Mark Cuban worked his way up from sleeping on floors to owning his own company.

When Mark Cuban moved to Dallas at the age of 24, he was looking for three things: sunshine, job opportunities and women. He had a broken-down car and a few polyester suits, and started off sleeping on the floor of an acquaintance's tiny apartment.

Cuban had several jobs, which he knew would help his career because they all represented opportunities to learn. While many people assume they need to find the perfect job right after college and commit to it, that’s not necessarily the best way to start your career. Rather, it’s better to build and develop a variety of skills first.

As a young man fresh out of college, Cuban spent a few months at Mellon Bank, where he learned about computer systems. As a budding entrepreneur, he also endeavored to improve the company without consulting his boss first – which got him fired.

After moving to Dallas, he got another job working with software. He bought himself a computer for $99 and started teaching himself programming. He devoted his time to this new pursuit rather than returning to university, as it was an opportunity to get paid while learning.

When working a number of temporary jobs, there’s another valuable lesson to be learned: other people’s methods won’t always be best for you.

Working a variety of jobs helps you learn about yourself, your skills and your ambitions, but it can also teach you a lot about where businesses or bosses go wrong.

When Cuban found that his bosses weren’t open to their employees’ ideas, he decided that he simply couldn’t work there any longer. So he left and founded his own company, MicroSolutions, which sold PC software and configured computers.

Microsolutions had its share of problems – at one point, a secretary stole nearly all the company’s money – but Cuban was able to grow it into a strong company that eventually brought in revenue of over $30 million.

Put in as much effort as you possibly can.

It’s not humanly possible to control every aspect of your business. But if you want to make it, you’ll have to work a lot.

In fact, you should be prepared to work day and night toward achieving your goals. There are a lot of unpredictable variables in sports and business alike, but there is one thing you always have power over: your own effort.

Pace yourself and never forget about your customers.

When you’re a small business owner struggling with money, it’s tempting to look to big investors for funding. Even so, taking money from major investors can actually harm you and your business.

It’s likely that a venture capitalist will be able to help you out with financial matters in the beginning, but there’s a good reason why they’re often called vulture investors. If someone pays for your company, you’re under their control; if you can’t deliver on what you promised, you’ll be held responsible. It’s even possible for you to be replaced within your own business.

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Worum geht es in How to Win at the Sport of Business?

In How to Win at the Sport of Business (2011), Mark Cuban offers unconventional advice and wisdom on how to work your way up in the business world. Comprising a collection of posts from Cuban’s renowned blog, the book tells the story of Cuban’s own unconventional rise to success – a story that’s sure to inspire anyone willing to think a little bit differently.