Mark Cuban Shares the One Mistake New Entrepreneurs Always Make
What's the biggest mistake new entrepreneurs make? Focusing on the wrong thing, according to Mark Cuban, Shark Tank shark and owner of the Dallas Mavericks. "The biggest mistake entrepreneurs make when they're first starting out is they think they have to raise money, and that raising money is an accomplishment," he told Sanyin Siang, executive director of the Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics at Duke University in an informal video at a recent sports conference. "Raising money isn't an accomplishment, it's an obligation," he said.
So what should they focus on instead? If you're familiar with Cuban's views on business success, you can probably guess his answer: sales. "Sales cures all," he said. "There's never been a company that succeeded without sales. It's not about raising money, it's not about the idea. It's about finding customers that you can really create value for and making them happy. And when you have happy customers, they tell other people who become happy customers and that turns into a successful business."
In fact, considering that he's a shark, Cuban's views on raising money are surprisingly negative. "The best equity is sweat equity," he said. "The more you can do without raising money, the further you'll go and the more of your company you'll own."