Mark Cuban- The Life of A Maverick
Besides being the owner of the famous basketball team, the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban is also a 
certified self-made billionaire with Forbes ranking him as number 446 on their List of the World’s Billionaires. Forbes estimated his net worth to be roughly 2.6 billion dollars. Not bad for a former bartender!
If there is one thing that could best describe Mark Cuban, that would be- ingenuity. Mark knew he needed money to get the things he wants. But, most importantly, he knew how and where to get it! Mark was born on July 31, 1958 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to a middle class family. He started making money at a tender age of 12 where he sold packs of garbage bags for $6 so as he could buy a pair of expensive shoes. He entered the labor force in High school, being employed in a number of odd jobs including bartending, party promotions, and selling stamps.
One of the evidences of his budding sense of business had been evident when he earned 1,100 dollars by starting a chain letter. His earnings in high school were allotted for his college education which he first took in the University of Pittsburgh. However, he continued his education and consequently earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Indiana University. In July of 1982, Mark moved to Dallas, Texas and started job hunting again. He was employed as a salesperson for Your Business Software, a PC software retailer. After losing his job, he decided to start his own company- MicroSolutions. His exposure with different clients in his previous employer greatly helped in giving his company the initial push.
MicroSolutions became a software reseller and system integration company, selling products such as Compuserve, Carbon Copy, and Lotus Notes. In 1990, Cuban sold MicroSolutions to Compuserve for $6 million. Mark Cuban was also starting to be interested in the internet and basketball. So in 1995, he and his friend Todd Wagner set up broadcast.com which grew to revenues of almost $100 million and with a staff of 330. Selling his Yahoo stock worth 5 billion dollars before the dotcom bubble burst allowed Cuban to garner a lot of money. Rich Cuban went on a spending spree, landing with a mansion in Dallas, a $41 million jet, and a $285 million basketball team. His fanaticism with basketball inspired him to revive the team and make it strong and competitive. He started his marketing strategy by creating new uniforms and advertising schemes and then went on getting the best and talented players. His scheme worked wonders, eventually making the Dallas Mavericks one of the teams to beat in only one season.
Besides being a rich guy, Cuban also actively involves in charitable donations and is a TV network owner. He pursued several internet-based businesses such as buying off IceRocket, RedSwoosh, and Weblogs. Another good thing about Mark Cuban is his active involvement in charity work. In fact, he is a very simple guy, rarely wearing business suits and fashionable watches. No wonder he is blessed with many things!
A visit to Mark Cuban’s blogmaverick.com is enough to give you an insight about what he is as a person. In my opinion, he is a guy with a unique fighting spirit. His strong will power and focus enable him to go for his dreams, regardless of risks and obstacles!
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