16 of Mark Cuban's most motivational quotes for entrepreneurs

Cuban's words of advice, whilst sometimes rather abrupt, help us to gain an insight into how he became the success that he is today - and how he stays on top of his competition.

Mark Cuban is an American entrepreneur, businessman, investor, television personality, film producer, author and philanthropist. He owns the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and you might just recognize him from TV's Shark Tank. Oh, and he happens to be worth around $3 billion, making him rank at number 211 on the Forbes 400 list for 2015.

Cuban is well-known to many aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners as a source of inspiration and advice. The quotes below, whilst sometimes rather abrupt, help us to gain an insight into how Cuban became the success that he is today - and how he stays on top of his competition.

Mark Cuban's Views On: Being Unique and Forging Your Own Path

"Wherever I see people doing something the way it's always been done, the way it's 'supposed' to be done, following the same old trends, well, that's just a big red flag to me to go look somewhere else." [Source]

"When you've got 10,000 people trying to do the same thing, why would you want to be number 10,001?"[Source]

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"What I do know, at least what I think I have learned from my experiences in business, is that when there is a rush for everyone to do the same thing, it becomes more difficult to do. Not easier. Harder." [Source]

"What I've learned is that if you really want to be successful at something, you'll find that you put the time in. You won't just ask somebody if it's a good idea, you'll go figure out if it's a good idea." [Source]

Cuban is an advocate for standing out from the crowd in order to get ahead in business. He passionately believes that you need to offer something different from everyone else in order to be a success. Think carefully about your business or products: what do you have that sets you apart from everyone else? Make sure you highlight those differences and market them as benefits.

Mark Cuban's Views On: Giving Everything a Positive Spin

"Every no gets me closer to a yes." [Source]

"It doesn't matter how many times you have failed, you only have to be right once." [Source]

"Don't get caught up in how many hours you work. Judge success based on having goals and measuring your results. Hard work, and lots of it, is certainly needed, but focus on what you get done." [Source]

"Always wake up with a smile knowing that today you are going to have fun accomplishing what others are too afraid to do." [Source]

As a small business owner, it's easy to become dispassionate about your company, particularly when things don't seem to be going your way. Cuban urges people to look past the current negatives and put a positive spin on them to change your mind-set and regain your drive.

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Mark Cuban's Views On: Working Hard

"Work like there is someone working 24 hours a day to take it away from you." [Source]

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"I still work hard to know my business. I'm continuously looking for ways to improve all my companies, and I'm always selling. Always." [Source]

"It's not about money or connections - it's the willingness to outwork and outlearn everyone...And if it fails, you learn from what happened and do a better job next time." [Source]

"It's not in the dreaming, it's in the doing." [Source]

Even now, Cuban is constantly striving to move forward and stay ahead of his competition. How does he do that? By working really, really hard! He knows that running a business is not easy and that there will always be competitors out there waiting for him to slip up - so he doesn't give them that chance. Neither should you.

Mark Cuban's Views On: Believing in Yourself

"What I've learned in these 11 years is you just got to stay focused and believe in yourself and trust your own ability and judgment." [Source]

"Don't start a company unless it's an obsession and something you love. If you have an exit strategy, it's not an obsession." [Source]

"Know your core competencies and focus on being great at them. Pay up for people in your core competencies." [Source]

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"If you're prepared and you know what it takes, it's not a risk. You just have to figure out how to get there. There is always a way to get there." [Source]

Cuban remains firm on the fact that you should only try to turn your vision into a viable business if you are obsessed enough with your ideas to see them through to fruition, no matter what obstacles you have to face along the way. Anybody can have a dream; it takes real drive and determination to turn that into reality.

So there you have it - words of wisdom from one of the top business entrepreneurs of our time. Which of the quotes above resonates most with you, both on a business and personal level? Let us know in the comments below. If we've missed your favourite Mark Cuban quote from this collection, please share it with us -we'd love to hear it.

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