Mark Cuban, the billionaire investor and Shark Tank star, does not always give out advice to other entrepreneurs, but he had a few words to say to an aspiring fan.
Key Details
- On Saturday, July 8, Cuban shared an ongoing correspondence between himself and a 14-year-old Bangladeshi athlete through his Threads account.
- Owing to the lack of a youth sports program in his country, the young man started his own soccer club and started writing regularly to Cuban to give him progress reports, to which he replied, “I can’t always reply, but I’ll always read it.”
- Addressing the challenges that the young entrepreneur faced in running his club, Cuban gave a simple answer to how to face harsh criticism and words, “Ignore what they say. What matters is what you do.”
Why It’s Important
Starting a business in ideal circumstances is difficult, but it is more difficult when faced with naysayers and difficult challenges, particularly for a teenager living in Bangladesh. In his emails, the young entrepreneur speaks of rival clubs being hostile to his efforts, attacking his players, and trash-talking him to the point of discouragement.
Ignoring what others say is a simple sentiment, but it is profound. It is difficult to ignore harsh criticism and language. But Cuban is right to say that actions truly matter because they prove what people and businesses are capable of. It is hard to work through discouragement and criticism, but the successful come out on the other side having proved themselves.
Notable Quote
“Cuban had what I think is exactly the advice a lot of us need to hear,” says Inc. tech columnist Jason Aten. “I think the point Cuban is making is this: If you do anything worth doing, there’s going to be a lot of noise around you. Don’t get distracted by the noise. There are plenty of reasons for the noise. Some people will want to see you fail because they haven’t found success of their own. Some people are insecure and believe success is a zero-sum game. They believe that anything you accomplish comes out of their account … If they’re that focused on what you’re doing, they’ve already lost.”