Mark Cuban

Talent without effort is wasted talent. And while effort is the one thing you can control in your life, applying that effort intelligently is next on the list.

If you break your finger, that's on you, right? But if you get a chronic illness, if you get a serious illness or life-threatening illness, that's something I think we should all share the cost in because we all face the same unknowns and the same risks.

Make sure you are the boss. I don't think I would encourage executives that work for me to blog. There can be only 1 public vision for an organization.

Shark Tank' is fun, but it's all business. We use our own money, and the competition between the sharks is fierce. More importantly, it's an opportunity to invest in businesses that are being watched and considered by millions of people every time it's shown.

Culture is very important to the Mavs. Your best player has to be a fit for what you want the culture of the team to be. He has to be someone who leads by example. Someone who sets the tone in the locker room and on the court. It isn't about who talks the most or the loudest. It is about the demeanor and attitude he brings.

When you turn your team upside down and try to figure out what the culture of the team is, you take the greatest risk a team can take.

Owning a popular sports team is very different than any other type of business. They don't throw parades when Apple has the biggest quarter in corporate history. People don't call and email asking for anyone from the team to come visit their sick child. They don't cry as they request a jersey of their child's favorite player to be buried with them.

Recessions are the best time to start a company. Companies fail. Others hold back capital. If you are willing to do the preparation and work, it is the best time to invest in yourself and start a business.

Someone is out there looking to put you out of business. Someone is out there who thinks they have a better idea than you have. A better solution than you have. A better or more efficient product than you have.

I have stocked shelves, waited on tables, and bartended. I have been a salesperson at many levels. Each giving me a unique view of what made a company successful and, even more importantly, what made a company fail.

I knew how to sell. I felt confident I could run a business. I was willing to outwork anyone. I wasn't afraid to live like a student on next to nothing. So that meant I had absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain.

At least before my hip replacement, I had a quick first step. I could get by you off the dribble. My business game is the same way. I can turn an idea into a business before you know it's going to be important. My first step will blow by you.