"I was born at the right time" - Shark Tank's Mark Cuban on how luck helped him profit from the internet boom

Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban revealed what played an important role in his success as a business owner. In a video on People's YouTube channel, he acknowledged how luck has shaped his entrepreneurial journey.

Mark shared his insights into what he believes differentiates a person who makes it big versus the ones who don't. According to him, hard work and knowledge are very essential parts of success, but the other side is made up of luck. He says that life is completely random.

He had started a company in the 90s when the concept of the internet had just begun. After a decade, Mark sold the same to Yahoo for $5.7 billion in stock. He says that this was all luck when he started the company at the right time and then had an opportunity to sell it for a lot of cash at the right time.

But the hard work part was when he had to learn how the technology worked. This is a new perspective to look at the situation where the Shark Tank investor also attributes his success to the "luck" factor. Explaining, he said,

"You know how I became a billionaire? I was born at the right time. When internet technology took off, we were able to start AudioNet, which turned into Broadcast.com—the first streaming company. We took it public, and I was able to sell it for $5.7 billion in stock. That was luck."

Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban shares how he was born at the right time for success

Mark realized that he was born at the right time and started his business at the right time, which led him to seek an opportunity with Yahoo. He says that timing is just as important as talent or hard work.

Many entrepreneurs, just like him, had started their businesses at the rise of a technological or cultural shift that has made it a success for them.

However, Mark does not downplay the importance of hard work in his success story. He said that he tried to improve on the part of life that he could handle and do something about while the rest was taken care of by luck.

This distinction is the key takeaway from the Shark Tank investor's words that luck can open doors for a person, but it is hard work that decides who walks through it.

He says that life is very random and thus, people also focus on the part that they can control. For him, it meant learning about technology, staying ahead of trends, and knowing the growth potential. Timing might be out of control, but being ready when the right moment arrives is not. Explaining the same, he said,

"But learning how all the technology worked? That was work. The other half, I had no control over—when the internet stock market would rise or when the bubble would burst. Life is half-random. What you do with the half you can control sets the tone for your entire life."

Continuing further in the interview, the Shark Tank investor then talks about how a business owner has to be right just once to attain success. Giving his example, he said that he had started multiple failed businesses and had been rejected countless times for jobs.

But what sets him apart is how he made one right decision, and the rest is history. He says that it doesn't matter how many times a person fails as they "have to be right only one time."

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Shark Tank season 16 episodes are released weekly on ABC at 8 PM Eastern Time on Fridays. They are later available to watch on Hulu.

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