Sunday, August 15, 2010

Mark Cuban Visits Durham


Mark Cuban paid a visit to Durham last Thursday. For the hi-tech set, it was like having Lady Gaga in town. The “dot com billionaire” was in the house!

He owns the NBA Dallas Mavericks, too…and a couple of weeks ago unsuccessfully attempted to purchase the Texas Rangers. So, we got to talk a little baseball with him as well. Yeah, he’s a rock star. (There is much debate about Cuban as an MLB owner, but somebody has to replace the Yankee's George Stienbrenner!?!)

Cuban was the featured speaker at a day-long event hosted by Local Tech Wire (a Capitol Broadcasting Co. enterprise.) Check out their coverage: the photo gallery and a good story on Cuban’s rules for business. He spoke at Bay 7 to a packed house on the American Tobacco campus.

Even though he is routinely introduced as a billionaire, Cuban is a thoroughly unpretentious guy.

Accordingly, one of his rules for a start-up company: live like a college student...cheaply.

And his advice to college grads is more of the same: live cheap, eschew credit cards, drive a clunker, endure multiple roommates…and try different jobs until you land upon something for which you have a passion.

That may not be what every parent envisions for their new graduate…but hey…he is a billionaire. It certainly worked for him!