On every episode of The Playbook, produced by Sports Illustrated and Entrepreneur, we match an elite athlete with a business titan to create a playbook for success. This time, our crew journeyed to Texas to listen in as business icon and minority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, sat down with Dallas Cowboys star defensive end Micah Parsons to learn from each other about achieving and exceeding their goals.
“I always try to meet people who are above the rest because lots of people have talent, but not a lot of people know how to use it,” Cuban told Parsons. “They don’t have the mindset to be able to put that all together. But a few can — and that’s you.”
Parsons, as NFL fans know, is an All-Pro defensive end and the President of B/R Gridiron, as well as host of his own show, The Edge. He’s done a lot — but he’s just getting started.
Parsons says that Cuban is the embodiment of what it means to be driven: “It’s just that person who’s willing to say, ‘I’m not complacent. It’s not enough. I want more. I’m going to get more. I’m going to make it out.”
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Both men attribute a desire to break out of their everyday existence and a willingness to put in the hard work to their current levels of success, and agree that it’s not about getting one big win and hanging up the cleats. It’s about legacy and continued growth. “Business is the ultimate competitive sport,” says Cuban, whose new mission is to transform prescription drugs with his company, Cost Plus Drugs. Parsons talks about his desire to use his personal brand to do charitable work — and also to stretch his business wings.
“There are two types of entrepreneurs: the income statement entrepreneurs and the balance sheet entrepreneurs,” notes Cuban. “The income statement entrepreneurs are like me: whatever you build, you build from scratch. And you’re the balance sheet entrepreneur, where you do the work, but you’re building your brand. And in exchange for your brand, you’re getting equity, you’re getting shares of different companies, and you’re smart enough to understand how to keep on extending your brand into other areas where you can keep on growing your balance sheet.”
Watch the entire conversation to see how these amazing entrepreneurs view opportunities and the role that hard work — plus a little bit of luck — played in their successes.
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