(2004-06-09) Cuban Sweat Equity

Mark Cuban on avoiding Venture Capital. These investors, including myself, know what you don't, and they are not telling you. The minute you ask for money, you are playing in their game, they aren't playing in yours. You are at a huge disadvantage, and it's only going to get worse if you take their money. The minute you take money, the leverage completely flips to the investor. They control the destiny of your dreams, not you... The minute you slide off course from the promises you made to get the money, your dreams fall in jeopardy... You will find someone else running your dream company. If this sounds like a scene out of the Sopranos (Organized Crime) or an episode you would watch on TV about a loan shark, you are right. The only difference is that it's all legal. There are only two reasonable sources of capital for startup entrepreneurs, your own pocket and your customers pockets.