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Mark Cuban says that you can't outsource your critical business acumen nor your critical tech. If a company founder needed a consultant to start and run the bus

Mark Cuban says that you can't outsource your critical business acumen nor your critical tech. If a company founder needed a consultant to start and run the business initially, that would signal that the person is not really a good entrepreneur or founder. They won't just pick up those abilities later. Some of the key components of an individual or a business's success are inherent.

byoung2 6y ago
Exactly...the 2 ingredients for a B2B startup is tech/expertise and the ability to talk to businesses. Trying to outsource that 2nd part might be a sign that B2B is not the right space for the founder. B2C it is possible to survive on tech alone since you can go viral (e.g. TikTok).
gotoHN 6y ago
Would you mind providing a source of Mark saying this? I somewhat agree with this, but I also know it wouldn't be difficult to find examples of founders who are not "good entrepreneurs" that were able to have successful start-ups by leveraging the expertise of their peers.
- mimixco 6y ago
  Sure. He says it on Shark Tank a lot. In many episodes, Mark rejects the company because the founder isn't good at business (despite their tech) or isn't a tech person but is trying to get into a tech biz.
- mimixco 6y ago
  You know, I'm not sure there are any successful companies where the founder didn't have those key skills. Sure, some small companies make it on luck, but every household company we can name was started by someone who grok'd both the business and tech sides of his industry. I also think its a mistake to see consultants as "peers." A peer is someone who works at your same level. The word means "equal." A consultant is not an equal. They're hired help and they can't have the same goals or motivation as a founder, which is another reason that companies that rely on consultants for critical stuff usually lose a lot of money doing so.

byoung2 6y ago

Exactly...the 2 ingredients for a B2B startup is tech/expertise and the ability to talk to businesses. Trying to outsource that 2nd part might be a sign that B2B is not the right space for the founder. B2C it is possible to survive on tech alone since you can go viral (e.g. TikTok).

gotoHN 6y ago

Would you mind providing a source of Mark saying this? I somewhat agree with this, but I also know it wouldn't be difficult to find examples of founders who are not "good entrepreneurs" that were able to have successful start-ups by leveraging the expertise of their peers.

mimixco 6y ago
Sure. He says it on Shark Tank a lot. In many episodes, Mark rejects the company because the founder isn't good at business (despite their tech) or isn't a tech person but is trying to get into a tech biz.
mimixco 6y ago
You know, I'm not sure there are any successful companies where the founder didn't have those key skills. Sure, some small companies make it on luck, but every household company we can name was started by someone who grok'd both the business and tech sides of his industry. I also think its a mistake to see consultants as "peers." A peer is someone who works at your same level. The word means "equal." A consultant is not an equal. They're hired help and they can't have the same goals or motivation as a founder, which is another reason that companies that rely on consultants for critical stuff usually lose a lot of money doing so.