‘Shark Tank:’ Why Robert Herjavec ‘Used To Hate’ Mark Cuban
ABC’s Shark Tank panel has developed a solid chemistry on the air and behind the scenes. Though Mark Cuban didn’t join the show until Season 2, the billionaire is still considered by fans to be one of the original sharks, along with Barbara Corcoran, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John, and Kevin O’Leary. ‘Queen of QVC’ Lori Greiner became a permanent investor in the tank during Season 3.
When Cuban first became a fixture on the hit reality show, some weren’t thrilled with the fame that preceded him.
‘Shark Tank’s’ success
Now in its 11th season, Shark Tank remains a fan favorite on ABC. When asked about what makes the show such a success, Herjavec credited the power of ambition.
“It’s the American Dream. It’s the desire to better one’s position in life, and who doesn’t have that desire?” he told Business Insider in 2014. “I think when people watch the show, they always think, ‘That could be me,’ and it really could. I mean, anybody can get on our show.”
With today’s influx of competition programs such as American Idol, The Voice, or America’s Got Talent, Herjavec noted that contestants on Shark Tank just need an idea. “It’s the only show where you don’t have to have God-given talent in order to be successful,” he said. “You don’t have to have a voice, and you don’t have to be able to dance. You can come on with an idea, and get an investment, and become very wealthy.”
Sought-after shark
Many entrepreneurs who enter tank seem to throw their bait in Cuban’s direction, hoping he’ll bite. Even if other investors make an offer, contestants seem to hold out until Cuban makes a move, much to the chagrin of the rest of the panel.
When asked in the Business Insider interview if he gets offended by this, Herjavec shared that he hates losing a deal to any of his fellow sharks. “Of course, we all get offended,” he said. “But I hate it when Kevin gets a deal from me, or when Lori steals a deal from me, too.”
Herjavec revealed he wasn’t a big fan of the Mavericks owner when he started swimming in the tank. “I used to hate Mark for the first two years. And he didn’t like me either,” he said. “I think when Mark first came in, it kind of shifted everything because he was so big, and he invested in everything.”
The millionaire investor shared that now, his relationship with Cuban has evolved to a friendship. “I think a couple of things have happened since then. I think we’ve all figured out how to deal with Mr. Cuban, and I think Mr. Cuban’s lost enough money to realize, ‘Oh, I shouldn’t invest in everything,’” Herjavec shared. “I think we respect each other, so we can yell at each other and then have lunch together.”
Taking a tip from Cuban
Herjavec has even taken advice from Cuban over the years. “Early in my career I spent most of my time just trying to make a living and protect my downside,” he revealed, according to NYSE. “Then Mark Cuban told me when I first started on Shark Tank that I had to dream bigger.”
Turns out Cuban was onto something. “He was absolutely right – who would have thought that I’d be here on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange having just rung the opening bell,” Herjavec said, “not that long ago I didn’t even know this world existed, so my advice to everyone out there is to dream big, always dream big.”
Watch ABC’s Shark Tank on Sunday nights!
