‘Shark Tank’s’ Mark Cuban Says This Is The Biggest Mistake People Make on Social Media

Mark Cuban of ABC’s Shark Tank is a true business icon. With a list of credits that include running a tech empire, owning an NBA team, producing films, and working on one of today’s hottest reality shows, the billionaire has proven himself as a captain of industry.

The Shark Tank star previously shared his thoughts on what people should avoid doing on social media.

24/7 worker

Cuban is a true grinder when it comes to work. “My days are straight out of the movie Groundhog Day. I wake up, check my email, news feeds and eat. I kiss my wife and kids, and get them to school,” he told Entrepreneur in 2012. “I come home and get back in front of my computer. I’ll go workout. I’ll play with the kids when they come home. Then I’ll sit in front of my computer some more. If there is a Mavs game I check my email at breaks and go to my computer at halftime. After the game, I do the same thing until I go to bed.”

The reality star has always stressed the importance of pushing the boundaries when it comes to working if you want to achieve success. “It’s not about money or connections — it’s the willingness to outwork and outlearn everyone when it comes to your business,” Cuban explained. “And if it fails, you learn from what happened and do a better job next time.”

Often emphasizing to entrepreneurs entering the tank that if they want his investment, Cuban wants to know they’ll put in the time since he sees laziness as a precursor to failure. Talking to YouTube channel Valuetainment in 2015, Cuban said that the number one reason people fail in business is “lack of brains [and] lack of effort. They don’t do the work,” he said.

Getting social

Cuban is also well-versed in the pros and cons of social media. While today’s many platforms can be instrumental in promoting a business or brand, there are clearly some downfalls when it comes to posting. The Shark Tank investor singled out one mistake people frequently make when it comes to their social channels.

“[People] let their posts live forever,” Cuban told Inc. in 2014 as the biggest mistake made on social media. “Every person you follow on Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, Facebook… every person you retweet, repin, repost, renote, regram on social media defines who you are. And there are applications now that are collecting every bit of that and creating profiles about you and anticipating what you’re going to do next.”

Cuban warned that the cumulation of posts are for public consumption can follow users throughout their entire lives. “By what you do on social media, you are creating a profile about yourself,” he said. “And that is going to be used, not just by online companies, but that’s going to be used in every walk of life.”

Think before you text

Cuban also warns people of the dangers of texting, and advises putting thought into each message before hitting the ‘send’ button. “When you send a text… the minute you hit ‘send’ you lose ownership of that text,” Cuban said. “Whoever you send it to now owns that text. They can add whatever context, whatever commentary, whatever feedback or other information or video or pictures around it to create whatever image or picture or message they want to communicate about you. You have zero control over it.”

Overall, Cuban stresses the importance of thinking before posting, and being selective with what is being put out into the cybersphere. Even posts that may seem innocuous to the author should get an extra once-over before hitting ‘publish’ or ‘send’ since the message will last longer than users may realize.

Watch ABC’s Shark Tank on Sunday nights!