His grandfather, Morris Chobanisky, emigrated from Russia and fed his family by selling merchandise out of the back of a truck.
At age 12, he sold sets of garbage bags to save up for a pair of shoes he wanted to buy.
In high school, he earned extra money, mainly by becoming a stamp and coin salesman.
He started taking psychology classes at the University of Pittsburgh during his junior year of high school. He then skipped his senior year and enrolled full time at the college.
After his freshman year at Pitt, Cuban transferred to Indiana University.
Needing to make money to continue his education (he was paying his own tuition) Cuban started giving dance lessons. That endeavor soon led him to hosting lavish disco parties at the Bloomington National Guard Armory.
I would consider Mark Cuban successful because he has proven time after time, his ability to create and sustain a smart, profitable company. He was also able to use his innovative expertise to turn his team, the Dallas Mavericks into a winning franchise, who finally won the NBA title in 2011. He never let his typical, middle-class childhood keep him from achieving his dream.
