So we are sitting on the set of Shark Tank and I feel really amazing right now. I feel like I'm, I'm a shark. I'm experiencing what it feels like to be a shark. Nice job. Damon's chair. Sorry about that, Damon. Mark Cuban right here. So you're back.

Yeah, welcome to the set of Shark Tank. Yeah. Season seven starts September 29th, I think. And so we're excited. We're, um, we've been cranking them out. We, we get here at 8 o'clock in the morning, start shooting at 8:30, 9 o'clock and we'll go till 7:00 or 8:00 tonight. So, they're long days, but it's fun. You know, the show's been doing great. So.

I mean, isn't it insane though? It's been going on for what, six years now?

This is, we're shooting season seven now as we speak. Um, this is my sixth season or five and a half. I came on as a guest shark in season two. And, um, we've been going strong ever since. So it's, it's fun. It's a great experience.

It's been getting so, I mean, every single season just gets like more and more. It gets bigger and bigger and bigger. I ask everybody like, and there's not one person I know that doesn't watch the show. No matter what age you are, no matter what. So, I mean, you always say it's the American dream. That's what people.

And well, that's why I do the show. Look, I mean, I've closed 70 deals or whatever to date. And so it's a lot of work dealing with all the companies and helping them. But, you know, you got the carpet right there and people can come from Iowa, Pittsburgh, Dallas, wherever, LA, and it could be somebody who started a company in the garage and they're, you know, in the second bed in a bedroom, whatever, and it can go from nothing to, you know, tens of millions of dollars in sales and you know, people watching at home, they watch with their kids. And you know, if you show them that someone from a small town in the middle of nowhere can do it, it gives them confidence that they can do it.

Do people who are from Dallas, because they always like I like, man. And That's okay, just give us another minute. Um, so but people from Dallas now, I mean they like, does that give them an edge or does that actually?

No, you know what, if you're, I grew up in Pittsburgh, so if you're from Pittsburgh, or Dallas, it's like, you've got a great shot with me. You know? So you you you definitely have a chance. Um, and so I try to, I try to give companies from my hometown an edge. Um, and it it's just more work, but, you know, I'm a homer, what can I say?

But has there been any pitch that you've said I'm out to that you're like, damn, I should have been on that deal?

Um, you know what, once I'm, once I'm out, I'm like disconnected. So I don't pay any attention to how they've done since then. Um, because I got enough, right?

Yeah.

It's like, I don't need any more. Um, but I mean, some of them have done really well, but I've got enough and I've got my own, you know, I've got my children, my 70 children that I have to worry about, so that's enough.

And then you do your due diligence after. So like, I know there's been stories right, where you like look at companies afterwards and you're like, this is so not what I want to be involved with.

Well, it's not even that, right? So you you sit there and you make a deal and you say I'll give you $100,000 for 10%. And they said, okay, we have $100,000 in sales and we're losing $10,000 a year. And then you get in there and they don't have $100,000 in sales and they aren't losing $10,000 a year. They're losing $100,000 a year. Where I had a deal, um, this season actually that I was doing due diligence on, and they had no accounting. Right? So how do you, you know, they've been talking, we had this much in sales, this much in um, profit. I'm like, you have no accounting. You gave me a shoe box. I'm supposed to figure out what you're doing from a shoe box. And so you have situations like that and in those cases the deals don't close. Um, but I'd say 75 to 80% of my deals close.

And is there anything in the tank where like an entrepreneur comes up and what frustrates you the most because you get, you get angry. I mean, you, it's, that's real.

Well, people try to scam us. Like we just had one today that'll air where the guy was a total scam artist. And he was

Scam artist meaning what? Like they just want exposure and that sort of thing.

Well, not even that. We call them gold diggers because they're just coming on for the PR. Right. Um, but scam as in like we had one a couple seasons because I can't tell you about what just happened today. A couple seasons ago, we had these guys who had on these balance bracelets, right? They were balance watches where they were supposed to have some amazing metallic properties that improved your balance and improved your core strength and just all kinds of nonsense, right?

Was this the one that had like the the muscle?

No, no, no, no. That was a different one.

Okay.

That was a different one where you like you've seen the one, anyway, so it was a total scam. And I just rushed the guy, right? So when if you try to scam me, I'm going to tear you a new one. Um, if you're if your heart's in the right place, you're doing it for the right reasons, you know, this is your life, you're really into it. I'm going to do all I can to find a reason to do a deal. I'm going to do what I can to to at least even if I don't do it, to just prop you up, you know, so you'll hear me all the time say, you know, I'm not into it, but it's a great idea. You know, people should buy it or, you know, you're going to do great. Don't feel down because you didn't get a deal. Because I I want entrepreneurs to to be entrepreneurs, right? I want them to be excited about about their businesses and so I try to be real supportive. But if you try to scam me, I'm going to beat the hell out of you.

You yeah, takes two seconds for you to figure that out, right? Boom.

Yeah, yeah.

And then the other sharks, because you guys have great banter. I feel like that's also like part of the show is just like the back and the judging panel.

Yeah, well, you got Kevin who thinks he's Simon Cowell, right?

Oh yeah. Kevin is Simon for sure. But, you know, but he's so easy just to beat up, right? He's, he's.

You beat that's where you always laugh at him the most.

All the time. Always. All the time. Because he says the same stuff over and over. You're dead to me. Right? Yeah. All the same stuff, the same deals, the same everything. So, you know, what it's like is cuz like we'll be here all day and and we shoot 20 days, I think in June and another ten, you know, eight, I think this pod in September, that's the whole season.

Yeah, don't you want to kill each other at that point?

Well, yeah, but that's the whole thing is like anybody else you work with, you're sitting there all day like this close all day long and you're hearing them say the same stuff over and over and over. So it gets a teensy bit annoying. And and that's do you do you not say some of the same stuff? Of course I do, right? I'm sure I.

But you have your you have your lines. I try not to, but yeah. Except for like, and for that reason I'm out, right? Just the last line here.

Yeah. Um, but you fight with Robert kind of a lot too, right?

Yeah, Robert annoys the hell out of me.

Truth comes out. Right? Oh yeah, Young Hollywood. And then, I mean, what is the one thing like I would say between a good pitch and a bad pitch? I mean, what are the basics? What are the basics of a good pitch and then you know immediately that's bad.

Okay, so there's the basics. You got to know your numbers and you've got to have a vision for where you want it to go. And it's got to be something that moves the needle, that has an impact in one way or another. So it can move the needle for a social cause. It can move the needle for a profitability perspective. Um, it can move the needle by disrupting a business, but it can't just be, okay, I sold $100 worth this week. I'm going to sell $110 next week, you know, or I sold 500,000 this year. I'll sell 520,000 next year. That's just there's no reason to be there. Or it can't be a me too business. We don't need another Uber for something. We don't need another Airbnb for something. You know, we I want it to be something original because that's what gets you excited.

So what is exciting you the most? Like if you hear a pitch like, I mean, obviously, if it's something.

Yeah, it's just something that that that changes things. So, um, like I've got a company Sway Motorsports. And so he's taken the idea of a three-legged three-wheeled motorcycle with a special um, patented sway um, balance and steering system where you can go. Okay. 50, he's got it going now in our in our um, test. He's got it going 55 miles an hour in an electric like motorcycle, scooter that just crushes it, right?

And so if we're moving into a world where there's self-driven cars and people are trying to buy fewer cars for a lot of different reasons, there's still going to be situations where you want to be able to drive.

You want to be able to go to the store, to whatever, to get to where you're going.

Um, and not have to Uber or Lyft it.

And so this will give you a less expensive, um, zero footprint, zero carbon footprint option to get there.

Yeah, so trying to find stuff like that.

Um, there's another one that's more of an industrial thing called Melny, which is like stuff I didn't even know, right?

But I just thought these guys were smart.

And so people who do like really hard jobs, you know, they're putting in um, electricity and, you know, all you know, whatever things that have to conduit and and so they have to crimp things together.

These guys came up with a whole new way that's a waterproof way to crimp.

So all these people that do physical work and after 15 years of doing this job, you're like a cripple, right?

Your back hurts, your legs are.

These guys invented a completely different way, um, so that all that, all that risk, all that impact is out and it's a lot more efficient.

So those are things that disrupt industries.

So they're more of a flyer.

It's not something that's going to, you know, all of a sudden be huge in one year, but over five years, we can be looking back and saying, wow, this is enormous.

So that's good.

And then just, you know, let's talk about politics for a minute because we have, no, we have to.

Okay.

Am I ready for president?

No.

Not this time.

Um, and so, oh, man.

No, no.

You'd be a good president, actually.

I'd be a great president.

Um, but yeah, no, I'm not running.

Um, I'm not, I'm not in politics at all.

But, you know, you have fun with it though.

I have fun with it, right?

Because you've got this downtime after after the NBA season ends and before the NFL and the NBA season starts, it's like no good sports.

Politics during election year, presidential election cycle, is the best sport in town.

So I just get, I just have fun with it and, you know, get out there and like to talk about it.

Okay, last question.

Okay.

Has there been a shark in real life that you've dealt with that's actually been like the worst shark that you've ever, like who's the craziest shark that you negotiated with?

Worst person I've ever had to negotiate.

That's a interesting question.

Um, the government.

The government.

Um, they're always messed up.

I don't know, you know, there's been a lot of smart people I've dealt with, but no one ever that I just thought, oh my gosh, this guy is like,

No one like how you are.

No, there's been people, no, there's been people smarter and better than I am at it.

But, um, you know, nobody that's just like overwhelming.

Yeah.

I'm I'm past the point where I get intimidated.

I usually walk in feeling like, okay, I got this.

Okay.

Well, that's pretty standard for Mark Cuban to just he's got this.

That's why they're shark.

I got it.

And on that note.

Oh, wait, wait, wait.

Have you seen the new Little Dicky save that money, save that money video?

No.

What is it?

Little Little Dicky save that?

Do you know who do you know who Little Dicky?

Oh, no, I do.

You right?

I have actually heard of him.

Yeah, save that money.

Check it out.

All right, well then.

It's a money song, right?

And we're out on that note.