Yale MBA, Mark Cuban Collaborate

MARK CUBAN THE COAUTHOR 

Cuban became involved in Patel’s latest book when Patel asked him to talk to publishers on his behalf. But instead of just helping him publish, Cuban offered to help write some of it.

“I have a little experience in that space,” Cuban said. “I thought I could add value.”

Patel, elated, agreed that Cuban’s name could carry some weight. He says their goal is simply to inspire kids to do small, entrepreneurial things to get a taste of running a business — and perhaps to learn that prestigious careers are not always traditional careers.

The book will give kids examples of small businesses they can start, like programming smartphones for older people or selling colored shoelaces.

Cuban plans to write a significant portion of the book — as much as the other authors, Patel says — and will also review the chapters written by Patel and Ian McCue, a co-author who is still in high school and who has founded a company called Spark Skill, which runs a summer camp for the coding, business, and STEM fields.

FEEDBACK IS THE BEST PART

Patel plans to finish his medical degree at USC and apply for residency in dermatology. He will continue working on Prep Expert, he says, but he hopes to have the resources to hire enough people to take over day-to-day management.

Patel says he has learned that writing is a good way to share his thoughts and knowledge, and to connect with people. He recently got an email from a woman reading Self Made Success who told him it inspired her to start a medical school consulting business.

He says feedback like that is the best part of what he does. “So I’m really excited about this next book,” he says. “I would love to hear from kids about how they want to be entrepreneurs when they grow up.”

 

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