According to Forbes, Billionaire Mark Cuban is worth an impressive $5.7 billion today, but his journey to wealth wasn’t exactly glamorous.

Cuban has always been real about how rough things were for him initially. In a 2011 blog post, he wrote, “I didn’t have my own bedroom. Depending on when I got home, I slept on the couch or floor. I had no closet. Instead, I had a pile that everyone knew was mine.”

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In a 2017 CNBC interview, Cuban was specific about life before becoming a billionaire. “When I was broke, sleeping on the floor, starving – literally we would go anywhere that would give free food if you bought one beer and I gained like 50 pounds,” he said.

In his 20s, it wasn’t about getting rich yet; it was about surviving and finding ways to have fun. “I was broke, fat but having fun,” Cuban added, showing that even when he had nothing, he knew how to enjoy himself.

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He lived with five roommates, just trying to get by and eating macaroni and cheese. He drove cheap cars and had terrible credit. In fact, his credit was so bad that he says he couldn’t even get financed to buy a computer at Radio Shack.

Despite these hardships, Cuban’s entrepreneurial spirit never wavered. His big break came in 1995 when he cofounded Broadcast.com, an internet radio company. This venture would become his golden ticket. In 1999, at the height of the dot-com boom, Yahoo acquired Broadcast.com for a massive $5.7 billion in stock.

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The sale was a game-changer, not just for Cuban but also for his employees. In a move that showcased his generosity, Cuban ensured that 91% of his employees (300 out of 330) became millionaires from the deal. This wasn’t a one-off. Cuban has consistently shared the wealth from his business sales with his employees.

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Even though Cuban’s financial situation drastically improved, he said that his outlook on life didn’t really shift. While his bank account grew, his attitude toward enjoying life remained the same. Despite the sudden wealth, he didn’t let the money change how he had fun or approached his day-to-day experiences.

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Though many assume that becoming a billionaire fixes everything, Cuban has a different view. For him, true fulfillment doesn’t come from money but from a mindset.

Success, he believes, is about how you feel when you start your day. If you can wake up excited and ready for whatever comes your way, that counts. The size of your bank account doesn’t define happiness; it’s about embracing each day with the right attitude. That’s what keeps Cuban grounded, no matter how much money he’s gained or how far he’s come from the days of eating “free food” with the purchase of a beer.

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This article Mark Cuban Says ‘I Was Broke, Fat, But Having Fun’ – Recalls Sleeping On The Floor And Gaining 50 Pounds From Eating Free Food originally appeared on Benzinga.com

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