Barbara Corcoran: Turning $1,000 to $1Billion! | E204
1937 segments
what I would love to do is call someone
to my office on Friday I love firing
people on Friday
now my next guest is one of the biggest
names in real estate a successful
entrepreneur and star of a hit TV show
now the female Titan is getting some
heat the minute or woman cries you're
giving away your power Harvard is
definitely Over the Top If I wasn't
dyslexic and I didn't have a hard time
in school I don't think I would have
been successful I think I had 22 jobs
before I started my own business every
person I meet is in real estate in New
York so how did you become the best I
was competing with the old boys network
and they were asleep at the wheel nobody
was thinking of new ideas in real estate
I would think of the greatest [ __ ]
to create publicity did I manipulate
them I played my cards everything I've
done in my life has been one long
attempt to show the world that I'm not
stupid Ramon Simone he was my boyfriend
at the time and he offered to loan me a
thousand dollars to start a business
with him he was my 51 business partner
she ran off with my secretary the
seventh year we were in business yeah he
said you'll never succeed without me you
know insults can really be a wonderful
motivator I knew I was going to succeed
I had to just because I had to show him
that he was wrong if you're driven by
these unhealthy insecurities you need to
go and see a shrink I'm afraid to see a
shrink why why well you'd ask good
questions damn you
I had an issue I felt
before this episode starts I have a
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[Music]
we always start this conversation in the
same place on this podcast because it's
it seems to be inescapable that the
earliest context of Our Lives seems to
shape us in a way that then changes the
trajectory of who we are but also molds
our character and really like hones our
motivation so my question for you to
start is what is that context from your
earliest years that I need to understand
to understand you
first off I'd say competition I I was
one of 10 children we of course only had
two parents to share uh we're in very
tight quarters of two bedroom and just
to get the attention of a parent
was very hard to do
so I think everyone in my family
certainly myself grew up very
competitive competitive for attention uh
competitive to do something better than
the next kid
and what also came with it we grew up in
a team so we never knew what it was like
to be alone my idea of doing anything is
who's with me who's with me and I think
we all I shouldn't speak to everyone in
my family but I'll speak just for myself
now I think I'm phenomenal at building a
team but it's second nature to me it was
so easy for me to think of who would go
with who who wouldn't go with who who
would get along who had the right task I
could just size somebody up really fast
and make a great tight team and I don't
think that would have happened if I
didn't grow up in a very crowded
household looking for more attention and
competing
the ability to suss people out and
understand them you're saying that came
from having nine siblings
I certainly think it did yeah because
some you see all kinds of Dynamics when
you have a crowded household so you know
who the leaders are on what category you
know who's going to squeal to the
parents you know who's going to shut up
you know who can do your work for you
when you don't want to do it yourself
you know who you know who you could know
you get you develop all the talents to
get life in a form that you want it in
and you come out of the household at 18
years old with a lot of skills that
other kids really haven't had the
opportunity to do
what about the role of your also the
influence of your mother and father
oh and I was thank God I had a mother
and father who loved us
um I think that's the most important
gift in life it makes you somewhere deep
inside secure if you feel loved and I
had two parents who loved me you know
and
um my mother was a phenomenal role model
I never saw her sleep she worked 24 7.
she just never sat down I don't know
even when she slept I've never seen her
go to bed ever in my life and my father
worked two jobs his whole life to
support us so we were very much
influenced by each parent as needing to
work hard I mean we were all having jobs
when we were 11 years old I think I had
22 jobs before I started my own business
because we were out working to
contribute to the family and think about
the life skills you get outside a
household when you're working young I
don't think anybody ever has any job
where they didn't learn something about
themselves so even though when I went
out into the workforce when I started my
business at 23 I may have looked 23 but
inside I felt like I was 53 based on
experience and so there was nothing
naive about me at that point I had had
already an awful lot of experience
when I was reading through your story I
I read that your father struggled with
work and struggled with I think having a
boss he certainly did and he set up the
pattern that we all shared in my family
nine out of the ten kids have their own
business my father was a printing press
foreman and a very good worker but he
didn't like someone telling him what to
do so he would regularly come home sit
at the dinner table and tell us he was
fired from his job it was a regular
event we all asked her and tell us a
story and it was the same story he would
basically
he said I I told Mrs Stein where to
shove the job where the sun don't shine
that was my and we'd all clap for him
and say Dad our hero and my mother of
course would not even know how we were
going to be fit until he found a new job
but he was a hero and so when we grew up
even though he never worked for himself
the fact of the matter is is we knew we
wanted to work for ourselves we didn't
want to work for a boss and honestly I
never had a boss I liked even though I
had so many and I'm sure they're
perfectly fine people but I didn't like
the fact that I wasn't the boss it was
clear to me he um your father drunk
drank sometimes yes he did drink
sometimes and uh
I'll tell you how that played a role in
our family he was a social drinker so he
was probably the best father in the
world played with us was our Playmate
our we adored him everything he did but
then when we went out to a party which
wasn't that often a family party he
would drink too much and he would come
back and he was a different person he
was a gorilla and we all feared him what
that does uh is it makes you very fond
of control when you with a parent who
drinks I think as a child you never
really feel like you're in control of
things because you don't know when the
lion might come out and so it made us
insecure and very fond of control and
I'm a control freak I like to control
everything I do and I credit my dad with
that I don't want any curveballs or
surprises the way that he spoke to a
mother sometimes it seems from Reading
throughout your story and the person you
went on to be seemed to be pretty
consequential to how you did respond to
men who would
talk down to you in your career God you
do your research good for you really
that's a Nuance but
um
I'm not my best if a man talks down to
me
I'll credit my father with that because
I adored my mother so much there was
nothing to talk down to my mother about
but when he was drinking he would talk
down to my mother
and I hated him for it
and it scars you so deeply
that I'll never get rid of that so if a
man actually dismisses me or talks down
for me particularly in business
I'm at my best it's like Oh no you're
not going there I get like this iron Rod
through my soul
showing someone uh that they're wrong is
probably not the best motivation I gotta
believe probably not a healthy way to be
and you probably need a shrink on that
one but it certainly works well in
business I think it pushes you it makes
sure that you make sure that things work
out
I really resonate with that because as
I've talked about probably too much on
this podcast my my mother and father had
a very
um
loud way to communicate to say the least
what a lovely way of putting it I've
become more and more like diplomatic
with Harry frame that but yeah a loud
way of communicating and I I learned
that
as I stood there as a little kid and
watched my mother shouting at my dad
when I got older my response to being
shouted at was the response I always
wish I'd seen in my dad oh which was
like run and don't take it ah so when
you were saying that I was wondering if
you could relate in the sense of when a
man puts you down because you saw your
mother be put down in such a way your
response is to
yeah
every time brace up yeah and most
importantly uh prove his assessment of
me wrong
did your mother how did she respond
uh I have to actually think I think my
mother was so busy
making sure my father
was safe to his children
that I think she was just making sure we
were safe all the time in those
instances you know and it's kind of
crazy you know you figure it out I mean
the next morning my dad would wake up
and he was the most popular guy in the
neighborhood taking every kid in the
neighborhood out Baseball playing
teaching them how to play tennis he did
he was everybody's favorite father and
only the night before my mother was
hiding us you know so it was kind of a
odd Dynamic she was hiding you well
hiding us because she didn't want my
father to have his Wrath
on any of his children you know
so she was protecting us so kind of
separating us out yeah
wrath it's a strong word
wrath is a strong word uh I mean wrath
is it could be you know just angry words
can be so damaging uh
you know nah whatever it's weird you're
making me feel sad I guess you're
supposed to right
but it's so sad you know it's so sad uh
addiction
because it brings out the very worst in
an individual
and the traits my dad had a wonderful
father growing up just wonderful we
couldn't hope for a better father
um that he was so good that he forgave
him for the bad you really did as a kid
because it's oh good dad's back oh good
dad's back but again I said too early I
think it leaves the scars of insecurity
with children because you don't know if
you get the lady of the lion when the
door when the door opens like who are we
going to get now you know so it keeps
you on edge
when we think about addiction we we see
it as like a manifestation of pain yes
or like it is of sorts was that is that
relevant to what you observed in your
father no I think with my father it was
honestly uh entirely due uh to too much
pressure on one man
think about it he worked two jobs he
washed trucks every night through the
night because he could wash them fast
and sleep a little then he'd go to his
day job at the morning he had three
children by the time he was 23 he had
seven children by the time he was 30.
and he was a Workman and he was
supporting us uh trying to make us happy
trying to share his time with us as best
he could which he really did a great job
on
um I think it was just too much pressure
for a young man uh of what he signed up
for I think it was hard I mean it wasn't
ever assured with us as children that we
would necessarily get groceries
you know so and he felt ashamed of that
like he should be the provider but it
didn't stop him from quitting the job
the next week
when the boss told him what to do so
it's really a shame my dad didn't have
his own business I think he would have
been phenomenal in his own business all
of his kids did except for one and
they're all hugely successful so I feel
like he just didn't have the
affordability of starting his own
business you know what role did the lack
of money in your household have on
shaping your view on money
interesting enough very little really
what was great about my mother is she
never worried about money now here's a
woman who should have worried about
money and my dad should have worried
about money but I remember when I had
many junctures along the way where I
thought I'd be going out of business at
the 11th hour I tried everything didn't
think I'd ever anymore angles to work
where I could stay in business another
month and I remember in one of those
dark times my mother called him she said
you sound distracted I said well
honestly mom I think I'm going out of
business and on Monday sales meeting I'm
actually writing a speech to say goodbye
and how thankful I am and she said don't
worry about money it's an awful waste of
time and you know I stopped worrying
about money when she said it I thought
of a new idea and it kept us in business
another two months my mother's attitude
toward money was it was meant to be
spent
uh you know as a kid I guess I would
have liked to have a new coat versus get
my hand-me-downs you know that's always
better for a girl to feel like she looks
pretty okay uh but you know we were we
were pretty much a happy bunch and so
money didn't weigh in so far as you're
happy and also my parents never measured
anyone by money they never had a comment
about who's rich who's not rich who has
what it was just not even on their radar
so it was really about my mother's
Mantra supported by my father when he
was fine was kindness how kind can you
be to the neighbor what could you do for
the lady down the street and we all were
raised on that and as a result of it we
felt the satisfaction from helping out
even though we didn't have more money to
help out just doing nice things for
people and so money was not really on
the radar honest to God yeah what about
school how is oh School sucked
school is tough on kids that can't learn
I was one of those kids you know myself
and my two brothers the other kids were
eight students but we just couldn't read
we couldn't write we couldn't learn and
what happens to a kid when you're in a
in a school situation is you judge
yourself based on school grades what
else do you have you someone could say
she's such a nice girl well that might
sound good but if you're getting all F's
you feel terrible you just feel terrible
and so
um your sense of self I think is formed
very much by how good a student you are
in all school systems and it shouldn't
be because it's just one kind of
intelligence of course but it is that
way when you're a student you sum
yourself up based on whether you could
get good grades or not that's as simple
as that
were you bullied in school no not at all
I was too quiet to be bullied you know I
was quiet and lovely and that's what the
Sisters of Charity always told my
parents she's not very smart but she's
quiet and she's lovely quiet and lovely
I heard her my whole life and I was I
never said a word because I didn't have
the confidence to say a word I wasn't
going to speak up and be found out and
uh those aren't the kids that were
bullied the reason I asked about the the
question about being bullied is because
I I know that you're dyslexic and often
especially in in that day and age we
didn't understand dyslexia so we just
thought those kids were
yeah did you ever feel
that kind of criticism from your peers
or your teachers
from the teachers yes I had one teacher
in third grade that really gave me a
label that stuck with me till I got out
of high school
she said to me if you don't learn to
read you'll always be stupid and she
said the word stupid with such disdain
that was the first time I really heard
that word before that no one told me I
was stupid
it's wrong with me I'm stupid
and that's when I got quiet that's when
I just shut up and never talked again in
school because I didn't want to be
called on to
read out loud I mean for me my idea of
Hell on Earth was being told to read out
loud which was typically how you learn
to read those days you go up and down
the aisles your turn to read I mean
nothing was worse than me going the the
the the them and all the kids laughing
and snickering uh so I wouldn't call
that bully I mean they I was a show I
was a show so I guess I would have
laughed if I was them too but it's so
painful when that happens because it
takes your confidence and demolishes it
but thank God thank God we all worked
thank God I work by 11. because every
job I had I did a great job I used my
mouth I didn't have to write I didn't
have to read I could do any job and
people always tell my mother what a
great worker I was so I was proud
so uh
you know what I think in hindsight if I
wasn't dyslexic and I didn't have a hard
time in school I don't think I would
have been successful believe it or not
because I think everything I've done in
my life has been one long attempt to
show the world that I'm not stupid so
I'm driven because I'm always there's a
piece of me that always thinks I might
not be smart I mean I know it's bizarre
because I'm smart but in an insecure
situation I doubt myself sometimes but
I've learned to replace the tape I don't
have sister Stella Maria in my head
anymore telling me I'm stupid I have a
tape of my own telling me I'm incredible
I'm beautiful boy you could do this this
is nothing you know I've got that tape
that I had to replace over the years but
let me tell you it took me a lot of
years a lot of years to now I can't say
I totally replace it but mostly put a
nail through its head but it takes a lot
to get over the Damage Done if your
self-perception is a negative worn from
the get-go because we all don't leave
our childhoods behind so readily they
stay with us I think
and you you credit it there for your
drive
absolutely but also you said
earlier if you're driven by these kind
of unhealthy insecurities you need to at
some point go and see a shrink I'm
afraid to see issuing why I'm afraid
they'll straighten me out and would I be
successful then
I stay a mile away I know it's crazy
I've read a few books and self-analyze
but no no no first of all they're very
expensive in New York and then that way
I'm too cheap to pay
my shrink is working out if I work out
or if I weed my garden I'm straightened
out for the moment okay but
that's the way it is I ask for selfish
reasons I found myself at one point for
the same sort of insecurities and
feeling like I wasn't enough being very
driven to like prove the world that I
was and at some point that comes at the
cost of like this other set of things
which are important for happiness
relationships and balance and whatever
else so when you said about someone you
need to go see a shrink I get it because
at some point you can be a bit too
dragged by your
pursuit to prove the world that you are
enough that you of course it's too much
compromise a bunch of other things of
course you do I mean if you're strong
one Arena something's got to give what
had to give for you
relaxing I don't think I've ever relaxed
in my life uh but honestly when I'm
relaxed uh reading a book it's fine for
a half hour
and then I gotta get up and accomplish
something I'm very driven to accomplish
to see the difference I've made in the
world to an individual I just spoke to
to a business I've been involved in uh
to a neighbor I've befriended I've got a
I've got us why because I want to know
for sure without a doubt that I haven't
wasted a minute and that my existence
makes a difference why
because I I think it's important why
well you ask good questions damn you why
uh why is that because I don't want it
to be a wasted life you know I'm just
one of those that you one shot at it and
I want to see how much of an influence
and how much of a difference I can make
I really do I mean so I guess relaxing
feels like wasting time it doesn't mean
that I can't have fun with friends I
have the most
a great circle of close friends that I
have so much fun with that's a priority
in my life and it was a priority in my
business fun it's number one in in
developing teams I believe but
um in addition to that I just uh I just
have to be productive I do need a shrink
don't I do you have one in the house
they give me a courtesy hour
okay I'm trying to get a discount
um off you went into the world of work
as you said you had some by the way you
would make a good shrink can we just
switch gears
you don't realize what's happening here
I'm actually using you as my shrink
that's really I don't think so now I ask
questions that I genuinely care about so
and typically that means because I'm
struggling with something so so that's
why I was pursuing that Avenue so
diligently
um you had some 22 or 23 jobs before you
started your own business yes I did jobs
from everything from being a
receptionist to a waitress to everything
in between
we often look back at those jobs that
didn't pay us a lot and that the world
doesn't hold in high regard as some
people might think that they are a waste
of time or they were like necessary
what's your view on the when you're a
receptionist and a waitress how what
role did that play in your overall
success I think whether you have a
menial job or an important job it's what
you're learning I mean there wasn't a
job where I didn't learn a lot for me I
would take any job not based on pay but
gee what could I learn what could I
learn because that made you more
valuable I never really thought it made
you more valuable to be paid more but
hey I haven't done this before let's see
what this is about and you learn skills
I think I learned more through my
waitressing jobs I always had a few at
once you know you could always get a
waitress job behind a counter I think I
learned more about people waitressing
than building my business honest God you
have to size someone up your territory
is your counter you have to make them
happy you want to upsell them a little
bit maybe you say you know you give the
second cup of coffee for free but how
about A Slice of Cheesecake is really
good today you've learned how to hustle
you learn how to be organized how to get
the containers in order how to make sure
they're filled when the customer steps
out how to get that person something to
drink while you're working on this
person I mean I learned so much in every
one of those jobs and you know what's
great about having a lot of jobs you
start to get a profile of what you're
good at and what you're not and I in
short order after maybe seven or eight
jobs not that I knew what I was going to
do for a living but I knew what I was
good at I knew I was good at getting
along with people and making them smile
I could talk to somebody and make them
happy absolutely and I also knew that I
was efficient I could create a system in
anything I would see at the diner
counter all wrong not running right I
would talk to the boss say you know if
you did this with the maple syrup and
changed sugar and I could like an
executive I could rearrange the whole
counters you know in an efficient manner
and I started learning that those were
my two gifts people and efficiency and
if you think about any business those
are really big ticket items if you could
choose people motivate people get along
with people make them get along with
each other plus create systems to grow a
big business I mean the minute you have
more than a half dozen people you need
systems and my companies are always so
well organized that it they ran like
they just ran like a Swiss clock is that
a good analogy everything was in its
place nothing had to be duplicated it
was fast forward and so I was able to
build very quickly which I had to do
because we had big people in my market
and if I had built and replicated
systems at a normal Pace I would never
catch up to them so I had to do double
triple time and what's your answer on
that one systems systems get you moving
forward get you get get a business like
a machine you know and that was a gift I
got from my menial jobs thank God I
worked imagine if I hadn't worked and
went out into the real world thinking I
was dumb that I couldn't do anything
just because I couldn't read or write
thank God I learned could be a lifeguard
I learned I could be a tent salesman I
could be Barbara buttons calling for
solicitations eight hours a day I could
be all those menial jobs hot dog
salesman sell more hot dogs in the next
guy I mean I had Confidence from every
one of those jobs like look how cool I
am maybe I wouldn't win Respect by
everybody well who cares about the hot
dogs but in my book I knew I sold more
hot dogs than he sold on his you know so
so no thank God for the jobs you learned
so much by trying different jobs on you
know it's so important at that age if
I'd asked you what you wanted what your
dream was what would you have answered I
wouldn't have answered the question I
wouldn't have answered the question I
had no idea I would say I just want to
work I just want to quote work it didn't
make a difference what I was working at
I just knew that when I was working I
felt capable that's all and conversely
then what are you bad at I think as
you've said it's very important to know
strengths but also weaknesses you know
what I'm bad at a bad at math numbers
terrible
just terrible really I don't even
understand I took algebra four times
four times two years in summer school
never passed it they finally just gave
me the grade to go through
um I'm very bad at math I'm bad at legal
I'm bad at committee meetings
I'm bad at listening to a blow heart who
just goes on and on doesn't cut to the
chase I'm very bad at impatience I want
to know what you want from me and then
you tell me how you got there I don't
want to hear how you got there and then
what do you want I always want to cut to
the chase so I'm impatient I've learned
to hide it because you can't be so
visibly impatient with people but as
long as they tell me what they want on
the front end I could hang in there for
the long explanation after because I've
already concluded what I'm going to do
you know yeah so that's what I'm bad at
but lucky for me I've always surrounded
myself with people who are opposite to
me you know and by the way I shouldn't
really say I'm bad at numbers because I
had a business partner in my 10 business
partner Esther my whole life I made her
my partner she was great at legal and
finance and she has to spent hours when
we wanted to open one or two new offices
doing the numbers to see if we could
afford it and I used to come into our
office and say what do you think she
says I don't think we should really do
it I said well let me tell you why we're
going to do it because you really need
to beat the next guy and let me tell you
if we have eighty thousand dollars and
the desk produces only 40 42 it's going
to take us about nine months to actually
meet our overhead and we'll have to cut
back on the advertising we'll have the
managers work for free
and she'd say what and it worked every
time so I must have had a
taste for numbers in that kind of a way
I could always see the picture on
numbers and I'd be right it was bugged
the crap out of her because she had all
the numbers you know but
um yeah but I'm not good at adding up
the numbers at all a lot of people think
I think it's really liberating to hear
that they probably exclude themselves
mentally of being a business person
because they are bad at numbers oh gosh
I think numbers are the least important
thing in business by far I look at all
the entrepreneurs I've invested in Shark
Tank I am telling you
the most successful I hope I'm not
giving anybody the short haul here but
the most successful are not good at
numbers they're exceptional at people I
think if you're great at people and you
have ambition you have the two magic
cards
To Succeed in Business you do that's
what it's about people and ambition the
drive to get to the Finish Line yeah
then you find a way you hire the people
you need you borrow the people you need
you exchange your gift for their gift
part-time if you have to get what you
need but you always get what you need if
you know what you need
talking about boring you borrowed a
thousand dollars off Ray yeah Ramon
Simone yep Ramon Simone nice name huh
Ramon Simone wow okay and he was your
boyfriend at the time he was my
boyfriend I met him at the diner that
was my last Diner job and he offered to
loan me a thousand dollars to start a
business within three months did you ask
him for the money no he said you've got
a great personality you'd be great in
real estate sales why don't you start a
business and that's how it happened
really yeah so he had a gift for seeing
Talent obviously
you know
and then off you go 24 years old you
started you're right 23 but 23. let me
tell you something thank God at 23 you
don't know what to be afraid of
you don't know what falling off a
Cliff's about and at 23 and poor
you have nothing to lose there was no
risk involved I could always get my
Diner job back or any waitress job or a
pool hander I had millions of jobs I
could get I wasn't afraid of being
unemployed so I figured what the heck
I'll try it let's see where it goes
however what I didn't know and when the
light went on in my head was I didn't
know how much I would like being a boss
first day I'm like I love this did I
like real estate I didn't really care
about real estate did I like the people
I was meeting they're all nice but I had
been meeting nice people my whole life
but I love the fact that I was in charge
and so I loved real estate I love the
people I love the paint on the wall I
loved everything because I was a boss I
was bent meant for being a boss I felt
so freed
so free to dream and do whatever I
wanted and nobody could tell me what to
do it was just it was the greatest gift
of all freedom
freedom
I'm getting juicy just talking about it
[Laughter]
that real estate company became very big
am I right in thinking it became the
biggest
um residential firm in New York yes
before I sold it we were number one the
biggest residential real estate firm in
New York
why
because there's so many residential
firms in New York there's so many like
real estate people they're everywhere I
mean every person I meet is in real
estate in New York so how do you become
the best
honestly I think uh there's a lot of
reasons how you succeed right but I
think the major cards were
I was competing with the old boys
network and they were asleep at the
wheel
it's not that they didn't do good work
but you have to realize real estate
Brokerage in New York when I was started
and I guess it's somewhat the same was
controlled by Rich guys who inherited
the business from their father or their
grandfather before them so they were
very important very self-important very
well educated very good at what they did
but they did the same old thing they did
it the same old way and they also hired
people like themselves they were white
privileged and they hired white
privileged women to work for them that
was a whole cast of characters when I
came in I couldn't get those white
privileged women to work for me because
I was a kid I didn't know anything and
it was it would no status associated
with it we were a new kid in town we had
three people who was going to work for
me I had a big barn steel to get anybody
to work for me and so they were cocky
and the minute I smelled that they were
cocky which happened to me about the
third year in business when I went to a
large real estate Board of New York
meaning I I was I remember I went home
and I said I'm going to beat these guys
and I knew it because they were very
cocky that they were in charge and what
weakness did that create a tremendous
weakness they're blind it's like
competing with blind people they were
also Rich enough not to want to lose
money when the market went South which
happens again and again in real estate
it's up down Market they would not spend
money they would hold their money in and
protect it they would not take a chance
because of the reputation they would
check check what they were going to do
against the committee I didn't have
committees they would check what they
were going to do against their attorneys
they had attorneys they were all stop
signs I would think of an idea on a
Tuesday and have it in the street by
Wednesday they would think of an idea on
Tuesday if they even thought of it or if
they listened to a good employee who had
a good idea which tended not to do it
was always their ideas but if they list
listen to that employee they'd have to
check it with the committee work it up
the line talk to their dad talk to the
attorneys I'm like thank God they're in
quicksand so I think a big reason why I
was able to succeed is because I
competed against the norm of an old boy
network if I had to compete with other
people like me wanting to prove
something desperate to make a a go of it
I would have had that hunger to compete
with these guys weren't Hungary they
were well-fed and well vacationed and
they liked it that way
one of the things I took from that is um
whenever you're competing against like a
big complacent
slow incumbent being the opposite of the
incumbent is the winning strategy you
were quick because you didn't have that
bureaucracy old sign off for lawyers you
were like high risk you are agile
and you were naive
you know what else I had which isn't to
be underestimating I had a wonderful
imagination I would think of the
greatest [ __ ] to create publicity
every day of the week I just would dream
up some stupid stuff
and give it to the papers or the or the
TV stations I would churn out reports
that I had no business turning out but I
could think of an idea a minute and I
would just throw it out there and see
what happened uh nobody was thinking of
new ideas in real estate it was about
controlling the listing market and
controlling the number of bodies working
for you that was the only game in town
not how you did it or what differently
you could do nobody even really was
concerned about the customer or the
sellers they just want to know if they
had a contact with them because it was a
contact game but I came into a different
generation where contacts meant Less in
New York as the Waters of New York
changed and everybody started coming to
New York at different nationalities and
different colored colors of people
everything was changing and these guys
really thought it was not changed you
know so it was such an advantage to have
a lot of ideas and to have to have
tattered soldiers anybody to get your
hands on and to make them believe they
were as good as the fancy people and my
people believe they were as good and you
know what they were as good and they
were better in the end because they all
hustled and they all had something to
prove you know we were all the poor kids
trying to make it make it in New York
you know so we were all driven you know
we're soulmates in a way
fat company culture and that like
philosophy you're citing that as being
really pivotal to to why you were
successful what what does that mean like
culture and how do you go about creating
that culture yeah the main the main
character is having fun with your people
all right I put fun before anything I
mean I certainly wanted to drive sales
hard open new offices hire new people
nurture great management system all the
things that go into any business but
more than that I wanted to make sure
everybody loved each other and the way
you get to break down barriers between
people who all compete with each other
remember in sales you like who you're
working with but you don't really
totally like them because they're after
your market so you have friend enemies
really in a way and so I believe that
you uh if you had enough fun with your
people it was a great equalizer when
people laugh together they come up with
new ideas when people laugh together
they loosen up I used to have people uh
dressed for my party so they couldn't
come in I would have them addressed
1940s 1950s I had them cross-dress oh
what a rebellion at the Kingdom the
straight guys I'm not cross-dressing for
her of course they cross-dressed for me
I had a party where everybody dressed as
a nun I'm not going as enough of course
they came as do you know how exciting it
is to be in the Waldorf Astoria ballroom
and see a thousand nuns at a party it's
a blast and so much fun so we would have
picnics parties I would take the women
spontaneously hey come with me we're
going downstairs to Barney and buying a
new underwear why because it's so
bizarre and they all go down and pick
out the most expensive underwear they
could find I mean this bizarre stuff
made them tell everybody who wasn't in
the coming oh God guess what we did it
was an adventure and sooner or later
what happened after about I guess maybe
10 12 years I didn't have to recruit
anymore our reputation as being the best
place to work started recruiting for us
my sales people recruited for us just by
repeating stories that happened every
day and so I do believe you create a
great imaginative culture if you could
insist on giving as much attention to
planning good fun I don't mean boring
Christmas party we drink nothing like
that some bizarre means of having fun
everybody he doesn't have enough fun and
they want to stay with you I had no
turnover in my company none in a
business that's loaded with turnover of
course I fired a third of my staff
every year because they couldn't sell
but other than the ones I couldn't sell
no one ever left for another firm they
had too much fun at us why would they
leave for the same commission spread I
don't think so
five years in to that business to that
Venture Ramon Simone runs off with your
PA yes she's much prettier than I 10
years younger I don't blame him in
hindsight I don't blame him at the time
I didn't like it
he was your boyfriend at the time he was
my boyfriend at the time he was my 51
business partner because he took 51 he
said because he was financing The Firm
which was fair I was a managing partner
I like the way that sounded uh yes but
uh he ran off with my business with my
secretary uh the seventh year we were in
business yeah
that was shocking I didn't expect that
but you know those blows that happened
to you egos seem the worst at the time
but it doesn't take you long to realize
what why they happen and why they're the
best things I mean if he didn't run off
with her I would have never started the
Corker group I would still be Corcoran
someone working with him I mean that got
me off my butt to start my own company
without his help right away because I
was a scorned woman and I couldn't stand
seeing them throw kisses at each other
during the work day it drove me crazy
and so I left I just left we cut the
company in half at the time we only had
14 people he took seven I took seven and
off I went thank God that happened
and then he gave me those wonderful
parting words he'll never succeed
without me thank you Ray
did that drive you those words for I was
the physicist when he said that I was
like vicious I hated him for it but I
walked out the door hating him for it I
hated him for it the next month the year
after that and then Europe did that and
then I started thinking a word really
yeah
I realized it was a gift you know insult
uh can really be a wonderful motivator
with my entrepreneurs that are investing
on Shark Tank I love it when I can find
in an entrepreneur that had a horrible
dad had this go wrong that go wrong uh
because they're angry they're angry and
they have more to prove I love an
entrepreneur like that I relate to them
that prejudice you you experienced in in
that male dominated industry is it
easier to manipulate people when they
have a prejudice against you
first of all you have to realize they
didn't see me I was invisible to them
they didn't take me seriously why would
they take me seriously even the day I
realized I was invisible I realized I
had to Advantage I said nobody's
watching me does that make them easy to
manipulate these men
well I don't know if it meant I
manipulated them but it was easier to
compete with them because the word
manipulate is like a it's like a dirty
word but at the end of the day if
someone is thinking that you don't
matter and they're like disrespecting
you or they are sexist towards you
they're underestimation seems like an
opportunity it's a great opportunity
um you know who was easy to manipulate
though because when the business got
large we were more dependent on huge
development sites where they had three
four hundred condos for sale we'd have
to get control of that building and I
was a Salesman who got the control I
went out after the developers uh the
developers you could manipulate easily
as a Woman They had all men working for
them it was a man's world real estate uh
the developers uh didn't take me
seriously at all but I flirted I could
jolt I wore short skirts I dressed well
in tight suits I played my cards I wore
high heels even though my feet were
killing me yeah did I manipulate them of
course I did did I tell them they looked
handsome they were all handsome did I
tell them they were brilliant you're
brilliant they were all brilliant did I
manipulate yes I don't even think I'll
go to heaven I if you want to call it
manipulation
your Workforce if I if I spoke to one of
your employees and said
Barbara like to work with would you
imagine they would say to me I know what
they would say and you won't believe me
they would say I love Barbara well she
actually spoke to your assistant oh you
did well she's gonna lie
Emily yeah she said you were a nightmare
and I'm joking you wouldn't say that but
you know you have to ask you have to
realize who you're asking Emily is an
absolute angel on Earth she has never
had a bad day I don't I I wish I was her
she's incredible so you can't ask her
you have to ask a son of a [ __ ] who
works for me what would they say they
would say we love Barbara I'm telling
you and I deserve it I don't mean to
brag but I am the best boss I've ever
met by far and I don't think anyone
could be a better boss than me honest to
God and I think the root of being a good
boss is from the very first day I was in
business I understood the cardinal rule
which is I work for you you don't work
for me and that's my attitude my entire
life what can I do for you how can I
make a job earlier easier what don't you
like to do what would you rather do how
could I be this for you what what else
do you do you want I I shower my people
with anything they need
selflessly and you'd say well that
doesn't put the boss ahead it does
because as they get stronger and go up
the rank they carry me for a free ride
along with them that's how it goes no I
do believe the key to being a big a big
boss a growing boss and a great boss is
really understand you work for who's
working for you it's as simple as that
you know it's kind of like being a good
mother in a way you're slave to your
kids you just want to please your
children you know I've been thinking
about something recently about how um
leadership isn't about being and this
kind of sounds like it's wrong but let
me explain leadership isn't about being
consistent with your people some people
in your team will require a certain type
of treatment to get the best out of them
and then some people in your team will
require probably the opposite treatment
to get the best out of them do can you
relate to that does that strike so can I
tell you it's a misnomer that you would
treat anyone like someone else no I was
biased with every single person who work
with me I would do different things for
different people based on their own need
I would just really size them up what's
going to push this kid ahead what's
going to make this person have
confidence what could I do to and I had
a different formula for everyone no I
think the key was knowing each
individual and what floats their boat
what's important to them what's going to
make them better no I was never even
handed ever with any of the people I
worked with because they were all
individuals and today more than ever
people really want to be individuals
they want to be treated as individuals
they their interests first you know I I
meet a lot of my peers who complain that
uh the modern day worker is it wants to
be promoted fast wants their interest
met I'm like well that's fine I've
always done that you know that's the
right way to handle people to get the
best out of people yeah no that's the
way to go wherever that philosophy came
from they haven't created a big team or
they know better what characteristic
would I have to demonstrate working for
you that would make you fire me quickest
fire you yeah attitude okay absolutely
uh you know what happens is as careful
as I was to hire and I control the
hiring for probably the first 10 years
of my business until we got to 500
people and went past that I couldn't do
it anymore I did some but not a lot
um
what I would love to do is call someone
to my office on Friday I love firing
people on Friday I would stop by
someone's desk on a Wednesday and say
hey would you have any time sometime on
Friday they should have heard about the
rumors yes what time is good for you too
see you too I couldn't wait till they
came in to fire them you know why
because I picked out individuals who
were negative and my attitude toward the
negative person was they were ruining my
good kids because people who are
negative have to have somebody else to
be negative with them they got to talk
to somebody complain okay I'm not
talking about people who tell you what
you're doing wrong they're invaluable so
that you can get better I'm telling my
chronic complainers and negative people
you gotta get rid of them so I learned
very early
after firing one negative person never
tell them why you're firing them
okay or you're getting a Rat's Nest why
am I negative why aren't I so no you
just don't fit the company but why I
don't know you just don't fit the
company maybe that's a little mean but I
never carried a negative person for more
than a couple of months sometimes
they're undercover at first but
eventually they come out like hey do you
have any time on Friday
[Music]
if you ever ask me for a meeting on
Friday
I'll take the Friday off
blimey why why are you so irked by
complainers and is there is it something
about the thieves
they're thieves they take your money
away and they take your energy and the
most valuable asset you have is your
energy
and if they take your energy away you're
not going to deliver enough to everybody
else is not enough to go around no
they're thieves in the night they come
in they got their hands in your pockets
and they're taking your goods that's how
I see negative people when you have a
team filled with very positive people
it's like they're stuffing your pockets
with money and jewels all the time it's
the way you want to be it's those people
you want to be around have you noticed
because I think I've noticed this that
you know my my first business where we
had about somewhere around 500 people
95 of my people problems were created by
like one person of course the complainer
yeah the negative person you didn't ever
work on Friday
no do you know what I didn't realize I
should have just made the decision
quickly to get rid of them but then I I
had that complex which bosses sometimes
have where I go well if I get rid of
them then it's going to impact the
culture and then they're going to do
this and sometimes there's so much of a
complainer and so negative they've
acquired so many ears to be negative too
there was this fear that if I if I fire
them then there's going to be even more
negativity like like a volcano of
negativity that was naivety on your part
yeah sure you found very differently
once you fired amen yeah amen I learned
the lesson and one of my philosophies
now is like as soon as you know as soon
as you know fast as you possibly can and
your point about
um don't say it's because they are you
can't say because you can't win at that
game yeah you know it took me probably
three years I I hired a great salesman
from another firm which was reaching for
me because I groomed all my own no one
wanted to come and someone actually
wanted to come and work for me from a
bigger firm I couldn't believe it I
hired this lady she was so negative
right away so negative she had two
percents outward when you're
interviewing and inward when they're
working for you and she was so so
negative and I really thought I could
change her around I'm such a positive
human being everybody who's positive I'm
gonna change her around and then I
learned the important lesson if her
parents could make her smile I wasn't
going to forget it they had this lady
for their whole life and she's miserable
I'm not gonna make her happy and so part
of it is admitting defeat that you're
not all that powerful where you're going
to turn somebody around no negative you
just get rid of them terrible
let's talk about something positive what
about compliments
compliments when they're genuine not
compliments that are empty and not
compliments in front of a group for the
sake of grandstanding I just don't
believe in it people see right through
the [ __ ] you know everybody you
could get somebody with the lowest IQ in
the world you [ __ ] them they know it
they just know it you just assume people
are smarter than they look okay and so I
think a genuine compliment with
specifics to back it up is the greatest
thing in the world and you'll make
someone fly and become even stronger the
next day but if it's not specific and
why that was so smart that you did and
what it did for us that's a compliment
let's give her a round of applause okay
that's the right kind of comment but you
know to find those compliments it is
creating a habit as a manager or a
business owner of looking for I would
walk through and try to find anything
good I could talk about anything anybody
did good that somebody would stitch on
and then I get the details down and then
give them a compliment individually if I
thought they're a private person but if
I thought they're a competitive person I
always sit in front of the group because
they're competitive and they want
everybody to see they're better you know
so yeah yes the compliments are so
powerful but you know they pass I think
the greatest compliment you could give
an individual is trust that they are
better than they think they are
and I honestly think that people write
themselves off for so much less than
they're capable of
um when you say to someone I noticed you
dress I'll give you an example because
this is a silly example but I got my
advertising manager she was a Salesman
who was mediocre meeting overhead and
turning a little profit but not great
and I looked at her every day and
thought she is such a beautiful dresser
which she can do with her hair with a
clothing is incredible and I went out of
my way to walk over to her desk she had
the perfect match she had the perfect
thing her desk looked like I wanted to
vacation there it was so gorgeous so I
said to her Anita how would you like to
be my advertising manager she said I
didn't know you had an advertising
manager I said I don't but how about you
take it now how did I know she would be
exceptional in advertising because
everything about her was put together I
figured that how to transfer to great
graphics beautiful design the land out
of the page because she was that was
kind of like a page I saw on her desk
she was incredible I I I think you just
have to find the gift in people and
point it out and think how can I take
advantage and Anita became probably the
the Envy of every firmer in the in the
in the city because of our great
advertising that wasn't me I got the
credit was her but I blossomed her her
up because I saw that gift in her you
know sounds like a stretch but it's
really not you know it's not a stretch
if you keep your eyes open and see what
people are good at
we talked about the mouth there with the
smile but what about the eyes
you mean looking at someone in the eyes
yeah oh you have to I mean do you trust
anyone who doesn't make eye contact
ever really there you figure they're
either insecure they shift insecure
dishonest or
probably those two that's what I would
say dishonest or insecure either way you
don't want to hang out with them no the
eyes are key all right because I read
that in the pandemic when you were
hiring for one of your roles you
basically there was 500 people and you
basically excluded everybody that didn't
make eye contact with the camera you've
read that about me yeah I think it was
probably exaggerated I don't think it
was 500 people but just uh you know a
lot of people yeah but a lot of people
definitely okay you don't make it
absolutely and you excluded everyone who
had bad lighting I did yeah why
because it showed a lack of
aggressiveness and caring for themselves
I felt I mean if I was interviewing for
a job and I knew it was competitive most
jobs are I would want to show my best
self I think through everything I mean
maybe me more than most people would do
it but I think if you show up with bad
lighting and then on top of that you
don't make good eye contact next please
no it's just terrible no it's very hard
to hire people through covet online but
I never did in the end whoever I hired I
insist I meet them in person you can't
really
to his thorough job unless you're in
person I believe or I've never been able
to learn how to do that I had a few
words to say about one of my sponsors on
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The Salted Caramel one if you put some
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just mixed with water it's been a game
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diet so this is where heel fits in my
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Shark Tank where I'm a dragon on
Dragon's Den you're a shark on Shark
Tank all the same yeah means you're a
sucker does it to be fair I mean I think
dragons are slightly more impressive
than sharks I'm gonna be honest you
think Shy I think sharks are more
impressive sharks are real dragons don't
exist we're kind of dragons are silly
it's an old-fashioned where it's sharks
and sharks well sharks well I mean other
than Jaws what if sharks really done for
society whereas a dragon is you you're
someone of great imagination to to be a
dragon you have to have great
imagination because they don't exist
it's like being a unicorn so can we
agree that dragons are better I know I'm
afraid
okay well you're on Shark Tank and link
to what we just said about quickly
assessing if a person is is legit and
worth investing in
what have you learned you've been on the
show longer than I've been on the UK
version of the show
what advice would you give me
as a new Dragon to be successful from
your experience I would say keep your
money in your pocket for a little bit
yeah and my first few seasons of Shark
Tank I spent so much money threw money
at the wall at anything that moved yeah
so I hope you haven't made that mistake
I needed like 11 investments in my first
season so but uh for me I what I have
learned in 14 years and I've learned it
a good 10 years ago I'd say
is I never choose a business I always
choose the entrepreneur
I have sat there and listened to
business plans that I don't even know
what they're talking about I it makes no
sense to me what they're talking about
uh because it's not a business I know or
I don't understand the terminology
and in the old days I would have thought
I was too stupid but now I know I'm
smart enough that if I'm not
understanding it's okay I'm probably
still smart
but I have to be really smart in making
the choice of the individual do I trust
this person
can I visualize them going through a
wall
what's their background are they good at
getting back up do they have ambition
not passion passion's so overrated I
feel passionate this we really want to
do this like saying you're excited about
your first date who cares you know where
do you marry the lady and see how you
feel but I think the commitment and the
drive and the ambition is what I'm
always looking for I'm looking just just
trying to smell it out if someone says
they were poor and they didn't have a
father let's say I'm biased right away I
want to buy the business
you want to invest straight away it
doesn't mean I will because I have to
hear more about how they handle things
what kind of an individual they are but
no I'm very biased or I should really
say I'm I'm not very nice or fair-minded
with Rich Kids
the problem with investing in a business
owned by a rich kid is usually raise
money already rather easily it's not
Sweat Equity so you got a chunk of
change to get started okay that's nice
now you would think that would make
things easier I think it makes things
difficult you don't spend your money
wisely it's Papa's money or if or your
parents friends money or wherever you
got it from so it's not valuable money
and I've seen more people stand and say
well we pivoted we lost that we pivoted
what happened to the guys that gave me
the cash what happened to them no regard
at all okay when you get a poor kid they
typically have something to prove they
really have to stretch every penny it's
their own money they die and just get a
little bit more there's so much a
greater need and it's also a desire
to do well in living in their life they
want to go on vacations they too want to
get a sports car they want to get a nice
apartment these rich kids have had it
all before they've been on vacation
everywhere they've always had rich cars
Rich parents so I think it's so much
harder for rich kid to succeed as an
entrepreneur I just love poor kids and I
have to tell you out of my whole
portfolio I don't have a single rich kid
who succeeded
well most of it is because I don't
invest in them in the last five years
but even when I did years ago none of
them succeeded no they went on to do
something else my poor people those are
my winners yeah they're desperate to
succeed
the only thing that beats growing up
poor in cochrane's opinion is growing up
damaged oh
yeah
well aren't we all damaged in one way or
another right
but you could get damaged by money and
affluence so easily I think it's easier
to raise a poor kid than it is a rich
kid
because of the circles they fly in their
value systems who they measure
themselves against what they measure
I think it's more difficult to be an
affluent kid or affluent Rich parent and
raise a good kid a good kid with values
I really think it's harder you know when
I said I spoke to your assistant I did
but we did Emily right yeah okay Emily
good thing you talk to the good one oh
there's another one there's three and
they don't like me no more okay
um and she told me about some pictures
in your office that are hanging on the
wall oh those
the whole way of Doom
what is the whole way of Doom
well you see
anyone who's on Shark Tank as you
well-known Dragon stem has in night in
the Sun
where they're on the show and everybody
orders from them and they become almost
Rich overnight or at least they think
they're going to be rich and they're all
celebrating excited all right and then
something goes wrong with the business
maybe three to four months out that's my
timetable I'm waiting for that day
Something's Gonna go wrong it's not just
the patent didn't come through that's
minor stuff like the mold was wrong
where they delivered 10 000 pieces
they're made wrong and he had the patent
I didn't know he was going to give it to
me but he ran off with it
something goes wrong I just wait around
and I watch and I say how's it going
and there's only two different responses
to that which is he promised me you know
he promised me I mean the guy said he
was good
I go over to my wall and I turn the
entrepreneur's picture upside down to
remind myself never to talk to them
again or spend time no I'll talk to them
but I'm not going to spend my time
because they're victims and then you
have the one in four people who handle
it this way ah crap I can't believe I
made that mistake okay let's let's see
what we should do
that's an entrepreneur
moving on moving out and going forward
and taking the blame even if they
weren't to blame every one of my really
successful businesses I've done so well
have had the worst setbacks but they've
always taken responsibility and those
pictures are always right side up they
call me on myself hello how can I help
you because they're phenomenal
entrepreneurs I believe that the
difference between the really good ones
and the ones that don't make it are the
ones that don't make it know how to be a
victim they feel sorry for themselves
they blame the next guy and they don't
take the responsibility as their own and
that's what an entrepreneur does you're
the boss it's your problem period it's
your your problem rest with you now what
are you going to do about it and these
kids that are are really equipped to to
not hesitate at all but just get on the
horse and go Galloping go and go and go
and go go going again they're terrific I
invest in uh Four Women cousins who have
a very clever wow I don't know how
clever the business was but I'm their
clever over and they lost eight hundred
thousand dollars a month three stolen
from their accounts couldn't pay the
suppliers all of their sales were gone I
couldn't wait to talk to them I was not
going to say too bad it happened I said
hey hi I heard
what are you gonna do
well we're thinking already back on the
horse they recovered the end of the year
with something like seven million
dollars in sales how did they do it they
are just not victims they go forward
forward forward forward those are the
people I love I love them
this allergic reaction to complainers
and pessimists and get back to that
again no but does it come from I was
just reflecting on how much your mother
you said you never even saw her sleep no
she was just or she didn't complain she
just got on with it is it influenced by
that
um I'll tell you what my mother did
which did influence all of us uh if we
went to my mother uh with something my
brother John did to me well my sister
Ellen did to me something unfair we'd go
to her she took this from me she wasn't
supposed to my mother would punish us
both
she didn't hear the complaints she said
you're both punished sit down
you have an hour
that's it there was no sense in
complaining about anything so we never
complained we learn in short order as
little kids you don't complain you just
shut up otherwise you both get punished
and you know in business it's really
that way if you think about it uh yeah
if you're going to complain
you know I even had an incident I
learned very early on that just popped
in my head that reminded me so much of
my mother I had two department heads who
hated each other and I wasn't aware of
it someone brought my attention to it
anyway one came in and told me what why
this other department was getting in the
way and the other one in one of them
around I said wow this must be terrible
for you I was empathetic empathetic
listen to both complaints and then I
said we here with the second one I went
and got the first complainer and I said
okay girls uh you obviously have a
problem with the way you're working
together figure it out you're both fired
I was mimicking my mother figure it out
or you're both fine I left the room they
figured it out they never came to me
again with a complaint you know
yeah it worked it works against
everybody you know it just works against
everybody the culture of the business in
every way
Bill Bill oh [ __ ] bill
you know what all my friends call Bill
poor Bill this is not a shame I'm the
nice person bill is a difficult man and
yet everybody who knows us both calls
him poor Bill like he married the wrong
person
that is your husband yes 37 years he
said he's the nice one and you're the
difficult one who said that you spoke to
Bill you spoke to Bill yeah don't
believe it
I can't believe he even answered the
phone he's always watching TV I didn't
speak to him oh gosh
you know ironically if you did speak
with Bill Bill adores the ground I walk
on can never say anything negative and
all I do is complain about Bill
and all I do is say negative things
about him
I really mean it I'm a terrible wife
I really am not just saying that but you
should talk to Bill he'll confirm this I
did and he'd confirmed it I did your
terrible um the thing I was really
compelled by is I was reading how at
some point you started out earning Bill
yes and that in a relationship can have
an interesting Dynamic on the like
on the relationship yeah because of the
stuff definitely and that's what I was
reading about your story about it being
a struggle at some point you first lied
when you
out earned him for the first time you
put it down to an accounting error and
you seem to kind of not want to
it was tough at first you know when I
met Bill he owned a brokerage firm in
New Jersey and I earned I had one in New
York I had 19 20 people here 19 20
people we were even right and then
within the next four years I had 500
people and he had 22.
not a good scene all right we're both
earning about just able to pay our rent
kind of when we got married
uh but when it went a skew that I out
earned him by a mile uh you have ego at
risk you know really uh very much so
absolutely and I married the kind of guy
that was most bulletproof for feeling
ashamed about not earning money he was
an FBI agent he was a top selling agent
in New Jersey when he was a young stud
he graduated from Annapolis he was an
honored Navy Captain I mean he was
accomplished the head of the Republican
Club in the state of New Jersey
everything he did he was accomplished
all I did was run a business all right
however
all of that stuff is not measured by
money
you know once I was making a lot of
money
it was hard for Bill it was hard for
Bill it was like everybody knew me once
I had notoriety you're married to
Barbara he stopped being bullied Bill
Higgins the FBI agent he stopped being
Bill Higgins the Navy Captain I mean all
that stuff uh kind of didn't count as
much anymore and it should have because
we're in a New York town where everybody
values You by how popular and how much
money you make and he was less than me
but how did he stay with the marriage
after all these years
because Bill really doesn't have much
value for money he never did it's not
important to him he's just a nice guy
but I had an issue with it yeah I had an
issue I felt uh not feminine enough when
you out earn your husband you don't feel
that feminine you feel like the caveman
instead of cavewoman
we have a closing tradition on this
podcast yes this question is always left
by the okay the last guest
the last guest left the question for you
what did you learn from your greatest
failure
I learned that you get back up and all
the opportunities and getting back up
just got to be a habit of getting up you
get up and you're going to find some
[ __ ] that you could do something with
just get up
that's a habit you have to make that
habit Barbara thank you my pleasure
thank you for the inspiration thank you
for the humor you're hilarious and
Brilliant and equal measure and you're
you absolutely are you absolutely are
and you're you're definitely in my top
two favorite sharks you and Damien are
my favorites so oh forget about Damian
okay he's no good Mark's not good
thank you so much I don't want to be
among your favorite sharks I want to be
among your favorite people in the world
you're my favorite shark now now that
I've mentioned you're so funny but so
for sure for sure thank you for the
inspiration I don't believe you I'm
looking you in the eyes you can trust me
I do trust you you're very trustworthy I
can tell thank you so much Barbara
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[Music]
Ask follow-up questions or revisit key timestamps.
This episode features Barbara Corcoran, a successful real estate entrepreneur and Shark Tank investor. She shares the story of her upbringing in a large, competitive household with ten siblings, which she credits for developing her strong team-building skills and competitive nature. Barbara discusses her challenges as a dyslexic student, her journey through 22 jobs, the founding of her real estate firm after being scorned by a partner, and the principles of creating a fun and effective company culture. Throughout the conversation, she reflects on the influence of her parents, her perspective on hiring, the necessity of resilience in entrepreneurship, and her unique views on leadership and relationships.
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