Shark Tank Icon: Turning $1,000 to $1Billion! (ft. Barbara Corcoran)
4/23/202629 min
Barbara Corcoran is the founder of the Corcoran Group, one of New York's most iconic real estate brands, and a star investor on ABC's Shark Tank for 17 seasons. From being told she was stupid in school and her ex saying she'd never succeed without him to building a 1,000-person company and selling it for $66 million, she's become one of the most trusted voices in business and a fairy godmother to hundreds of entrepreneurs.
Chapters
00:00 - Her Biggest Failure Started in Childhood
00:41 - 22 Jobs By 23 and Becoming Her Own Boss
01:26 - The Boyfriend Who Loaned Her $1,000
02:18 - The Insult That Built Her Empire
04:37 - Marrying "Lucky Bill" and His Craziest Stunt
07:42 - Scaling to 1,000 People and the $66M Exit
09:18 - How She'd Rebuild With Only $1,000 Today
10:06 - Her "Queen of New York" Vision
11:22 - The 3 Traits Every Great Entrepreneur Has
14:17 - Why She Bets on People With Unhealthy Childhoods
16:52 - The Self-Tape in Her Head Until 35
19:55 - Her Best and Worst Bosses Ever
21:18 - How She Fires People (Always on Fridays at 10)
22:58 - Getting Her Shark Tank Seat Back After Being Fired
25:41 - What Makes Her Pass on a Shark Tank Deal
27:49 - Her Advice to Her 20-Year-Old Self
🔗 FOLLOW US
https://www.instagram.com/phoebegates
https://www.instagram.com/sophiakianni
https://www.instagram.com/barbaracorcoran
🔥 FOLLOW THE BURNOUTS
https://www.instagram.com/theburnouts
https://www.tiktok.com/@theburnouts
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-burnouts
📲 Support What We’re Building
Phoebe and Sophia aren’t just your hosts—they’re the founders of Phia, a fashion-tech app helping shoppers find the best prices across retail and resale. Download the app and help us grow → https://www.phia.com
About The Burnouts
The Burnouts brings you raw, unfiltered conversations with today’s top founders, creators, athletes, and culture-shaping entrepreneurs. Hosted by Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, the show goes beyond the headlines to reveal the real stories behind ambitious careers. Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and more.
Subscribe for the insider playbook to build your dream career.
Clips
Showing 10 of 12Transcript preview
First 90 secondsBarbara Corcoran· Guest0:00
At 30, I thought I was over. If I had known how good I looked, I would've run around the streets naked.
Speaker 1· Host0:04
So when did you start thinking about money?
Barbara Corcoran· Guest0:06
I had a boyfriend who loaned me the $1,000 to start the business, and he left me for a younger woman. I thought I'd rather die than let him succeed. I sold the business for 66 million. He was out of business in two years. I just used that insult to push me forward.
Speaker 1· Host0:20
Let's say the same thing happened to you today and you were left with the same amount of money. What would you do?
Barbara Corcoran· Guest0:24
Hi, I'm Barbara Corcoran, and welcome to The Brunettes.
Speaker 1· Host0:27
Well, starting off, we have so much to talk about, but we wanted to start first with, what do you think is your biggest failure?
Barbara Corcoran· Guest0:36
From the day, from the first day I was born, I was a terrible student, and I've never left it behind. I think I go out every day trying to prove to the world once and for all that I'm not stupid. Because when I was in school, I felt stupid. I was told I was stupid, and my idea of hell on earth was being asked to read out loud in front of the other kids, who would all laugh. And you never really leave that behind, but gave me a lot to overcome, and it gave me great empathy for people who are in- struggling. And I really think I'm a great leader because of it, 'cause I empathize with anyone I meet.
Speaker 1· Host1:08
And then how did that transition when you were starting your career?
Barbara Corcoran· Guest1:11
Well, when I was 23, I started the Corcoran Group, and by 23, I had 22 jobs already under my belt, and I had worked at every menial job in the book. And I learned very early what my traits were that I was good at and what I was bad at. For example, I was terrible at arithmetic. I knew that I was terrible at writing. Not a lot