Barbara Corcoran knew exactly when she met her dream business partner, Ester Kaplan, as per the mogul's newest installment of her podcast, Business Unusual, which was released on Tuesday (May 29).
In the episode titled "Sizing Up People," the Shark Tank judge shared the backstory behind meeting Kaplan and finding herself surprised by one small (but big) observation. "Everything about Esther was conservative from the little-knit suit she wore to the little, tiny purse with the little clasp she had closely held in her hand," the 69-year-old star reflected. "When I gave her my business card and told Esther, 'I'll call you when something opens up,' she took my business card, snapped open that very concise clasp on her purse and went to file it. Whoa, what did I see? I saw a miniature file cabinet in her little purse [with] little partitions with words on them. I knew at a glance that this was going to be my future business partner, and so I told Esther she'd make a phenomenal salesperson, should come in immediately and I take her under my wing and teach her everything that I knew."
Corcoran’s narrative substantiated to an even bigger lesson about roles between expanders and containers. "Expanders are the kind of people who want to see how far they can go and they're very comfortable with risks. They can take on so much. They always try to get people to follow them and they're always thinking of a new idea a minute. Containers are quite opposite. They like to corral information. They never like to get surprised and they always plan way, way in advance," she explained.
In less than a year, Ester ended up becoming Corcoran's business partner, excelling at duties involving banking, organizing and hiring management. It was a match made in heaven for Corcoran's set-up and she turned out to serve as "a genius containment" for the mogul.
If you have a question to ask Barbara on a future episode of Business Unusual on iHeartRadio, tweet your inquiry to @BarbaraCorcoran and stay tuned to see if the entrepreneur offers you some sound advice. In honor of Small Business Month, Dell is offering up to 40% off select PCs with Eighth Gen Intel Core Processors. Plus, you can get a free external hard drive with select PC purchases. Call 877-BUY-DELL to speak with a small business technology advisor today.
Business Unusual with Barbara Corcoran on iHeartRadio gives listeners an inside look at the entrepreneur's decades-long career, including her first-person stories of triumphs and pitfalls. As you listen to her new podcast, you'll learn a wave of advice that has helped a new generation of young entrepreneurs achieve their goals. As one of the judges on ABC's Shark Tank, Corcoran knows a thing or two about the inner workings. After all, she has had 22 jobs by the age of 23, built a $5 billion business with a $1,000 loan and conquered the New York real estate world.
Photo: Katherine Tyler for iHeartRadio