Barbara Corcoran

On Shark Tank and good judgment.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:13):
I want to talk about TikTok today. I talked about
it a fair amount. Um, it's in my house, my
daughter is using it, I've been using it. I've been
trying to understand what it means for me. It's obviously
a major social media platform outlet vehicle. And it's funny

(00:36):
because I have an email where I sent to a
woman who consults on our social media. I sent her
an email saying, I think this TikTok thing is going
to become a thing. And this was before Charlie Damilia
even launched on it, and she said back to me,
it's really for eight to thirteen year old and it's
all about just little dances and trends, so it's not

(00:56):
for you. And I never forget who reminds her that.
But I didn't know how to insert myself and incorporate
myself into it. And I think it did start with
these sort of copycat dances because that's what I was
seeing in my house with my daughter. And then I
would do one once in a while, but I would
suck at it. And I'm realizing now and watching it
that you know, people have their own stick like some
people just like cook Italian food. All day and have

(01:18):
like you know, a stick with their their their kids
about it, like just showing all the food porn of
all the Italian food and other people, um are amazing
and dancing and then I like when the couples are
dancing in their creative and then you see people doing
scenes from shows like so scenes from me on the
Housewives or scenes from me on The Big Shot. There

(01:38):
are memes on there, so it's sort of just like
it's like another Instagram. It's just a different way of
doing it and it's used differently. What's crazy and I
don't see this on Instagram, So what's going on here
is I think there are a lot of maybe trolls
on here. So I see some girls posting something about
their mug shot and then arguing with people in the

(02:00):
aments about the fact that uh, they've done time and
not unless you've done time, when you know what doing
time is like, and like girls putting as their sort
of resume that they've done time so that's now cool. Um,
girls opening up boxes about their fake bags. I just
got a fake Louis. I just got my fake Gluie

(02:20):
butan because I was too cheap to pay for it,
and I opened it up and they're showing you the
quilting and whatever. And I just got my fake airms belt.
And so there's a lot of like video and counterfeit
products there. So on eBay, which I know is where
you're buying uh, supposedly authentic items. They years ago had
a big issue because people were selling fake things on eBay,

(02:42):
and I think it still has that rap like that
that you've got to be careful where if you buy
maybe at first DIBs or um at the real reel
or I guess Posh marker trades and maybe that that
that it's more real. I mean, it could happen anywhere.
I mean, the fake stuff is as good as the
real stuff, which is is crazy. And then I guess
people are wondering why would they buy the real stuff,
and it's because it's just it's got to be better quality,

(03:05):
and it's just the respecting the brand and not having
cheap crap stuff and so but I just think that's
weird that so our kids are watching like girls open
up fake bags. And I know because my daughter told
me that some of her friends bought a fake Gucci bag,
of fake Channel bag of fake whatever, um and then
this weekend, my daughter saw these scrunches and she doesn't
even know what Loui Hutan is. She said something to

(03:27):
me the other day, but what is that brand that
has like the letters and that something? And I was
the initials and I was like, a Louis Hutan. So
we but she saw the scrunch and she wanted it
because she likes the rainbow colors. And I was like,
are you just like buying something because it's got a logo.
But and then it's fake, Like all these hats now
have these scarfs around them with the air Mes logo
or the channel logo. And you see all these makeup

(03:48):
bags that are made of like Sony towels they've cut
up and dolt chabana and these these luxury brands have
to be going crazy crazy because you can't how could
you control this? So my daughter is just buying anything.
It says she bought one thing that's a Louis Utan
on it. But I see a lot of times on
Housewives Art they have like chanel and pictures and all
this stuff. So this this this vehicle sort of teaching

(04:09):
them about counterfeit stuff and and brands and logos and yes,
this has been going on since the beginning of time.
The kids get influenced, et cetera. But they're on here
so much that the messages are definitely more frequent. You know,
someone said that they got an eating disorder from someone's
page because of the way they tell you to eat,

(04:30):
or it's only this many calories, and everyone on TikTok
is eating burgers on peppers as buns and and tomato
slices as a bun like what, so you know, I'm wary.
I get it. I like it. I like the fact
that people are being creative in dancing. We don't see
a lot of dancers in normal life, and so people
are just at home and you just find that they're

(04:50):
great dancers. So I really do like that. I like
the humor. People do a lot of voiceover stuff where
they're like talking with someone else's voice, and then the gimmicks.
You throw your shoe up in the air and you
kick and then I did this one, and then like
you're wearing a different outfit and somebody decides the songs
are cool and everybody's using them and so it's a
copycat app, which is crazy. Like someone decides somebody school

(05:10):
everyone's copying it, which I guess happens elsewhere. But then
other people become famous and and um do well and
gain millions of followers because of how well they copy
someone else's things. So why is that okay there? But
it's not okay to be a designer that sees a
product handbag and then you copy it, but you make

(05:33):
money because you I just don't understand because I have
a big intellectual property business and I do not really copy.
And when I say really, um, there was a girl
that did this, like to a song. She did planks
like she did like you know, the exercise planks. I
put on a frilly dress, and um, I did this thing.

(05:53):
I like to make things my own, and I'll come
up with That's why a lot of times I'll put
songs on my own on there, Like I was eating
sorbet and I was played Prince's raspberry beret, but with
raspberry sorbet, or I did my own version of a vida.
You know, I feel it. I just don't like copying,
because then why can't some stand up copies somebody else's
act as their own, make it their own, and then

(06:14):
be successful. So I just think this world of TikTok,
and copying is something to think about, and it's ironic
that they're talking about copy bags all over TikTok. Then
I'm getting to the fact that so you're seeing, you know,
our kids are breaking in and they're on the grown
up TikTok. They're not all on the kids talk TikTok.
And I know it's our responsibility, but when everybody's doing
something and everybody has a cell phone and you try

(06:35):
to tell your kid you can't have a cell phone,
you know, it's like it's it's it's hard for them.
So these kids are on. And I was going to
do a dance with my daughter the other day and
I didn't even realize that she was like, I think
that one of the songs said I put my dick
in your ass or something. I think that. I think
I think that's what the song said. And then today
I was watching somebody one who one of the people

(06:56):
who spy on the housewives do something about like they're
wearing an outfit, and then there's a song about like
your pussy yourself. I mean, I'm not that conservative, we
know this, but I just feel like, is it necessary
to be posting that I'm slut shaming. I don't know.
I just think, like, should you be standing there in
a sexy outfit with like a very very sexy, like

(07:19):
fuck me song? I just it. It makes me cringe.
It makes me cringe. I don't want to do it.
I don't want to see my daughter do it. I
don't think it's funny. I don't think it's appropriate. I just,
respectfully do not agree that it's empowering to be dancing
and singing too songs that are just so vulgar. I
just don't. So I'm curious what you all think about that, because, um,

(07:42):
I know you'll have different opinions, and that's what we're
here for. My guest today is Shark Tank start and
businesswoman Barbara Corkoran. She founded the Corkoren Group, a real
estate brokerage in New York City, which she sold in
two thousand one for sixty six million dollars. She's one

(08:03):
of the show's original Shark investors and has appeared in
all seasons of the show to date. Today we talked
about how money spent on memories is never poorly spent,
the importance of avoiding time sucks, how difficult upbringings can
give you the building blocks for success and why worrying
about money is a waste of time. I always love
talking with Barbara, and I think you're really going to

(08:24):
enjoy our conversation too. Hi, Barbara, we met when I
came to do like sort of a mock Shark Tank
on ABC in the morning. Were you there that day
with the with the with the anchors with you? And

(08:45):
I think i'd met you another time because you reached
out to me about your Daisy cakes or some brand
that you had that was daisy I think Daisy Cakes.
She forgot about that, and you were very helpful. I hope.
I thank you. So we know each other. I'm just
letting people know we know each other. But I know
a lot of the that come on here, and I
don't really know them because when we talk, we talk
about what's going on, what's going on in Shark Tank,

(09:06):
what's going on with business sort of. We all really
run in superficial sort of not just circles, but you
don't really get to know people. So when I read
about you or people that I have on here, I'm
just fascinated in some of the similarities in our in
my life with yours, yours with other people, but just
that I didn't really know anything about you. Um, I

(09:27):
just know that you're a strong woman who created a
real estate empire that you sold. And then um reading
that you grew up with ten kids in your household. Yeah,
I was one of ten, right, But that's ten kids
in the house, and that that alone is a story.
I mean, I can't imagine Dennis Leary. I think maybe

(09:47):
had seven or eight kids, and he's told me about it.
He said that it's easier than you think because the
older ones take care of the younger ones. Is that
true or no? Well, I think you have to talk
to my mother about that, and I don't think she
would agree at all. She had kids, She did the ironing,
she did seven loads of washing day, she hung it
on a line every day. She cleaned the house. She
had two bedrooms that she squeezed us into. She made

(10:10):
the ends meet, wondering where our groceries were going to
come from. When my dad put his job for the
eleventh time because the boss told him what to do,
and they didn't like to be told what to do.
So I witnessed it, and no, I wouldn't say that
was easy if you asked my mom. Now maybe if
you ask my brothers, they say, oh, mom was great.
But as a daughter, I saw her and I thought,
oh my god, how did she do that? And still

(10:33):
in awe of how she pulled it out and managed
to do a good job and wound up with ten confidence,
successful kids that somehow made it in the world. That's amazing. Well,
the foundation starts at home, and it sounds like your
mom provided a solid foundation, and that doesn't necessarily have
to come from money by any stretch of the imagination.
The people that I know who feel that they are

(10:55):
secure in their home relationships and the foundation walk into
the world in a different and a different amount of
confidence than people who sort of have had a lot
of uncertainty in their relationships in their household. I'm learning that. Yeah, well,
I don't know if I agree with that. I mean,
should I say that you can say anything you want? Yeah,
it's a conversation something, right, Um, I don't know if
I agree with that so wholeheartedly. I think very often

(11:18):
kids that have struggle U wind up being better prepared
for life because they find their confidence through succeeding in
the struggle. At a very young age. Whereas I find
uh my own kids that privileged kids. I'm not knocking them,
they're equally there successful in it their own right, thank god,
But I think it's harder with an affluent kid. Now

(11:40):
I agree. I'm talking about emotionally interpersonally more in personal relationships.
I wasn't talking about success that the show really is about.
But I've found that people have a strong family unit
don't have the same noise about loyalty and having someone
there for you and family and that as people who
have come from solid that's why we I could not

(12:01):
agree with you more about your father who had a
job didn't have a job, like even if you had
a lower paying job. The the sporadic nature of that
is very jarring to kids because you have it, you
don't have it. Are we doing this that we're not
doing it? And it gives you a sense of money noise,
And I wonder what your relationship to money was as

(12:22):
a kid and how it's evolved. Have you broken away
from that? Because when you don't know when food's coming
and you don't know if your dad's keeping a job,
that has to stay with you in some way. Surprisingly,
that really didn't stay with me because I had something
else going on in the household, which was modeled by
my mother. Uh. She always said to us, money is

(12:42):
made to be spent, and so no matter what was
going on, she would put our new code on a
credit card. I mean we only get when every three years.
When we grew the last one, I couldn't get it
from the older siblings sending it down. It was worn out.
But she managed to get our managed to us for
each of us to visit the dentist every four years.

(13:03):
We just rotated the kids, the kids through. She managed
to do all of that, and she didn't worry about money.
I remember one time when I was building the Corcoran Group,
I was in debt over my ears. It was a
terrible real estate recession. No one was buying anything. I
was starving to death as a business. As an individual,
I was almost starving to death. And um, I remember
my mom calling it just check up on me, calling

(13:24):
me sure she's still had five kids at home. She
was tending to and and she's listening to me, and
I wasn't talking about work. She says, you sound preoccupied.
I said, well, I am preoccupied. I'm really worried about
my business. I think I might go belly up. And
she said, oh, Barbara, and you're not worried about money,
are you? And I said, of course, I'm worried about money.
And she said, what a waste of time? And I

(13:48):
just thought, she's right, what a waste of time. What's
it accomplished me to worries myself sick? So I stopped worrying.
And I'm not saying the business turned around because of that.
I'm sure it was gonna do. What was It did
turn around right after that, but she took the silliness
of it all off my plate. And so my attitude
toward money is really none how much money I can make,

(14:10):
but just see how successful I could become, because it's
a game, how far I could go. And then on
any money I get, I spend it. I spent money.
I didn't have money. Now, fortunately I have more money
than I could spend, and that's a nice position. But
if I didn't, I'd be spending money or whatever fit
my fancy. Because my mother taught us the charm of
money is so it's meant to be spent. And I

(14:32):
can recall for you one incident that happened that really
changed my attitude toward fun and money. And that was
my dad finally started his own business. His first check
a thousand dollars, which then was like five dollars maybe,
and he said, well, guess what kids were going on vacation?
And the next morning we rented a house in Wildwood,

(14:52):
New Jersey at the beach, and we blew the money
on a vacation for a week. I like that. I
like that. That's that's it's simple. But you know of
it is, Bethany is it's it's my greatest memory of
the time we went on vacation. And the first thing
I spend money on constantly is fun days, vacation, anything

(15:14):
that costs money that is in the fun area. I'm
there first. I'm right there first. I don't miss a thing.
Oh interesting, you don't miss the thing. I miss everything.
But I spend on experiences. I spend my money on
experiences like I'm taking my daughter to this lodge and
glamping and just because I know it'll be a great
experience and it's just going to force us to be

(15:34):
together in nature. And so that's the type of stuff
that I like to spend my daughter. She wants to
be with you, by the way, maybe check I planned
something like that once in Kate said to me, I
don't want to go oh I did. My daughter is
obsessed with me. We are like one person, and particularly
during the pandemic, it's gotten to be where we're attached
at the hip. It's been that's been a nice part

(15:54):
of the pandemic, and that the connecting has been unprecedented.
People have college kids own that they didn't expect they
ever have in their homes again. So I come from
a place of yes, I will say that I do um.
And you said that your mom showed you what efficiency was.
So it's about time management and being organized. Are you
very organized? You manage your time very efficiently. I chunked

(16:15):
my tame and that's what my system is. You can't
ever get balance. That's a fatacy that people chase a
But what I do is I chunk my work away
from my pleasure, my pleasure away from my work. When
I was raising my kids, they're young, they wouldn't dare
call me at the office unless they were dying. They
would call my secretary. They wouldn't called me because I said,
I'm working unless it's important, don't bother me, but when

(16:35):
I was home, nobody at work bothered me. I was
with my family. So by drawing severe lines, I think
I have a as close as you could get to
balance in a life, which we all can't get, of course,
but that's about as close as I became by chunking
my time. Also in my work day and my home day,
I chunk all the time. They're like, I have my days,

(16:57):
I do media. My days I do research. I have
my days I do shark tunk related businesses I do.
I have like days set up for each thing, and
they rotate because it gives me a much better sense
of control and less waste of time. And then I
could staff around me for my needs in a more
easy fashion because everything's like organized like in a filed
cabinet as best as I could. I call it stacking,

(17:19):
and it's similar so the same as you. If I'm
inherent makeup that day, anything anybody wants me to get done,
to say, to do a video, to do something for
social media, to promote a product, it has to be
jammed into that day, which will be crazy day. I've
done three photo shoots in the same day. TV shoots
cover a magazine. I like, because then I like to
relax when I like to relax, and like you, I

(17:41):
like to be present in what I'm doing. So you're
present and working, I'm present here with you, and when
I'm with my daughter in present and so I think
that's a great tip for them. At home. You can
get down time sucks and work and not be working wisely,
and you can get down time sucks and social. You're
on your phone, you're looking at shopping, You're like, you know,
you're down some rabbit hole time management and efficiency, which

(18:02):
your mom obviously taught you or showed you by example,
obviously learned it as well. Yeah, it's very huge, and
I call it stacking, but you call it that, And
I also say, um, I would rather I bet you
can speak to this. I would rather have fewer buckets full.
Then you know, I'd rather have six buckets full than
twelve buckets half fall, Meaning what's the r O I
on your time for being with your kids, for doing

(18:23):
philanthropy before working on shark tank, etcetera. Don't you find
that you have now as you've gotten more successful and busier,
you just can say no and yes so easily because
you know it's gonna be a time suck for no
returning your investment financially, emotionally, spiritually. Yeah, you know, Bethany,
I think you get better at saying no as you
get older. I wish I was better because I have

(18:43):
a bleeding heart a bit, and so I wish I
was better at it than I actually am. But I
would agree with you about your bucket analogy. I mean,
nothing is less satisfying. This skimming the top of something
and not finishing it off. There's such a satisfaction checking
a list and getting it done versus working a little
bit on it all a little bit on a wrong
and it never seems to get done that way, and

(19:04):
it's ever done right. Obviously, Yes, I would whole hardly agree.
But you talked earlier about that. You are just like
you're not counting the money. You are just executing your vision,

(19:24):
your dreams. Checking boxes. Say it's setting out to do
something and then then accomplishing that goal. The way that
I see it for me is when the tables go cold,
I'll walk away. I won't force it, i won't white knucklet.
I'm just sort of riding the set of waves. Know
you're gambled I'm surprised to hear. Honestly, I thought, excuse me,
misjudged I am. And when I grew up at the

(19:44):
race track, and I did used to gamble a lot
because I didn't have anything. And when you have nothing,
you're you're willing to gamble. But now that I have have,
I'm not a big gambler. Um. So the the metaphor
is about like when the table goes cold, I'll walk.
I'm not gonna be like going back in and doubling
down and trying to get it back. So how do
you feel about your relevance? And um, how long do

(20:07):
you want to stay continuing to work and do this?
You said earlier it's working and you're gonna take it
as long as it can go. So what does that
exactly mean? What's as long as it can go? Whatever
it strikes for my fancy? You know, I think for
all of us, we like to feel like we made
a difference or make a difference in our day to
day work. And I feel that every day at work,
I feel like I'm helping a lot of people, whether
it be the people I invested in which I work

(20:28):
so closely with, or whether it be you know, the
people that call in on the eight to eight Barbera line,
tons and tons of questions and I answer them. And
so I feel like I'm making a huge difference to people.
I think I have an acumen precising people up quickly.
I think I have an acumen for sending people in
a different direction, getting them to see things differently, and

(20:50):
that makes a big difference. So I try to do that,
you know from the results of shark Ton and I
try to do it. I do it on my podcast,
I do it on my eight eight number. Um, and
I imagine that's stopping. I feel like the more I work,
and the more people I know, and the more in
love with people I fall and I love people. I
find them delicious, just delicious. Um. I find that the

(21:13):
more I want to be in the game, you know,
So I guess I'll drop dead one day. Do you
define yourself by how full your calendar is? The way
that Joan Rivers did in her documentary, like do you
feel it's weird if you don't have a lot going on?
Or you revel in it. I I define myself by
how excited I am about what's in my calendar, if
it's still with stuff I'm not excited about. That's bad news,

(21:34):
something's wrong. And then I go to my mountain or
my library, I should callte my mountain, my public library,
and I make a list of what I love and
what I hate because i'm of course, my my game
is off course. And then I love very few things.
There are always the similar things that I love again
and again because it's what I'm good at. Right, And
I make a long list of what I hate, and

(21:55):
then I go back to the officide give it away.
And you would think that the stuff I would hate
would be it to give away. Not at all. I mean,
what I'm not good at somebody else's great at. And
they it's like giving them a president, you know whoa
i'ven't chowne to that. Yeah you are. And then I
get my mojo going again up and I'm excited about
what's in my book. You know, when you're not, when

(22:16):
you're not excited what's in your day, it's time for regrouping,
I believe. Yeah, I do that regularly. About a month ago,
it's maybe five weeks ago. Yeah, really helped me tremendously. Again.
So I've introduced I mean, I've introduced some serious people
on here at Matthew McConaughey and and like I said,
Hillary Clinton and and um Chelsea Handler and uh, you know,

(22:39):
billionaires in different fields. And I found it very interesting
the majority of people are in a successful relationship. Now,
they're successful people in a successful relationship. And I use
that word with air quotes because I'm not pretending that
your relationship is perfect. I assume it's not. No one's
relationship is perfect, but you are together there and it's

(23:01):
like a thriving business, right, So, like a thriving business,
whether it does well every day or it has problems
or doesn't, you're in a in a marriage that's working
and and stud the test of time. So I have
received advice or you know, people saying that one person
has to let the other person really be on a
longer leash and be who they are, that you don't

(23:21):
worry about the optics, about what other people think, that
you do a daily check in. Matthew McConaughey said that
you know, they're the bubble, and they do it the
way they're going to do it, and they set the
rules in the beginning, so it makes it very easy.
And I find this part of this conversation very interesting.
So I'm interested in your perspective and your relationship as
a successful First, let me qualify that builds a sweetheart,

(23:42):
just because I have to preserves educate his reputation. He's
an absolute sweetheart. And everybody loves Bill, kind of like
everybody loves Raymond. Our relationship is quite clear. I'm in charge,
he knows it, and he lets me do what I want.
I am as free as if I was a single woman.
I mean, not free to fool around. I don't even
have the appetite. I'm lucky, I'm even good in bed

(24:03):
was built. But live my life as I wish, and
and he's totally supportive of that. That's what I love
about Bill. He's totally supportive of my freedom. Now on
the shoe on the other foot, am I totally supportive
of him? Hardly? Nope. I object to everything he does,
and I let him know it right away on the no.

(24:26):
And then then then I always you should, you should,
you should, you should? But he ignores me like a bear,
just pushes me away because and he's not bothered by me.
He's like the big old bear on the curb somewhere
swatting flies in. But does he adore you? Well, Bill
adores me. It's ridiculous. If I was on the other

(24:48):
side of the relationship, I would file for divorce without
a doubt, without a doubt. But he adores me, has
from day one. He's decided who we married and hasn't
changed it. When I owed it and I have change,
I'm much worse than that first year or two. Trust me,
I always lovey dovey, forget it. But you respect him, Yes,

(25:09):
I have to. I don't know. I can't change him.
And when you can't change someone, and no matter how
are you try, they don't do as they're told. At
that point, you know you have a boulder sitting in
the middle of the road. You have to respect it
and go around. It's as simple as that, got it.
But if you changed him, you would have a problem
with whatever that was too. I spent twenty years trying

(25:30):
to change him. He didn't change one inch. I don't
know what day I realized that I gave up. It
was like, Okay, I'll go around the boulder. He's not
moving well, someone uh said said to me. Wants and
needs in a relationship, you have to determine what are
your wants and what are your needs, like needs or
deal breakers. This has got to go on. I need

(25:51):
this in my life, I need this in my relationship.
For you, it might be that you need a long release.
You couldn't if he didn't give you this freedom. You
cannot be in a situationship. And what he needs on
his size three square meals a day easy, and you
make them, He'll no a cater. I looked on weekends,
not a work day cater. Everything take out, takeout, but

(26:14):
I cook a storm on a weekend. I related to
you saying that you long for when in the beginning
on Shark Tank it was not as perfect, not as polished,
and you had the person who needed I've seen that episode,
the person who needed some electronic thing to be removed
surgically from their ear. When it when it was when
it was like when the charge went out and just
like absurd, absurd ideas, which was part of the charm

(26:38):
for the show. And likewise, I was on the house.
I was in the beginning when we didn't even we
didn't wear makeup. I mean there's no makeup in interviews.
I sat in like just a cable knit turquoise. I
sat like this because I was doing real this is
my real life, and they didn't have actors back then
on the shows, or people had a previous uh sort
of profile. So it's a different thing, and I'm not
on it anymore. But at the end, I longed for

(27:00):
the beginning when it missed its purity and innocence and
just it's flawed nature. So I related to you saying
that you know what it's like. It's like when your
kids are toddlers. The most joyous part of your mothering
because it's young hasn't been formed. You haven't formed what
you're gonna do with it. You're just in total awe
of being gifted a little angel in your life. Okay,

(27:23):
wait till the teenage years. You know, you start to qualify,
set the rules in such it. And so it is
with the TV show. So it is with the business.
The most exciting part of any new business of the
early years, the very early as can we make it?
Can we do it? What can we do now? You
know that excitement? So the same follows of course with
Shark Tunk, Housewives, any show. It's a blessing when you're

(27:44):
in on the early part of a show. I mean
it marries wherever. It's like your childhood sweetheart all over again.
You're in love, right, and soone happens with shark Tunk
is in sheer popularity. Many more of this supply. I
don't even know what the numbers are. It's outrageous whatever
it is, and the chances of being selected are slim.

(28:05):
So the old folks that I saw on season one
who had underwear that was lined with charcoal, so if
you toot it, nobody smelled. It was a great bitch,
you know what. Ha They could barely step and they
could wear their panties and tell you how good they were, right,
lift the dress, show you the panties. Or the engineer,

(28:27):
like a rocket science who is just a million dollars.
I'll build a town the middle of the Atlantic, and
I'll turn pure seaweed into precious gold. It's like, oh,
you know, now that might not outrageous and not businessy enough,
but the absurdity of all that was great comedy of
great stuff that stays with you now today. You know

(28:48):
we have the technology space. Sometimes Mark Cuban gets talking
with a tech guy, I have to put a pin
in my cheek. So I waked myself up gets so boring,
goes like yeah, yeah, yeah, just tick and TikTok would
go home for an hour and a half and then
they edited down to about a minute. I got to
spare the audience, right, But um yeah, those early days

(29:11):
are rock and amazing and I'm so thankful as you
are that you were there on that you know, and
it also be the most memorable person. By the way,
people always remember the earlier people before it becomes a
you know, turning door boom. Yeah, exactly exactly. You're part
of the original d n A. When you sold your business,

(29:41):
was it a good idea to sell? Did you sell
too early? Was it a good decision? Because there's always
a little bit of emotion, there's always a little bit
of regret. So was it just gangbusters and you're excited
and it's been great. I saw my business for sixties
six million at two million dollars in sales. We had
had two years in a row of making three million.
I was your profit. I was shocked. I wasn't planning

(30:02):
to make a product line. That's what woke me up
by the three million dollars a year. How did that happen?
I must have missed something. I should have spent that
money on more parties. That kind of missed it coming in.
But when I realized I made three million dollars each
of two years, and I bet this is worth something.
What do you think, Esther? I think so. You know,
we were native, We didn't know about this. We weren't
business people at all. We just built this business. I

(30:24):
got it same. But when we got the sixty six
million dollars, everybody in the industry said I was grossly overpaid.
I thought I got a great uh number for the
business because they overpaid because we had such a big brand.
It was a brand capable of occupying or employing more
than a thousand brokers, which I had when I sold.
It was a brand bigger than we were because I

(30:46):
was a great marker, as are you. I built that
branded with and it was known. And so when I
interviewed people, when we had thirty people in the office,
I have a salesman coming for an interview, they thought
we had three hundred. By the time I had three hundred,
they thought we had three millions. You know, it's just
one because our brandon Mouth was so big in the industry.
But the more important piece of your question is how
did it feel on my body? Or you said in

(31:07):
a different way, and it felt terrible. That's what I
didn't anticipate is how much I loved my family. I
sold it for good reason. I had my first baby
at forty six, Tommy. He was two, and I was
so engaged at work, and I want to be a
supermom at home. I want to be a supermom at work.
And I realized I was as capable as I am
and as many hours as I'm willing to work, I

(31:28):
could not do both well. And I thought, I'm selling
boom boom, let's sell, let's give. I want to be
a mother now, okay. So those two factors came room
together and I sold the business. But what I didn't
anticipate is how sad i'd be without the business. Suddenly
my face wasn't on billboards or had taken now overnight.
Suddenly I didn't have reporters calling me for my comment

(31:50):
on the recent downfall of Wall Street or upfall of
the something. I was used to being popular, and I
couldn't walk through a pit to my office. I had
roughly eight sail people in my main office in my
area of the floor. I walked through the eight people.
They go good morning, Why are we good morning? Good morning, Mary,
good morning, Jail. You know, I love that popularity kind
of made up for who I wasn't in high school.

(32:11):
So I loved everything about owning, running, and building a
family that I also happened to call the corporate group.
And when that was gone, I felt stripped bare of
what gave me my satisfaction in life. And I was
a lost baby. I don't know what the hell to do.
And so you didn't have to stay in at all
money contract. I didn't want to be involved because I

(32:33):
knew I wouldn't agree with the new guys in the
suits that were running the business. You know, they're all
financial guys. I wasn't stupid. I knew they'd have a
different motivation and milk the money as much as they
can because that's how I was do when they come in. Um.
But but I was there for two years on a contract.
But I didn't have to show up for work and
I didn't you know, it was just there by contract.

(32:54):
But I didn't have to do anything. Oh, so I
I have I have. We have very similar things. I
had like a back end deal and a spokesperson deal.
But I didn't really I mean I had to promote
a little, but I didn't really have to do anything.
But I didn't have the structure you had, like the
infrastructure where you felt like you went in somewhere every day.
But I wondered, did you later? So when did they

(33:14):
make so much money that you've ever sort of regretted
it or feel like, wow, does it? Is it interesting
that it's your name, so they're sort of marketing. They
helped market you now, which is interesting because I sold
only Skinny Girl cocktails. I own a dred percent of
the Skinny Girl brand. So while they market that in cocktails,
you know, and people still think it's me. When every
time someone orders a skinny margharita, even if it's not

(33:36):
skinny skinny margareit a pool? I go because it's it's
it is me. I Like, I'm not making money on it.
So I was just sort of wondering about the after math,
like of them being successful, it being your name, what
that you gave you street cred. There's no way that
it didn't give you street cred. And you wouldn't be
on Shark Tank probably if you hadn't had that transaction right, honestly,
I think I would have been on Shark Tanks. I

(33:58):
got picked up because I was a regular contro tribute
to the Today Show, you know, twice a week. I
was on that morning show all the time talking about
real estate. And people aren't going to forget that I've
built a business. As long as I had the credential
I built a business, Shark Tank was going to be happy.
And as long as I had the cash to put
into their businesses, Shark Tank is gonna be that. That
was a big criteria. But I have to say, I

(34:20):
think I build a cuckm Group brand in the last
ten twenty years more than they build my brand, because
I've kept that brand front and forward without even being
there or working for them. If you think about it,
every time I'm talking, I'm barb record from the Corker
Group that carries with it. So I've helped them tremendously.
I must say. About five years ago, so someone within

(34:41):
the financial network of the company call me to tell
me how much money they had made that year, and
I think in the one year they made more than
I sold the business for it. And they were calling
me thinking I would not like to hear that I
was relieved. My god, thank god, I've been other twenty years.
I've imagine how much work that would take. But one
thing does bug the up out of me, and that
is I constantly run into people who saying I just

(35:04):
bought an apartment from me a firm, and I go, oh, hi, good,
well how much three million dollars? Like six thousand? All
the commissions I missed. I hate. I don't like for
people to equally excitedly tell me about how happy they
were to buy from my firm when it's not my
firm and I lost that money. That does bother me

(35:26):
at least a few times a week, you know, yeah,
I do know people like I love your vodka and
I'm like, it was a cocktail and it's not vodka.
But we're good money money, but that but more than
you in that way, because you still yes, you're right,
you're adding more value to them that I was nobody.
I mean, I had nothing, so that really gave me

(35:47):
street cred. I did that, Yeah, I mean different. You
were already somebody and you were contributing. I was a
contributing to anywhere. That was me being broke to that. Okay,
so um, last two questions work ethic, you know, with
Instagram now in social media, which I know you're very
active on and you probably like it. I despise it.

(36:08):
But the point is I think it's comforting for entrepreneurs
to know that there is no quick fix, there is
no shortcut, there's no selfie, no Instagram filter. If you're
a person who works hard and works smart, you and
you're going in the right direction towards the fish, you
will be successful. Because I find that most people don't
do that. And you talk about on Shark Tank it's

(36:29):
at about the idea, who's executing and are you an executor?
So if you want, we can just end talking about that,
because I think that you know more than most about that,
and I think it's comforting with people who don't know
how to do everything. They don't know how to have
a publicist and have an Instagram and be good at
it and work hard. That's what I say. Work is
work is coal work for a reason. Right, Hopefully one

(36:51):
of the lucky ones who loves you work and then
you don't think of it as work, but it's still work,
and you know that very well. When you're not making
money and you're thinking you're to work, right, I think, uh,
I think the social media, the right outfit, the being
on this show, of being on that show is a
great gimmick. And you can't underestimate the power of a

(37:11):
gimmick in business. You get a great gimmick, you got
a head start. It's like beyond Shark Tank. I mean
that Shark Tank effect boom your success overnight, even if
your products are no good enough people watch it that
they're going to buy it. But the real telling is
three to six months out when you're not getting that
uptick from Shark Tank anymore. And now it comes to

(37:31):
the most important question, do you have the substance to
make a success of yourself? And I think that's what
you're referencing, the substance that it takes to build a business,
or if even if you're not inclined to be in business,
to make a successful life of yourself for yourself. And
I think you're talking about so many different attributes that
people need. One character, uh, good character, which mounts sentence

(37:56):
all fish. I never hear the word character anymore. Actually
I just said it for the first on myself in years.
But good character so far as your words, you bond
what you say you mean, and you deliver. Whether you're
working for a guy and hey, you jump. If you're
being paid, you deliver, or whether you're working for yourself,
you deliver. For your partner, your customer, you find a
way to deliver. But it also takes h a tremendous judgment.

(38:18):
I think the most underestimated trait in building any success
is good judgment. Absolutely love that. Love that every day,
small choices, large choices, roads are not taking, roads taken.
And and you're making those staff judgments all the time,
do I trust to my God? Chute from do I?
And you're you're navigating yourself quickly down that road like

(38:39):
a little square, you know, and you're on the wrong
road totally. If you've been making the wrong judgments for
only two years, you're like, way down that road, you
gotta back up, have a come uppance, and go down
the right road started over. And people are able to
do that. But I think still, I think there's great credence,
enormous credence in the power of social here or any

(39:01):
kind of social or public face that gives you an advantage.
And I, for myself, don't invest in businesses on shark
Tank for the last two years that don't have great
social presence. And you know why because I find people
either all that way, the marketers. That's the most modern
day form of marketing, okay, on in the social media space, right.

(39:22):
You don't buy billboards anymore. You don't put full pages
in the New York Times that I was able to
do to build my business. What would I have today?
I would have social media, okay. And so I don't
think you can be super successful and be ignorant of that. No.
I think it's a gimmick that drags people in and
and one of the most cost effective ways to push
your business ahead. But I think it's often not and

(39:44):
just a fancy show if you don't have the goods
after the hook, hooks the sucker or I think that
ethic day and day out. Yes, I agree. Well, listen,
that was extremely informational and enjoyable. And I know when
we're together we usually like laugh, joke more. But you
I want to mind you because you have such great
information and the people listening are really just like hanging

(40:06):
on every word to be successful themselves. So just like
what we're talking about, and you give great advice, so
I really appreciate the conversation. My pleasure bath is really
nice hanging out with you. So that was Barbara cork Grin,
who I know, Uh, and it's usually a little more
sassy and we joke around, but I kind of like

(40:29):
to get to the meat of the matter because I
want to hear all of the tools of the trade
and how people's minds work. And uh, she's a tough
woman and she's got a lot of great advice. So
I hope you like what she had to say. And
we have similar but different perspectives on different points of

(40:50):
our careers. So I like that too. You know. I
like people who are on here who are like, no,
I don't agree with that, Okay, good, what do you think?
You know, I like the difference of opinion. So I
like that and I love this and I love you,
and I would like you to remember to rate, review
and subscribe. Have a great day. Just Be is hosted

(41:17):
an executive produced by me Bethany Frankel. Just Be is
a production of the Real Productions and I Heart Radio.
Our managing producer is Fiona Smith and our producer is
Stephanie Stender. Our EP is Morgan Lavoy. To catch more
moments from the show, follow us on Instagram and just
be with Bethany