Barbara Corcoran
Barbara Corcoran is a Shark Tank investor, real estate entrepreneur, author, and online business mentor who shares lessons on building a business and bouncing back from failure.
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Barbara’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus their backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
Overview
- Born
- March 10, 1949, in Edgewater, New Jersey
- Based in
- New York City
- Work
- Entrepreneur, investor, author, speaker, and business content creator
- First business
- Started her real estate business in 1973 with a $1,000 loan
- Television breakout
- An original Shark on Shark Tank, which began in 2009
- Book
- Shark Tales, co-written with Bruce Littlefield
Mini bio
How it started.
Barbara grew up in Edgewater, New Jersey, in a family of ten children. School was difficult, and she has spoken openly about dyslexia. After a string of jobs, she borrowed $1,000 from her boyfriend in 1973, left waitressing, and started a small real estate business in New York City.
Building her own name.
That business became The Corcoran Group. Barbara turned her knack for selling and publicity into a career in New York real estate, then sold the company for $66 million in 2001. Her story became the basis of Shark Tales, written with Bruce Littlefield.
Into the Tank.
Barbara became one of the original investors on Shark Tank in 2009. Her role grew to include executive producing, and she shared the show’s 2024 Emmy for Outstanding Structured Reality Program. She often explains that the founder’s resilience matters as much as the product.
Where fans find her now.
Alongside television and speaking, Barbara posts business advice, personal stories, and humor on social media. Her Barbara In Your Pocket community offers entrepreneurs a place to bring questions and work on growing their businesses.
Creditschronological, newest first
Television
- 2009–presentShark TankInvestor; also an executive producer
Books
- 2011Shark Tales: How I Turned $1,000 into a Billion Dollar BusinessCo-author with Bruce Littlefield
Business advice
- OngoingBarbara In Your PocketHost and mentor
Awards
- 2024 Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Structured Reality Program for Shark Tank, shared as an executive producer.
- 2025 Emmy nominationsNominated with the Shark Tank team for Outstanding Structured Reality Program and Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program.
- 2026 Emmy nominationOutstanding Structured Reality Program for Shark Tank, as an executive producer.
Quotes
All my best successes came on the heels of failure.Barbara Corcoran, official website
The motto featured on her website: https://www.barbaracorcoran.com/
Trivia
- She says a farmer’s puppy sale inspired her to price 88 apartments alike and create a buying rush.
- She wore a bright red suit to stand out among New York real estate’s black and gray business suits.
- Asked which fictional character she would hire, she chose Ted Lasso for his positivity and care for his team.
Find Barbara
Follow Barbara for business advice, stories from the Tank, and a little humor.
Are you Barbara Corcoran?
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