Barbara Corcoran, the Shark Tank investor, has been dubbed the queen of real estate in New York City by her co-stars and fellow investors. She started her business, the Corcoran Group, which was sold in 2001 for millions.
Barbara is most famous for being on Shark Tank, the ABC show, which started airing in 2009. In one of the reels on her Instagram, she shared how she was not the priority for her role.
However, having sold her business and told all her friends that she would be moving to Hollywood for a part on a new TV show, Barbara refused to back down and accept that rejection.
Show's producer, Mark Burnett, received a lengthy e-mail about why she would make a fine investor and how she is perfect for the role. This made him call her for a test run during which she exceeded his expectations.
The rest is history, as we have seen her as a regular cast member for years, closing some of the finest deals and making an insane amount of returns on her investments.
As of 2025, Celebrity Net Worths has reported Barbara Corcoran's net worth to be $100 million.
Shark Tank investor Barbara Corcoran talks about how she started her business
In a video on her Instagram, Barbara shared that she became successful at a time when she had nothing. Starting her business in 1973, she founded The Corcoran Group in New York City. The firm was then called Corcoran-Simone.
The Simone name comes from her then boyfriend named Ray Simone, who lent her a thousand dollars as an investment. The Shark Tank investor revealed that she was a teacher before entering the real estate scene.
She had completed a degree in education in 1971 from St. Thomas Aquinas College, which led her a teaching job. However, over 20 jobs later, she started working as a receptionist at the Giffuni Brothers' real estate firm.
This taught her what she needed to know about the industry, and it took her no time to start her own business. This was not an easy task to do, being a woman at such a time.
Talking about the same, she had revealed about the resistance she faced from what Barbara calls the "Old Boys Club" of New York. These were the well-established men in the city who held power in the real estate business.
But being persistent and confident in herself is what brought her forward to a level where she had established her name and the company.
Personal tragedy struck when her relationship with Ray Simone broke apart. Barbara revealed that he had left her for her secretary, which had hurt her.
But looking back, she realizes that it was an important trajectory of her life because if she hadn't met Ray, she wouldn't have started her business and wouldn't have reached the heights she is at right now.
After two decades of running the business herself, Barbara sold the company for $66 million in 2001. Then, a few years later, her journey on Shark Tank started. Till now, she has made over 130 deals on the show.
It is reported that her biggest investment was for Coverplay, where she put $350,000 in exchange for 40% of the business. Barbara grew up in New Jersey with 9 siblings. In another video on her Instagram, the Shark Tank investor has shared how she is dyslexic but kept studying and pushing till she achieved success.
Shark Tank season 16 episodes release weekly on ABC at 8 PM Eastern Time on Fridays. They are later available to watch on Hulu.

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