Biography

Barbara Corcoran’s credentials include straight D’s in high school and college and twenty jobs by the time she turned twenty-three.  It was her next job that would make her one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the country when she took a $1000 loan to start The Corcoran Group. Barbara used her ingenuity, quick wits, and solid instincts to turn that $1,000 loan into a multi-billion dollar business. Barbara sold the company for over $70 million in 2001. In the 28 years Barbara ran the company, she honed her skills in marketing, negotiating, innovating, and surviving in the lean times and thriving in the good times – everything you need to know to establish, run, and grow a business.  After selling the company, Barbara put her entrepreneurial knowledge down on paper, penning the best-selling, unconventional business book IF YOU DON’T HAVE BIG BREASTS, PUT RIBBON ON YOUR PIGTAILS. The book is aptly sub-titled And Other Business Lessons I Learned From My Mom, as Barbara credits her mom’s good sense and positive vision with giving her the tools she needed to succeed so fabulously in the notoriously cutthroat world of New York real estate. As a much-in-demand motivational speaker, and now a best-selling author, Barbara transitioned from her role as head of The Corcoran Group to that of popular television personality. As one of the “Sharks” on ABC’s hit TV show, SHARK TANK, Barbara has ponied up her own money and invested in twenty-two businesses, competing to make those deals for all to see, then shepherding them to success.Her newest book, SHARK TALES, takes you behind the scenes of her life and business and her ‘seen on TV’ venture capitalism.

https://youtu.be/sTWCk7-94tQ

Program Descriptions

Topic 1: How I Got Here How do you turn a $1,000 loan into a five-billion dollar business? According to self-made real estate empress Barbara Corcoran, you do it by learning how to fail well. Barbara tells the story of how, armed with a loan from her boyfriend and her own gritty determination, she quit her job as a waitress to start a tiny real estate company in New York City and turned that company into a multi-billion dollar business. A highly motivation and hugely entertaining success story.

Topic 2: Leading People to Greatness Entrepreneurs, business managers, and salespeople alike benefit from lessons in how to get people moving on the path to professional and personal greatness. Barbara Corcoran, who led 1,000 + brokers at The Corcoran Group, New York’s largest real estate company, is an expert in the art of leading a team to success. From hiring the right people and firing the wrong people to creating fun in the workplace and establishing an atmosphere that breeds innovation, Barbara shares her unique and winning strategies.

Topic 3: How to Create a Powerful Brand Branding may be the single important key to success in today’s highly competitive world of commerce. Barbara Corcoran is known for having build the most successful real estate brand in New York City, and now she reveals easy to follow tips on how she does it: how to create an image much bigger that reality; how to use the press to get free publication” how to turn yourself into the go-to expert in your field. Barbara shares her personal advice, insights and anecdotes on creating a powerful brand.

“Barbara excites and inspires with her success stories. She is personable and energetic and our attendees thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to hear from her and meet her!”

—Diane McClendon, Executive Director, Dalls HR and The HRSouthwest Conference

“With her wit, wisdom and wild sense of humor, Barbara wowed the professional women at our 2014 NAPW National Networking Conference! An absolute major force in the business world, she is a bold, courageous, and brilliant identifier of opportunity and talent. Her business counsel left our conference attendees in awe and completely inspired. I am proud and honored to call Barbara my friend and colleague.”
–Star Jones, President, National Association of Professional Women & Professional Diversity Network (NASDAQ:IPDN)

“Barbara brings a priceless level of charm, humor, and intelligence. She has the ability to inspire and connect deeply with her audience. Everyone left the session with great excitement to put Barbara’s takeaways into practice”

—Stacey Cohen, President & CEO, Co-Communications, Inc.

“Barbara was, of course, FABULOUS! She really set the bar high for our speaker series and we have no idea how we’re going to “top” her next year!”

—Kimberly Howes, Brand Manager, First Commerce Credit Union

“Barbara Corcoran is the real deal! Tough, sweet, honest, smart, generous, and very gracious, there’s no one else like her.  I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like and admire Barbara!”

—Sue Solomon, Associate Director, Talks, 92nd Street Y

“Barbara’s intriguing, comical, and inspiring message resonated with everyone and was ranked as one of the top keynote presentations we’ve ever offered.”

—Monica Grinage Cooper, CMP, Event Program Manager, International Facility Management Association

“How do you leave an impression on 400 real estate professionals in your community?  Invite Barbara Corcoran to speak at your event! Entertaining, engaging, and above all, relatable, she crafted a show that left the audience on their feet.”

—Stephanie Molinelli, Director of Marketing, TEG Federal Credit Union

“Barbara is the most entertaining, relatable speaker we have ever encountered!  Her sense of humor, quick wit and extreme business savvy won over everyone in attendance.  An inspiring business woman, the Shark Tank stories will keep you in stitches and clamoring for more!”

—Tiffany McQuaid, Owner, McQuaid & Company

“Barbara Corcoran was dynamic, entertaining, and motivating.  Her engaging personality, rags to riches story, sales experience and commitment to excellence resonated with all of our attendees.”

—Cindy Nachman-Senders, Senior Consultant, Meetings & Conventions, Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America

“I can honestly say that Barbara gave one of the most engaging presentations I’ve seen. The audience absolutely loved her. Barbara was a true professional and delivered an excellent message.”

—Judy Kawamoto, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Student Life, Bryant University

KeyBank has been our partner for 12 years, and we’ve had incredible speakers –Barbara Corcoran really tops them all!”

—Dr. Marsha Gordon, President and CEO of the Business Council of Westchester

By taking the time to understand our models and the challenges facing our franchises, your keynote was powerful, on track, needed, and well worth it.”

—Tracy Christman, Budget Blinds, Inc.

Thank you for being our keynote speaker. We were thoroughly impressed by your candor and authenticity, and the lessons you shared with us were meaningful and practical. The most frequent comment received from your audience was that everyone felt as if they had known you for years, you were one of us. — Regina Bedoya, Executive Women of the Palm Beaches Leadership Awards

Barbara spoke at our officers’ conference with people from 16 countries in attendance. She was utterly charming, sensible, and funny. Her insights about the real estate market spill over into personal career development and everyday economics. She’s the one people remember.”

—George Lancaster, Senior Vice President, Hines Development

Barbara Corcoran addressed–or ‘wowed’–a standing-room-only crowd at More Magazine’s Convention. Barbara told her story to much laughter and applause, with the audience swarming her as she left the podium, asking for autographs and advice. A combination of high energy and high takeaway value, Barbara was a tremendous hit.”

—Judith Coyne, Executive Editor of MORE Magazine

Barbara instantly connected with our audience and delivered an entertaining, enthusiastic, and insightful presentation. She took the time to understand our business and provided ideas that our sales team can implement when they return to their markets. I’ve had the good fortune of hearing some of the best speakers in the world, and if you’re looking for someone with real world experience to ignite your sales team, I can’t think of anyone who would be a better choice.”

—Todd Walker, Senior VP Sales & Operations, The Real Estate Book

Your remarks were everything we hoped they would be and contained the uplifting and inspiring messages that we felt were so important for our audience to hear.”

—San Francisco Association of Realtors

Barbara was the guest speaker at our Annual Sales Meeting of about 200 publishers and sales professionals from across North America. She exceeded our expectations in her easy and entertaining way. Barbara was a total home run for us. — Scott Dixon, President of the Real Estate Division, Network Communications, Inc.

The most refreshing thing about Barbara Corcoran is that she speaks from both the head and the heart. Her keynote address to our group of small business women was full of humor, inspiration, and real tips for creating success. Our attendees left with a real sense of “I can do this,” and that came from Barbara’s ability to reach out to her audience, connect with them, and fill them up with all the possibilities that the future has to offer. She is definitely going to be a tough act to follow!”

—Leigh O’Donnell, Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild, President

Barbara Corcoran is one of the most dynamic speakers I have ever had the pleasure of working with. She captivated our audience, made them laugh and gave real word advice that motivated and inspired.”

—Dave Dee, Chief Marketing Officer Glazer-Kennedy Insider’s Circle

Barbara single-handedly made our conference a smashing success! Her keynote was delivered with knowledge, solid advice, humor, warmth, and humility. She was eager to interact with everyone who attended and they loved her!”

—Janet Harris-Lange, President National Women Business Owners Corporation.