“Shark Tank” star Barbara Corcoran has a sense of humor. She must: an incredibly successful real estate mogul, she’s the author of three books, including my favorite title, If You Don’t Have Big Breasts, Put Ribbons on Your Pigtails.

Yikes!

On her ABC show, which airs its second season finale this Friday, February 5 at 9 p.m., Barbara is on a panel of experts assessing potential business investments. There are some great ideas; and there are some horrible ideas.

Barbara is the only woman on the panel and presents some of the best “Are you out of your mind?” facial expressions to the deer-in-the-headlights, wannabee capitalists.

But she’s also invested in a few good ideas along the way.

Hear it now! AUDIO EXCERPT: “Think of the opportunity and the sheer entertainment value of ‘Shark Tank’! We’re working 11-hour days, listening to pitch after pitch and we’re never bored. It is so fascinating! And then you go home with new business partners. Who would say no to something like that?”

You can LISTEN to this interview with BARBARA CORCORAN, real estate mogul and panelist on ABC’s SHARK TANK, by clicking the audio player above!

November 16, 2009

Gabourey Sidibe is hustling her movie “Precious” in shmattas from some company called Gayla Bentley, which is co-owned by Realtor Barbara Corcoran .

‘Shark Tank’ contestants making millions
“Survivor” touts a $1 million grand prize and the winner of a season of “American Idol” winner can potential rake in millions, yet it’s ABC’s underdog reality show “Shark Tank” that arguably offers the most lucrative prizes for a typical contestant.
Below is list of entrepreneurs’ products pitched during the first eight televised episodes of the Mark Burnett series and how they are faring with (and in some cases, without) the sharks’ help. Here’s the report:

Life Belt (The Lifebelt Safety System)
Outcome: The entrepreneur, who refused a million dollar offer from the Sharks, just signed a 1.7 Million dollar deal with one large automotive dealership. With orders from national retailers (e.g. AutoZone and Hendrick Automotive) Rob is projected to make 30 million dollars by March 2010.

Mr. Tod’s Pie Factory (Sweet Potato and Chocolate Pecan Pies)
Outcome: Mr. Tod’s sales have tripled and he is currently opening a new retail location. Mr. Tod appeared on QVC and sold tens of thousands of dollars worth of his signature pies.

A Perfect Pear (A Jar of Tapenade)
Outcome: Susan’s retail sales have increased by 1,000% and she has been asked to sell her product on QVC.

Stress Free Kids (A Bestselling Children’s Book)
Outcome: Lori’s book, “The Angry Octopus” became one of Amazon’s top selling books and is now available in Borders bookstores nationwide.

Coverplay (Play Yard Liner)
Outcome: Amy and Allison are in final negotiations with the Marriott hotel chain, who is interested in carrying their Coverplay product in all their hotels worldwide.

Pork Barrel BBQ (Award Winning BBQ Sauce and Dry Rub)
Outcome: Before appearing on “Shark Tank,” Brett and Heath had their BBQ products in only three specialty stores, now they’re are in 300 supermarkets on east coast and will soon be available on the shelves of Costco. In addition to their retail success, Brett and Heath have also broken ground on their first Pork Barrel BBQ restaurant.

Treasure Chest Pets (Stuffed Animal with Hidden Compartments)
Outcome: Lisa recently closed a deal to sell her products online at “Bed, Bath and Beyond”, and in “Buy Buy Baby” retail stores.

Voyage Air Guitars (A Guitar That Folds in Half)
Outcome: After turning down a half million dollar offer from the Sharks, Jeff Cohen set out to make his unique folding guitar a household name. Now Jeff’s sales have doubled and he will have his guitar featured in 18 million catalogs e.g. Hammacher Schlemmer. Voyage Air Guitars are also in the hands of celebrity musicians like Brad Paisley and Alan Jackson.

I dig SHARK TANK; it’s the rare reality show with actual stakes. Instead of competing to date a washed-up celebrity, people watch their dreams live or die depending on the deals they get (or don’t) from investors. Tonight a mogul-to-be tries to score cash for a golf club you pee in. See, I told you this show was awesome.

- Dalton Ross

Whether you’re a fan of so-called “reality” television, few will argue much of it is far removed from real life.

A washed-up celebrity chooses from a group of opportunists vying for his affections, a marginally famous family airs their dirty laundry to the nation or average joes compete to be the next superstar chef or model or singer – hardly everyday occurrences.

One reality show, however, goes beyond the genre. On ABC’s new hit, “Shark Tank,” entrepreneurs seeking capital are given the chance to pitch their innovative business concepts, products, properties and services to “sharks” in hopes of landing a deal.

Although funding is the primary objective, the expertise of the eclectic mix of moguls could bring about bigger rewards such as marketing, distributing, manufacturing, etc.

But they don’t call the five real-life, tough investors sharks for nothing. On more than one show, I’ve seen them turn on each other, trying to out maneuver the other and go in for the kill.

And from what I hear, it’s not much different from actual venture capital deals.

“It’s almost identical to real life,” said Barbara Corcoran, real estate tycoon and my personal favorite shark. “It’s condensed for TV and unlike real life, we don’t have advanced information.”

Corcoran said she almost didn’t get the gig, but in true predator fashion, she fought for her spot.

“After I was rejected, I wrote back a strong e-mail,” she said. “The other woman was half my age and better endowed, but once I got started, I held my own.”

She said it took her a few episodes to get into her groove, because she’d listened to the Hollywood advice instead of trusting her gut.

“I kept the humor and smiled and decided to just be myself,” she said. After all, that’s what helped her parlay a $1,000 loan into a $5 billion real estate business.

But much like the real deals, money is at stake and lives are changed by the outcomes.

Bloomfield, Ind., native Sawyer Sparks successfully pitched an idea for a soy-based molding dough product. He ended up with $300,000 – $100,000 each from three of the investors for a 51 percent interest in his product – Soy-Yer-Dough.

One of the aspects I like best about the show is the unpredictability.
And that’s what roots it in reality, said executive producer Clay Newbill.

“This is real people with real ideas who are passionate about their businesses,” he said. “Even if the idea doesn’t seem like it’s the most profitable, the entrepreneurs have to sell it … They have to have a fire in their belly.”

Perhaps that’s what drew several sharks to two University of Arizona graduates who were looking to grow their Internet start-up. Called Notehall, the online note-sharing site allowed students to buy and sell lecture notes and study outlines. The entrepreneurs said they’ve taken steps to preclude the sharing of tests or information that could constitute cheating.
The confidence the team showed in their service got the sharks fighting among themselves. In the end, Corcoran emerged victorious, despite her lack of knowledge in the field.

And it wasn’t just her money that attracted them to her – it also was her humanness. With Corcoran, the guys expected to thrive, not just survive.
“That’s the draw, half of what sells the idea is the person – from both perspectives,” said Newbill. “Another important aspect is strategy.”
One example he pointed out was an exercise video pitch in which the company asked for too much money.

“They may have made a deal if they’d started with a third of what they asked for,” said Newbill, adding that $700,000 was a lot to invest in unknowns in such a competitive industry.

What happens after the cameras are turned off is probably just as interesting to viewers.

That’s why the show is keeping tabs on the contestants, said Newbill. A second season that’s planned, but not yet confirmed by the network, will follow some of those deals.

And they’ll be looking for more business owners willing to dive into the shark tank – if they dare.

ABOUT THE SHOW -
“Shark Tank” airs 8-9 p.m. Tuesdays on ABC.
The Sharks of “Shark Tank” are real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran, “infomercial” industry pioneer Kevin Harrington, technology innovator Robert Herjavec, fashion icon Daymond John and financial expert Kevin O’Leary.
To view past episodes or to become a contestant, go to www.abc.com.

By Kate O’Hare on October 12, 2009 11:13 AM

Today’s cuppa: Irish breakfast tea chased with office coffee

Back on Sept. 13, Washington, D.C., insiders Heath Hall and Brett Thompson went into ABC’s “Shark Tank” — new episodes air Tuesday — in search of funding for their company, Pork Barrel BBQ. They were seeking $50,000 for 10 percent of their barbecue sauce and rub business, but in the end, after some tough negotiations, they got the cash from “Shark” and real-estate mogul Barbara Corcoran — in exchange for 50% of the business.

Corcoran even said to Hall, “I can’t look at you without picturing you in a pig costume.”

But the boys survived and persevered (even catching the attention of the U.K. Telegraph) — and here’s a Q&A update on the post-”Shark Tank” progress…

Q: What’s happened to your business since the influx of cash from Barbara?

Heath (in red T-shirt below) – Since getting our deal with Barbara on “Shark Tank,” we’ve been able to prove that the free market is alive and well. Pork Barrel BBQ products are now available in over 130 stores, we’ve announced the opening of our first Pork Barrel BBQ restaurant, and we are even in talks to produce Pork Barrel BBQ frozen meals.

Brett (in blue T-shirt below) – Since we were on “Shark Tank,” we’ve been able to take a huge step towards making Pork Barrel BBQ a nationwide brand. In addition to being picked up by major grocery store chains like Harris Teeter and Ukrops, we’ve had the chance to sell our products at Costco. We are proud to show that Pork Barrel BBQ, a company that isn’t owned or operated by the federal government, can still succeed in these difficult economic times.

Q: What else in the way of advice or inspiration has Barbara offered?

Heath – You can’t look at Barbara’s story and not be inspired – she is a true American success story! She took a $1,000 investment and turned it into a company worth billions of dollars. In the few short months we’ve been working with her, I can already tell that she is a steam engine, and if you’re on the track, you’re going to get run over. She is a smart, savvy, and a driven business partner – exactly what Pork Barrel BBQ was looking for.

Brett - Barbara is the most savvy, hardworking businesswoman I’ve ever met. Her energy and “can do” attitude keeps us very focused on our goal to bring Pork Barrel BBQ’s “Monumental Flavor” to the entire nation!

Q: As entrepreneurs, what would you want first from Congress if you had your druthers in terms of legislation, regulations or relaxation of regulations?

Heath - Small business is the economic engine that runs America and has made us a world leader for so many years. If Congress doesn’t begin to lessen the tax burden and loosen the regulatory burden placed on so many small businesses, I fear that we’ll see fewer and fewer Americans take the necessary risks associated with small-business creation. The first thing I’d like to see Congress do is repeal the death tax, which penalizes Americans for following their dreams and unduly burdens them for investing in and building successful businesses.

Brett - I am amazed at how much time we spend complying with federal, state and local regulations – it leaves almost no time to sell Pork Barrel BBQ sauce and rub!

Q: What is the entrepreneurial-funding situation out there? Was “Shark Tank” really your last resort?

Heath – In today’s economy, it is very difficult to get the necessary capital it takes to start a small business. We sought funding to help get Pork Barrel BBQ off the ground from a number of sources before we found a bank that would give us a small-business loan. Without the exposure from “Shark Tank” and financial assistance from Barbara, Pork Barrel BBQ might have been a short-lived dream.

Brett – Like so many small businesses, we have a lot of our own money in the company. The combination of being on “Shark Tank” and Barbara’s investment really gave us our big break. I just look at the main street in my hometown and see how businesses are struggling to keep their shops open – a chance like “Shark Tank” is really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Q: What’s the favorite flavor of the folks at the Heritage Foundation?

Heath - My coworkers at The Heritage Foundation have been very bipartisan in choosing a favorite between the rub and the sauce (I think some have even stuffed the ballot box voting once for the rub and once for the sauce). It looks like we might have to take this vote to the Supreme Court and have them decide a winner.

Q: BBQ is often associated with Texas or the Deep South, but what does Missouri bring to the table in terms of BBQ culture and history?

Heath – The great thing about BBQ is just how diverse it is and how many styles there are, but if you are from Missouri, you believe that Kansas City BBQ is king. For more than 100 years many have called Kansas City the “Barbecue Capital of the World.” There are well over 100 barbecue joints in the area (including legends like Gates and Sons Bar-B-Q and Arthur Bryant’s), and Kansas City is host to the American Royal Barbecue Contest – one of the two biggest Barbecue contests in the world. Kansas City BBQ has a resume that would proudly stand in the same interview line as resumes from Memphis, Texas and the Carolinas.

Q: If you become BBQ moguls, will you abandon politics?

Heath – The founding principles that have allowed this grand experiment called the United States to flourish for more than 200 years is the reason I even have a chance to become a BBQ mogul. Other American moguls like Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Mellon stayed active in government and politics, and I plan to do the same. For the American system to continue to work, we all must be active participants or this grand experiment won’t last for future generations. However, I won’t be asking Congress for a bailout – that I promise!

Brett - I think Heath’s answer is the most political I’ve ever read – which is a clear indicator that we never will – or could – abandon politics.

Q: Which political figures do you think would most enjoy a good BBQ (and which would you most like to cook for)?

Heath – I have yet to meat a politician that didn’t love great BBQ. In politics, you always have half of the people loving you and the other half hating you, but in BBQ it seems like everyone is backing you regardless of ideology. In 1769, George Washington wrote an entry into his diary saying he “went up to Alexandria to a ‘barbicue.’” Our first Pork Barrel BBQ restaurant will be opening in Alexandria, Va., in the spring and I’d love to get the chance have the Father of our Country come back to Alexandria for another “barbicue.”

Brett - I can’t believe Heath chose George Washington – I think our BBQ has a real role to play in solving our nation’s current problems. We created Pork Barrel BBQ to help bridge the partisan divide and unify our nation. We are confident that many of our nation’s problems can be solved if our elected officials would take time to talk about common sense solutions while eating Pork Barrel BBQ.

Q: Has the “pig costume” comment had any lingering effects?

Heath – Barbara’s comment regarding the pig costume has generated a number of reactions. Some thought it was mean and generated a lot of sympathy, and others thought it was funny and view it as a real improvement for me. I’m just having fun with it and have garnered a whole new level of respect for mascots – it gets hot in those suits! I’m still waiting to see if Barbara will join me at an event in a shark costume?

Brett – Heath has such a great attitude – I’m so happy to have him as my business partner, but I’m even happier that I don’t have to wear a pig costume.

Posted Sep 29th 2009 by Beth Cooney Fitzpatrick

Photo: Courtesy ABC

New York City real estate tycoon Barbara Corcoran has earned the right to eye her investment prospects like a shark staring down prey.

As a young woman, Corcoran borrowed a $1,000 loan from a boyfriend and parlayed it into a real estate empire she eventually sold for a whopping $70 million. (Not bad for someone who admits to “D” grades in high school).

Corcoran is one of the five mega-millionaires starring in ABC’s “Shark Tank,” which starts its new season at 8 p.m. tonight (Sept. 29). She’ll be the lone woman in the group of power-brokers, who consider investing on the businesses of aspiring entrepreneurs who hope to make it big.

Corcoran has definite personal style — feminine but all business. We asked her about it, and, not surprisingly, she has some well-thought out ideas on the topic.

StyleList: Your clothes always read serious, but you manage to work in feminine details. How did you cultivate your professional style?

Corcoran: “My mantra with clothes is make it easy. I approach it by a process of elimination. I only like saturated colors. I don’t like prints. I wear things that compliment my skin tone. I like strong blues. I like strong pinks. I wore a lot of red in real estate. Basically, I keep my wardrobe down to about six colors and I wear white t-shirts with everything. I have about 12, so one is always clean. I like a neutral shoe and a white skirt. They elongate my legs. I have short legs. I think it is nice to show some leg and in my case, have it seem a little longer than it really is..”

StyleList: Color? You wore a lot of dark clothes when “Shark Tank.” made its debut this summer.

Corcoran: In real life, I dress nothing like I do on “Shark Tank.” In fact, when I’m not working, I can be a slob. I don’t have a stylist for the show, but the producers (including “Survivor” creator Mark Burnett) want me in black or gray, because a shark is dark. They also want us to coordinate with the set. I don’t love it, but I agree with the concept. It looks good on television. It just doesn’t flatter me much. I wear my own jewelry, which is how I work in some feminine detail. It is impossible to look soft in a black outfit.

StyleList: You wrote a book called, “If You Don’t Have Big Breasts, Tie Ribbons to Your Pigtails.” The message was?

Corcoran: When I was 17 I had a job as a waitress. My competition was another waitress who was a blonde bombshell with these Dolly Parton breasts. She used to balance coffee cups on her chest. I couldn’t compete. I told my mom about how discouraged I was and that was her advice. I did what Mom told me and kind of played the feminine innocent. Some of my customers, especially the men, liked it. It made me seem all virginal and sweet. I started to get more tips and give the girl with the boobs some real competition. It was a real lesson in making the most of what you have.

StyleList: You interviewed thousands of job candidates for your former real estate company, the Corcoran Group. Can we have some advice for dressing for job interviews, especially in this economy?

Corcoran: Dress the next level up. Say you are applying for a job as a legal secretary, then dress like a lawyer. But look feminine. Wear some nice jewelry, a skirt. There is nothing wrong with looking like a woman. It is something a guy can’t do.

StyleList: Which of the male sharks dresses best?

Corcoran: Daymond John (founder of the FuBu clothing line). He looks so great in his custom-made suits with his big diamond stud earrings. He has great style. And he is a very funny, likable man, not at all the quiet, calculating guy you see on the show. And he wouldn’t be wearing a suit in the pit if he didn’t have to. He would prefer just to wear a vest. That’s more him. It is just the show requires something more serious. We have to seem intimidating, like sharks.

On Tuesday, Sept. 29, ABC’s business-reality series “Shark Tank” returns to the schedule on a new night (and at a new time, 8 p.m. ET/PT), aiming to help more hopeful entrepreneurs get some investment capital and be able to chase their piece of the American dream.

Bright and early Monday morning, I got on the phone with three of the five “sharks” (the other two are Daymond John and Kevin O’Leary): real-estate mogul Barbara Corcoran, tech innovator Robert Herjavec and infomercial pioneer Kevin Harrington. Here’s a chunk of our Q&A (Corcoran is BC; Herjavec is RH; Harrington is KH. I’m KO).

KO: Did the experience of doing the show turn out as you expected?

RH: It turned out a lot better. What we’re seeing are investments that really have a potential toShark_Tank_Robert_Herjavec.jpg make a lot of money. We had one investment that we ended up selling within two weeks of it airing. We’ve had other ones that I think are going to go all the way, potentially.

KH: I had a company that went from $8,00 a month to $80,000 a month with the capital that I invested. So that’s great for me to see, that kind of growth in a company in a very short period of time.

BC: The other thing that’s been surprising for me is ‘Shark Tank,’ each week, it’s been the first forum ever created where someone with a great idea, a dream that they kept in their cookie jar or something, could actually come into the tank, pitch their idea and get a bundle of cash. That’s nothing short of an entrepreneurial miracle.

RH: It’s the appeal for the great American Dream. That’s what we’re giving people an opportunity for.

KO: Interestingly, two of the sharks possibly funding that American Dream (Herjavec and O’Leary) began their journey to success in Canada. Despite that, if O’Leary thnks someone isn’t trying hard enough, he’s likely to say, “That’s un-American.” Ironic, no?

BC: Isn’t that funny? I never thought about it that way.

RH: I’m Canadian. In (the Canadian version of the show), he says, ‘That’s so un-Canadian.”

BC: Obviously, he’s got his lines down.

KO: How do your lawyers and accountants feel about you coming on TV and tossing wads of cash at companies you’d never heard of an hour before?

BC: They think we’re smokin’ dope, frankly, that we’re on the air, judging a business in a half-hour, 45 minutes — which winds up being only five minutes on air — that we’re putting our hard-earned money into somebody’s pocket after 45 minutes of trying to size them up. They think we’re total nutjobs.

RH: I’ve never had a business adviser tell me to do the show. They’ve always said, “That’s such a bad idea,’ but there’s a reason people are professional business advisers, and then there’s a reason why I have a few million dollars in the bank. It’s because I take risks, and that’s what this show is about.

KH: But I’m going to say, in my business, if I hit on a certain percentage of winners, then I can make my money overall. If one out of two investments work, if that one is a big one, that can be a big thing for me. So I look at the averages and the percentages when I invest.

KO: As I’ve learned from watching Discovery’s “Pitchmen,” infomercial producers listen to thousands of sometimes very strange pitches from eager inventors. Kevin, what’s this like compared to your real life?

KH: Yeah, when I leave here today, I’ll be taking pitches today, right off the air. So that’s myShark_Tank_Kevin_Harrington.jpg business. For me, it’s a great, natural thing to just turn the cameras on and do it for ABC network, because I do it every day.

BC: And it’s the real deal. He doesn’t do anything differently on camera than he does off-camera, so you’re watching real money, real entrepreneurs, real half-baked or well-baked ideas coming to fruition.

RH: But he does wear a suit and tie. I’m not sure he does that every day.

BC: He cleans up for the show, that’s for sure.

KH: I shave, also.

KO: We’ve heard a lot in the news about greedy financiers coming under siege for throwing a wrench into the works of the banking business, and because of that, what a tough financial climate it has become for young companies to get started. How do you feel about that?

RH: There’s two parts to what you said. Absolutely what we’ve learned is that the typical Wall Street, $20 million a year executive who has no skin in the game — that is under siege, and it should be.

But the small business people that made this country so great are the ones we need to foster. We need to put our money into those people. That’s the beauty of our show, that we’re giving people the chance.

KH: The other thing is, a lot of really good, solid companies are having trouble getting financing. So if they end up on “Shark Tank,” these are good, solid opportunities for us to invest in. The banks may not lend them the money for whatever reason, but now we have the opportunity to get involved with that good, solid company.

BC: A little detail that I never hear mentioned in the press — and it’s a shame because it puts a different spin on small businesses — for every seven jobs created this week in America, one in seven are created by businesses that are less than 60 days old. So look at the power of “Shark Tank” — the ability to create jobs for the guy next door, not just make these entrepreneurs’ dreams come true, but create jobs.

Good businesses that grow need employees, and employees beget other employees. This has a more far-reaching effect. My gosh, we certainly need it right now.

KO: Barbara, what’s it like to be sitting on the set between Herjavec and O’Leary?

RH: It’s impossible. She keeps talking. I never get a word in edgewise. It’s incredible (KO: BTW, all during this, Corcoran is alternately trying to speak and cracking up), how can a woman talk that much?

BC: I can hardly get a word in, and that’s the truth. You know what it’s like? It’s like somebody sent these guys 50 gallons of testosterone and poured it all over their heads, and their muscles bulge out and they’re screaming and yipping and yapping.

And I’m sitting there waiting for my turn. It’s preposterous.

RH: Barbara, I’m so tired of your incessant whining.

BC: They’re great guys off-camera; I just hate them on the set.

KO: What one piece of advice would you give to anybody coming into the tank?

KH: I would say, make sure you value your company the proper way. Don’t ask for too much money.

BC: Show the passion in your belly. I fall for it every time.

RH: Three words: sales, sales, sales.