One of the sharks on Shark Tank is Barbara Corcoran.  I really like her. She always has great questions for the entrepreneurs and she has a great eye for smart ideas. Reading her bio on the ABC website I found that she authored a book.  So, being a curious student of life, I jumped out to buy it. (I bought the first release Use What You’ve Got, but her book has also been re-released with the title: If You Don’t Have Big Breasts, Put Ribbons on Your Pigtails).

Barbara’s book is presented in a unique format – she enlightens us with funny stories from her childhood (she is one of 10! children), the lessons she learned from her mother growing up, and then explains how those lessons translate into the workplace.

I found Barbara’s book both entertaining and informative. She started her career with $1,000 given to her and turned it into a five billion dollar company. Her story is one that tells how hard work, having a good business sense, hiring the best team and keeping them motivated can lead to success.

She covers the highs and the lows of her career, from the extravagant parties she held to celebrate the hard work of her team, to the time where she froze giving her opening remarks of a presentation in front of an audience of 800 people, which unexpectedly, led to one of her greatest finds. 

Simply, Barbara was fearless as a child and grew to be a fearless successful leader.  Her book is easy to read, quite comical at times (she wrote her full name in wet concrete and didn’t think she’d get caught), and teaches how to be successful, all in one.  Not only would this book be great for anyone in real estate, it would also benefit entrepreneurs and corporate leaders, anyone in sales, marketing, or human resources. She even provides a bonus section titled “What I wish every salesperson knew” in the final pages of the book.

Finally, I applaud Barbara’s mother, Florence Corcoran, for believing in each of her 10 kids and celebrating their individuality – what a great role model. She saw the talent in each of her children and encouraged them to practice what they were great at.  Her lessons are now valuable to us all.

Have you read Barbara’s book and have a favorite chapter? Do you have a book similar to Barbara’s that you recommend?