How This 76 Year Old Turned $1,000 Into a $66M Empire!

excuse me ma'am yes question for you I know who you are yeah you're that handsome guy but what are you doing in this jacket I got to ask you real quick how old were you when you became a millionaire 46 46 and and what's the most amount of money that you've ever made in one year $66 million cash and I haven't spent it yeah you made that in a year no I made that in a day you made that in one day how yes I did I sold the business I built the cork group and

that's what they paid me now I came all the way out to New York City to ask you how you got rich and how somebody watching can become rich in today's world could we interview you for a minute real quick yeah but how about we interview inside cuz it's a little cold out today do you mind is that okay yeah I was just in my office over here okay how can somebody become a multi-millionaire in today's work I would say you guys we just got to New York City and we're about to go meet up

with an interview one of the most iconic New York City entrepreneurs of all time Barbara corkrin a lot of you guys have seen her on Shark Tank where she's investing millions of dollars into businesses but a lot of you guys don't know that she herself is a New York City business Mogul in fact a couple years ago she sold a business for over $60 million so we're going to go meet up with Barbara and go figure out how she got rich her secrets are becoming financially free and how you can become wealthy just like Barbara

in today's world so let's go meet up with Barbara and go see what she has to say come [Music] on this James Barbara so nice to meet you James where you get that code I think I got it from Zara thank you so much I appreciate that they have the best coats they do have a lot of girls shot there I don't have a good taste enough to shot there thank you for uh allowing us to come out here and interview you we really appreciate it have no choice this said you're coming over yeah we're

huge fans of your so it means a lot really we really appreciate it do a great job thank you I love your Shaquille O'Neal I watch it like five times I I'm just locked on him I wish he was my husband yeah you like Shaq I love him and he loves me yeah I love that that's awesome but you know what I said he did such a great job I have to be better than him I am competitive yeah I love that I love that that's awesome who am I here with today Barbara corkran and

for those that don't know what industry did you decide to pursue a career in real estate all the way but I've recently been a shark on Shark Tank all different Industries how did you even get on the Shark Tank how does that work what was that process oh that was a weird weird ride well I got chosen for Shark Tank I signed the contract for Shark Tank I got fired by shark tank and I lost my seat and regained it before the first day I was on the set it was a roller coaster ride how'd

you regain it um good at persuading people I wrote the producer an a vivid email and told me he had made a mistake I thought his rejection was a lucky charm that everything in my life that was a rejection was a lucky charm and he should invite both ladies out to compete for the seat and I won the seat now you were also business partners with Donald Trump yes I I saw well not really business partners I worked a lot with the man yeah but I saw in an interview you said that he was one

of the greatest salesperson or he was the greatest salesp person that you ever saw yeah what did you learn from doing business with him I learned that flies if you're selling it's okay people will believe it that's what I learned from Donald Trump were you were you a good saleswoman I was a phenomenal salesperson I made most of the money in my company but I didn't want to the key to really getting ahead like Shaquille said not to quot him delegation I love when he said that's the key you were good at bringing people in

I'm great at hiring the right people motivating the right people getting to climb mountains for me and loving me all along the way and kissing my ass come on I'm good at people I actually I wanted to go back to that one you you said that it's okay for for to fly a little bit can you kind of break that one down a little bit more oh with to Donald Trump I learned from him that you could really just say what you want and somebody in the room's going to believe it I used to think

you had to be really buttoned up and good at what you were saying and state it exactly as it is I learned from him you don't have to State it like it is people will buy it now let's say you have a prospective client who maybe they're on the fence maybe they're leaning towards a no how do you get them over to a yes what was your secret to sales part of it is I took the deal away which is good cuz everybody always wants what they can't get their hands on I would I say

gee I'm so sorry I heard somebody just took it all of a sudden they want the property you know I would investigate what the offers were and let them know that there were offers on the property urgency is a great motivator and most importantly I would listen to what they said they wanted and I would read between the lines and know what they really wanted CU buyers are liars they don't mean to be but they don't really tell the truth and it's your job as a real estate agent any middle guy making a deal any

negotiation to figure out the truth of the deal and like you said you you kind of have to take some of that that deal away you don't have to but I found it was a very good trick to take the deal away now at your business throughout your career what was the most amount of money that you made a single year $66 million in a day in one day what happened that day it was a good day I sold the Corker group and I made $66 million cash I put in my checking account so you

sold a business for $66 million good now as somebody who exited a business for over $60 million you've been at the table with some very Heavy Hitters what is your best negotiation advice for anybody in business you've got to learn to listen people are so busy talking they miss the whole game you got to learn to listen them harder you you listen the better you are to make a deal is there anything specifically that you're looking for to be able to ask them questions about like could you kind of explain the you hear a lot

of successful people they all say we got two years in one mouth so we got to listen what are you listening for exactly I'm really always listening for the motivation if you get to the motivation of a deal you can make the deal because you know what the real secret is what pieces you have to put in place if you don't know what's motivating that guy it's just guess work also timing is so important I remember I almost sold my business one year for $2 million I turn it down but two years later I sold

my business for 66 million timing is everything same business same principle timing is everything guys this interview with Barbara has been incredible and we're about to get right back to the interview but before we do that I have a question to ask you are you struggling right now in your business or your career are you in the exact same position the exact same place now that you were 6 months ago a year from now maybe even a couple years ago you need to realized this sentence right here nothing changes if nothing changes if you are

still getting advice from the same people you have been for years that are not in the places that you want to be you are never going to become successful but a lot of you guys may ask how do I actually find a mentor how do I get around people that are in the places that you want to be well I have something for you so a couple months ago I launched and built what has now become the greatest and the number one community in the entire world for business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs and you can

see right here guys we're the number one Community for business money and Entrepreneurship on the school platform and the reason why we're the number one Community is because every single week I bring in the multi-millionaires and the billionaires that I interview on this channel to directly Mentor you and answer all of your questions about your career your business how to start and scale that company how to Market how to sell for example I've had the CEO of 7-Eleven come in and Mentor our community and answer your questions I've had myin golden one of the most

iconic salesman and digital marketers of all time coming in Mentor our community how about Even Steven kubeck the billionaire that sold his company for $2.2 billion to Hilton guys if you want to learn directly from Millionaires and billion like this every week to help you grow your business to help you leave that 9 to5 to help you learn every skill that you need to become successful waste no more time go down to the link in the description of this video and you can join the community today for free come check it out come get Metro

from a millionaire or a billionaire I can't wait to see you on the inside but with that being said let's get back to the video that's another thing cuz you hear a lot of successful people talk about how important timing is what told you to wait to exit that business cuz you could have taken a couple million dollars and you know been comfortable for quite for for a while for a year or two that's about it yeah what were you looking for in the market that told you you know what I'm going to wait and

I'm going to exit this thing for way more more money I was looking for more money if they had offered me 66 million I would have sold it then but they didn't they offered two million you started out in the real estate business with a $1,000 loan and you turned it into an absolute Empire what was your secret to creating wealth in real estate looking back at your career going back to when you were starting out at 21 years old what was your formula that you used to accumulate wealth in real estate I had a

vision that I was going to be the queen of New York real estate I could see it I could touch it I knew what color clothes I was wearing I could see it In Living Color and it was always my guide and I just believed it would happen I just believed it would happen the whole time how did you find that self-belief to go make millions of dollars cuz a lot of people they doubt themselves they struggle with kind of overcoming those limiting beliefs how did you find that self-belief well I had 22 jobs and

I knew if it didn't work out I could always get my old job back so that's pretty good and I knew it was pretty happy poor so that was no big deal but I think I think I just saw it I dreamed and I saw it and I just believed it I don't know maybe I shouldn't have but I did now were you primarily focusing on residential commercial or what was your vehicle all residential in my business year why residential because residential people need a place to live I felt there was always a need for

it and through highs and in the New York City Marketplace people always need a place to live so I figured I could always make a buck so in 2025 what do you think is the best part of real estate people should be looking to buy let's say a young person they've got 100 Grand put to the side they want to start making that money work for them where would you put that money in today I would put in a two family house live in half F and get the other people the suckers paying the rent

and paying off the mortgage no I think it's very important to get in the game early I tried to get in the game when I was 27 I bought a studio in grage village and in a month I got scared and I purposely failed the board do you know it took me eight years to to catch up to the market I couldn't afford the market you have to get in the game early so you have a chit to trade up on now there's that saying that concentration builds well can you slow down a little yeah

yeah I got you I got you I I'm coming rapid fire I'm kidding you chose your rapid fire for sure this is amazing though so there's a saying that concentration builds wealth and diversification keeps it at what point do you think an entrepreneur should diversify or are you just a proponent of just going deep and going all in on one thing I don't really believe in that of diversification because it doesn't work for me I do what I do well I of course invest in all kinds of businesses but I only invest in the kinds

of people that I think I can make money with I judge the entrepreneur it's pretty simple I look at the entrepreneur and I think it's a great entrepreneur it's a great business it always is but if you were starting over again in 2025 what industry would you get into in today's world let's say somebody they're coming out of school what industry would you get into in 2025 probably not the smartest industry to decide this way but I would decide on something I loved when when you have a passion for your business or your product you

always do well so I would go in the flower business I've never been in the flower business I'd like to give it a hand I like that do you yeah I'll give you free flowers I'll I'll take them happily I'll take them happily you're known for spotting winning entrepreneurs yes what's the number one trait that you look for in somebody a Founder that tells you that person's going to be successful you want to invest in them somebody who's going to get it back up the only difference between good people and phenomenal people is the ability

to get back up so I'm always looking for that trait if I have that trait and that guy's got fire in his belly or that girl has fire in her belly I've got a winner is that an eight do you think or can you develop that over time or do you think that you're you're either born with it or you're not I think it can be developed or exaggerated but I think a lot of it is your born with it not everybody's a Salesman you have to be a Salesman to be an entrepreneur you have

to sell your product you have to be a Salesman you have to judge people well you have to make the right calls you have to have a good Acumen for business there's a lot that goes into being an entrepreneur it's not born with a lot of people was there an investment you made that surprised you oh yeah oh to tell story I bought a 12 unit motel in the countryside I actually bought it for my ex-husband which was a mistake he did nothing with it but the people had position as a great rent roll a

nice juicy rent roll once I got in there as the owner I found out no one had paid the rents into years I buried it one year later with a bulldozer and it was the right thing to do I lost some money goodbye money I never made that mistake again so you've lost some money before I always lose money who cares it's all long game it's like what you get in the end what you do in the meantime how much fun you could have nah the winning and losing the money is not the important part

so having the fun getting to go up and down and up and down it's it's really a bless what city would you go to in today's what if you were starting your first business probably uh Pittsburgh by Pittsburgh Pittsburgh is great right now Pittsburgh is like a young New York it's got all young people well educated it's got tons of businesses moving in a lot of medical moving in there a lot of technology is taking over the town and has a friendly government they love landlords that's where you want to be if you're a landlord

was there ever a time that you were doubted in business oh come on what's my middle name doubt is part of it yeah doubted from the very beginning I was dated by the old boy Network the rich guys who own all the businesses in town no women were in the field you have to appreciate that but uh that was to my advantage but they didn't want me in that old boys club but I got in the old boys club I was doubted by Donald Trump when I sold his biggest property he ever soul and he

said you'll never see a penny of that $4 million commission he doubted my ability to Su and win the commission I was doubted by Mark berett saying I wasn't going to get the seat on Shark Tank and I wrote him told him exactly why I was going to be the best girl in that seat you have to stand up for yourself the minute you have doubt you should use it for motivation and push ahead because it actually does give you motivation if you look at it the right way oh that was incredible yeah yeah you're

you're a schmoozer get that in the tape you're a schoer yeah and you have pretty eyes I could see why Shaquille was into you I appreciate that how important is it to choose the right life partner how important is that decision it's the most important call you'll ever make when you have a good life partner when you have a good business partner you double your chances of success why would you go through life with the wrong partner it's no fun I almost did that with my first husband what happened I decided to leave I pulled

out of my Porsche one day and said see you baby see you yeah well what was I guess the biggest red flag that you saw from that first marriage that you kind of took on with you after that and maybe to kind of give that advice to somebody that they're starting to date in today's world right you kind of have that experience what's what's a red flag in a partner that we never fought we never spoke honestly and he had a little too much to drink most nights bed I saw him as an alcoholic 10

years later which is what happened and uh we never talked not really talked you have to talk to somebody you need a soulmate in your corner you know you just need that soulmate for the bad times my husband's a pain in the neck but he's sure great in the bad times you got to find somebody that's part of the solution not the problem well that would be a nice way to do but very often they don't feel like the solution they just feel like a pain in the ass but you stick with it and see

where it goes right how how old are you now how what how old are you now 25 25 years old yeah so if if you're not laughing at me are you no no I believe you okay good I thought you laughing I thought I saw a smile definitely not definitely not but but if you were to go back in time when you were coming out of school right if you would to go back in time and have a conversation with your 20-year-old self what's the best advice you tell to your younger self I would have

told myself that the all the fs and D's that I got in school didn't Mount to anything that all you really didn't to do is use your mouth or use what asset you had to get ahead I would have told myself not to be so scared but in a way I was so scared have probably helped me succeed cuz the most insecure people usually build the biggest businesses they're not really healthy yeah so you w a great student in school oh no but I was Charming the report my parents always got was she's so nice

but she's not very smart I'm actually not very nice and I am very smart I've learned but you're an expert Communicator though un let's say somebody they don't have a lot of credibility maybe they don't have an established family or great relationships how can somebody start leveraging their communication skills to start getting in front of the right people well you have the advantage of being a nobody's putting pressure on you to be somebody else you could be authentic to yourself and you could communicate in your own style and decide exactly what direction you want to

go and you're free free as a bird I'm so thankful I didn't have affluent parents I was free at 18 getting out of that house quitting my job as a waitress and starting a business I mean a rich kid couldn't do that you know they think what will people think of me or maybe not get the job as a waitress or whatever I had none of that I could do whatever I wanted I was a whole person when I was very young and your last message to somebody watching this right now try to become Barber

worker and wealthy in today's world how can somebody become a multi-millionaire in today's world give give them one last nugget one last gem to take with them from this interview this was incredible I would say be yourself you have to authentically be yourself people know the difference the minute I became myself and stopped with the fancy hair and shed not to be the fancy lady to fit in my bus assumed and that's always been true Everyone likes to do authentic real deal you got to be yourself build on what you have if you were to

start from zero and you had one year to make a million dollars in your life depending on it what would you do I wouldn't think I would make a million dollars a year honestly I would sell apples on the corner and make $50,000 in the first month bill from there you got amazing advice thank you so much for your time I'm not going to hug you like Shaquille did see I'm competing let me hug you that was Aug thank you that was excellent yeah that was incredible that talk as fast as it actually looks does

it am I you might need to slow down no you don't have to slow down that's the charm of it it moves quicker and you know what the other Charmers is I don't know if you got my message just say you had the best questions you gave it thought you know I get questions the same old all the time they're all redundant all you're not that way you got your fresh questions that's what keeps your podcast great not it's not called podcast whatever it is it's just different cuz I mean it's like it's it's its

own thing I think it's like one of kind you know yeah but you probably tailor your questions to exactly who you interview most people don't bother they have their questions and they kind what else could I ask no it was clear you gave it thought I said who some good questions thank you so much I appreciate that you work hard nothing's wrong with over preparing right absolutely guys this interview with Barbara was one of my favorite videos that I've ever done from start to finish from talking about real estate to finance to investing to entrepreneurship

she was incredible so I need you guys to do me a favor and like And subscribe for amazing content I've got coming every single week at the School of Hard Knocks and like I said earlier if you are not a member yet of my entrepreneur Community the number one community in the entire world for business owners and entrepreneurs you are missing out because you can join for free today by going down to the link in the description of this video and like I said guys the reason why it's the biggest and number one Community for

business owners in the entire world is because every single week the people that join you have the ability to get mentored from the Millionaires and the billionaires that I interview on this channel every single week so come in and join what do you think would happen to your life if you could hop on a live call and ask a specific question to an entrepreneur like Barbara and the most successful business owners guys in a ton of different Industries so come and en join today for free and get mentored by the most successful people in the

entire world and watch your life change I can't wait to see you on the inside like I said go down to the link in the description of this video video to join the school of mentors today and with that being said I'll see you in the next video