‘Shark Tank’: Why Barbara Corcoran Thought Being a Millionaire Was ‘Pretty Cool until I Met Mark Cuban’
Barbara Corcoran and Mark Cuban of Shark Tank have partnered on numerous deals together. Often joining forces on the reality show, the two find their separate skill sets greatly complement each other.
In describing some of the strengths of the NBA team owner, Corcoran gave her perspective on how his billionaire status sets him apart from her millionaire ranking.
Mark Cuban’s tech expertise comes in handy
Corcoran commented on Cuban’s strong suits that she finds beneficial when it comes to making a deal.
“Everybody’s got their thing but here’s what Mark’s got,” the real estate guru told Business Insider. “Mark has a deep understanding of technology which enters almost every product today. That’s a huge advantage I don’t have.”
When Corcoran sees her fellow Shark interested in an entrepreneur pitching a technology product or company, she tries to ride his coattails into the venture.
“If he’s on a technology thing, I try to say ‘Me too’ in a creative way so people don’t know I’m just saying ‘Me too,'” she revealed. “Because if he’s putting his bucks into a technology then I figure chances are good it’s probably good.”
‘Shark Tank’ stars can smell a con
Apparently, Corcoran and Cuban share the same quality of being able to tell if someone is a scam artist.
“What Mark also has is my gift,” she said. “I can size people up very readily. Nobody fools me. … I get that from my mom. But Mark also can pick up on a person like that.”
The business icon has no problem spotting a fake and sees Cuban as having the same talent.
“He knows when somebody’s conning him,” Corcoran explained. “He can smell it a mile away as do I.”
Billionaire status impresses Barbara Corcoran
With Cuban being the only billionaire on the Shark Tank panel, Corcoran has discovered how his financial status sets him apart.
“I’ve also learned that when you’re a billionaire, it’s so different then when you’re a millionaire,” Corcoran revealed. “I mean, coming from the rags that I came from, I thought being a millionaire was pretty cool until I met Mark Cuban.”
The Shark Tank star described when she initially teamed up with Cuban on a deal and was close to backing out for fear of losing her investment. Yet Cuban forged ahead.
“I remember the first time I went to Mark on a joint deal and I said ‘Mark you know all this stuff isn’t true,'” Corcoran recalled. “‘I’m not closing on this guy. He fooled us.’ And Mark said, “Ah, you don’t have to close Barb,’ He was in the makeup chair. He says, ‘But I gotta keep my guys at the office busy, so I’m closing.'”
Cuban’s reasoning floored Corcoran. She then realized the tech guru’s impressive financial standing gave him the freedom to take more risks.
“Five hundred thousand dollars to keep your guys at the office busy?” she remarked. “I thought to myself, ‘Yep, that’s a billionaire.'”
ABC’s Shark Tank airs on Friday nights at 9 p.m. ET.
