Why This SHARK TANK Star Wants Her Kids to Work Hard

Published: January 1, 2025

Why This SHARK TANK Star Wants Her Kids to Work Hard

By Movieguide® Contributor

SHARK TANK star Barbara Corcoran believes in the importance of instilling a good work ethic in her children, despite having millions.

“I’ve often insisted they work real jobs in the summer and sometimes after school, as I think it’s the best way to teach them independence and self-pride,” she told her Patreon subscribers. “I’ve also allowed my kids to fail on occasion instead of swooping in to make things easier.”

Her opinions on hard work, struggle and the character they build come from her own upbringing.

“We had 10 kids in our family, and we were all expected to work early to help out the family,” Corcoran explained. “We were allowed to fail and learned to recover on our own because our parents couldn’t prop us up. I got to raise two rich kids and wanted them to feel the same satisfaction and confidence I did.”

Her son, Tom, once worked a job one summer making cold calls for eight hours a day, which taught him “how to weather rejection.” Her daughter, Kate, worked at a dog spa.

And the values she taught her children have paid off. Her son co-founded a real-estate firm, while her daughter is a freshman in college.

“Getting a kid a job early on, versus another day camp or something, is more important than education in the schoolhouse, which parents are very willing to spend a ton of money on,” Corcoran wrote.

The self-made millionaire believes that hard work will always prevail. In a recent Instagram post, she urged her followers to start making a difference in their lives.

“Start in November. Start in your 40’s. Start on Friday. Start at 5pm. Start on 31st. Start late. Start,” the post said.

Along with the quote, Corcoran wrote, “You don’t have to get it right, you just have to get it going.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Barbara Corcoran (@barbaracorcoran)

She often encourages her followers to take charge of their lives.

“You can’t ‘find’ your passion. Passion finds you when you’re working 150% at whatever you do!” Corcoran’s post read. “Work hard, stay focused, and passion will show up in ways you never expected.”