Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John, Kevin O'Leary, and Mark Cuban are the best-known judges on the popular ABC show “Shark Tank,” as well as successful entrepreneurs in their own right. Over 16 seasons, these Sharks have given advice and mentorship to dozens of successful business founders. Here are their best nuggets of wisdom.
Barbara Corcoran
Barbara Corcoran started The Corcoran Group, a real estate brokerage in New York City, with a loan of $1,000. Over 25 years, The Corcoran Group became a leader in New York real estate; she sold the business in 2001 for $66 million.
Corcoran advises entrepreneurs to be themselves, tell compelling stories about their businesses, and cultivate a strong sense of self-belief. “Show up as your true self!” she wrote on LinkedIn. “Investors can smell a phony from a mile away, and trust me, I won’t invest in someone who isn’t genuine.”
“If you think you’re worth a dime, that’s all you’ll get! Recognize your worth — you’re a diamond, not a pebble!” Corcoran continued.
She also recommends that business leaders learn how to delegate: “Delegating well is a tough skill to master. Why? Because every good boss is a control freak! And that’s why delegating is so difficult. It requires letting go of control. But if you can’t learn to let someone else take the wheel, you won’t grow your business as big as it can be.”
Lori Greiner
Lori Greiner is recognized as one of the most prolific inventors in retail. She is known as the "Queen of QVC" for her long-running show “Clever & Unique Creations by Lori Greiner.” Greiner has created and marketed over 1,000 products and holds more than 120 U.S. and international patents.
Greiner advises business owners to get in the weeds of all parts of their business. In an interview with Inc., she said, “Get your hands dirty. Make mistakes and learn from them. This hands-on experience [provides] invaluable knowledge and prepares you for future challenges.”
She’s also a big advocate of taking (calculated) risks. “Take fear and say, ‘I can't do anything about what I can't control, but I can do everything about what I can control.’ And start doing that,” said Greiner.
[Read more: 7 Insider Tips from 'Shark Tank' Contestants]
Get your hands dirty. Make mistakes and learn from them. This hands-on experience [provides] invaluable knowledge and prepares you for future challenges.Lori Greiner, "Shark Tank"
Robert Herjavec
Robert Herjavec built his reputation and fortune in the technology and cybersecurity sectors. He has an estimated net worth of $320 million as of 2024.
For him, preparation is key to productivity. Herjavec told Entrepreneur, “If it doesn't exist on my calendar, it's not real … Plan as much as you can a year in advance and stick to it.”
Furthermore, Herjavec recommends learning how to protect your time and energy. “I also do something a lot of people don't. I say ‘no.’ To be as productive as possible, you have to learn to say ‘no’ and to say it often. When you're an entrepreneur, when you're leading a business, everybody wants a piece of you. It's so hard,” he said.
Daymond John
Daymond John is the Founder, President, and CEO of the urban apparel brand FUBU (For Us By Us). In addition to mentoring budding entrepreneurs on “Shark Tank,” John is a motivational speaker and author who shares insights on entrepreneurship, branding, financial literacy, and goal-setting.
An oft-repeated piece of advice he gives is to pay attention to your business finances. “I didn’t have financial intelligence and almost went bankrupt three separate times,” John said. “Two times when I didn’t have money and one time when I did have money.”
He also advocates for entrepreneurs to collaborate as soon as possible. “Don’t do it alone. Get others on board. You will go much further with a team,” he said.
Kevin O’Leary
Kevin O’Leary co-founded SoftKey Software Products (later called The Learning Company) in 1986. The company became a global leader in educational and home productivity software and was eventually sold to Mattel for $4.2 billion.
Like Daymond John, O’Leary emphasizes the importance of knowing your business metrics. “You have to know your numbers,” he shared. “How big is the market? How fast is it growing? What's the break-even analysis? How many competitors are there? You get these three right, and your chances of winning over an investor go up geometrically, proven by 17 years of data.”
O’Leary also has similar advice to Corcoran’s: Be yourself. “The only way to be authentic is to just be yourself 24/7,” he said. “You have the mixed blessing of social media. It’s a great tool to build a business and personal brand, but it also has a cost. If you’re trying to sell something that you don’t really use, and you’re just doing it for the money, they’re going to call you out on it.”
Mark Cuban
Mark Cuban is an American billionaire entrepreneur, investor, and television personality best known for his ownership of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. Cuban was on “Shark Tank” for 14 years before ending his tenure at the end of season 16.
Small business owners are known to be a passionate bunch, and Cuban encourages that enthusiasm. Don’t be shy about evangelizing your brand, he advises. “You have to be the number one salesperson for your company. Not literally going out and getting the dotted line signed yourself, but if you don’t love your product or service so much that every minute of every day you are excited to tell people about it, it’s not going to work,” Cuban said.
Cuban also believes in having the right mindset. “People can visualize success but can’t visualize the work,” Cuban said. Focus on the hard work and dedication you’re going to need, and success will follow.
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