Barbara Corcoran: Ladies, If You've Got It, Flaunt It

That's the message New York real estate mogul and ABC's "Shark Tank" investor Barbara Corcoran was trying to get across to women in business at a recent promotional event for the show's new book, "Shark Tank Jump Start Your Business."

"If you've got sex appeal, big boobs, long legs... why wouldn't you use it?" she said. "It's like asking people who can see to not use their eyes."

Corcoran admitted to the audience that she got her first lucky business break because she was sexy.

At the age of 23, Corcoran was working as a waitress in a Fort Lee, N.J., diner when she met Ramon Simone, her future boyfriend and first business partner. Although Simone was much older than Corcoran, the two began dating and moved to New York City together, where Simone encouraged Corcoran to start a real estate agency.

He gave her an initial $1,000 investment. They split the company with Simone getting 51% and Corcoran getting the other 49%. Two years later, Simone announced that he was marrying Corcoran's secretary and the two parted ways, which led Corcoran to start her own enterprise, The Corcoran Group.

Today, Corcoran says her sex appeal put her on the path to business success. "I would've never gotten the $1,000 to start my business if I wasn't sexy," she quipped.

To further her point, Corcoran pointed to Daisy Cakes creator Kim Nelson, a petite blond, who also spoke at the book launch event. During season three of "Shark Tank," Corcoran invested $50,000 in Nelson's mail-order cake business in exchange for a 25% stake in the company and a $1 repayment per cake until her investment is repaid in full.

Immediately after the segment aired, orders poured in so fast that they crashed Daisy Cakes' website. Today, the sales are still flowing, with men placing the majority of the company's orders. Why? Corcoran says it's simple: Nelson has sex appeal.