Bentley, Elephant Rides And More: US Millionaire Reveals "Crazy" Work Perks She's Offered Her Team

Barbara Corcoran, the self-made millionaire and real estate mogul known for her role on 'Shark Tank', has shared the "crazy" work perks she offered her employees to create a fun and loyal company culture at her firm, The Corcoran Group. Taking to LinkedIn, Ms Corcoran attributed her empire-building prowess to a philosophy that focuses on rewarding her employees handsomely for their hard work along the way. Her methods went far beyond standard corporate benefits, which even included buying her top broker a Bentley.

"People are the most creative when they're having fun, and we had more fun than anyone else. I stopped advertising to hire because people were lining up to work at The Corcoran Group! Fun builds loyalty, and we had no turnover," the Shark Tank investor wrote in a post on LinkedIn. 

The real estate mogul shared the "crazy" benefits she offered her employees to keep them motivated. "I threw the wildest parties in town," she wrote, adding, " Each party had a wacky theme, and dressing up was required! We ate too much, laughed too loud, and had way too much fun. Good themes make parties more fun. The more ridiculous, the more fun everyone had!"

Ms Corcoran further revealed that employees at her firm enjoyed freebies that extended well beyond typical healthy snacks and Nespresso coffee. The 76-year-old tycoon said that she would offer anything from yoga, blowouts and massages to ping pong tables, free lunches and manicures. She would even bring in laundry machines and babysitters to support the working mothers at the real estate firm. 

She also said that she would take her staffers out on trips whenever she could afford it, including bussing her 600 agents to the country for mid-week picnics. 

"I bused 600 agents to the country for midweek picnics, and every picnic had its own crazy gimmick: a 60-foot hot air balloon, a 5,000-pound elephant, and a spitting camel offering safari rides," Ms Corcoran wrote on LinkedIn. "Why not? We worked hard, and we deserved to play hard too," she said. 

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There were also smaller things that the millionaire did to build morale. She recalled throwing "the wildest parties in town," and keeping a "good idea jar" in the office, where she'd reward each good idea with a dollar. "Big, small, crazy, it didn't matter," Ms Corcoran continued. "If you spoke up, you got a buck. It wasn't about the money, it was about building a team where ideas flowed and efforts were rewarded over results," she wrote. 

Moreover, Ms Corcoran said she even gave out gold ribbons to staff who closed a million-dollar sale, instead of cold hard cash. "Everyone laughed at the idea until the first ribbon was claimed, and jealousy kicked in fast! By the end of the month, desks were covered in gold ribbons," she said. 

"Recognition motivates people more than money," she concluded.