How this 'Shark Tank' judge went from scraping gum off chairs at McDonald's to CEO of a venture fund via CNBCMakeIt
Anyone who gets to appear as a guest judge on"Shark Tank" has made it pretty big, from Major League Baseball star-turned-investor Alex Rodriguez to Bethenny Frankel of"Real Housewives of New York City." Even Ring founder Jamie Siminoff, who appeared as a contestant in 2013 , returned to the show as a judge.
"I had the undignified job of scraping it off," Higgins tells CNBC Make It."But I would sort of geek out on it, right? Like, how long would it take for that gum to fill up again, how quickly can I scrape the gum off, and how quickly can a 5-year-old replace it?""What happened was, somebody out of the corner of their eye was noticing this 14-year-old kid who was just geeking out on scraping the gum off the bottom of the chair," he recalls.
At 16, Higgins dropped out of high school to get his GED. He wanted out of poverty and into college, fast. He worked during the day and took classes at night, while also caring for his mother. It took him seven years, but Higgins graduated from Queens College with a degree in political science. At the time, he was also reportedly an award-winning investigative reporter at the Queens Tribune, according to a 2018 profile in the Miami Herald.
In 2004, he took a job with the New York Jets, receiving a reported two promotions in four years, and served as the executive vice president of business operations, and at 33 years old, landed a spot on Crain's New York 40 Under 40 ranking. When he was diagnosed with cancer in 2007, the New York Times reported he only took one day off of work.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'Shark Tank': Company combats telemarketers with funny bots— and Kevin O'Leary offered them $400,000'Shark Tank': Company combats telemarketers with funny bots— and Kevin O'Leary offered them $400,000 via CNBCMakeIt
Read more »
'Shark Tank' star Kevin O'Leary: Ask yourself these 2 questions before buying a house'This is probably going to be your No. 1 debt in your life,' says 'Shark Tank' star Kevin O'Leary. 'So it really garners serious consideration.'
Read more »
How Aging Clothing Brands Are Trying to Look Young AgainBrands such as 43-year-old Italian clothing label Paul & Shark are collaborating with more millennial-focused labels to entice a younger generation of shoppers.
Read more »
'Shark Tank': Company combats telemarketers with funny bots— and Kevin O'Leary offered them $400,000'Shark Tank': Company combats telemarketers with funny bots— and Kevin O'Leary offered them $400,000 via CNBCMakeIt
Read more »
'Shark Tank' star Kevin O'Leary: Ask yourself these 2 questions before buying a house'This is probably going to be your No. 1 debt in your life,' says 'Shark Tank' star Kevin O'Leary. 'So it really garners serious consideration.'
Read more »
Ford chairman praises CEO, mulls lithium ventureFord Motor Co Executive Chairman Bill Ford said on Tuesday that he is very confi...
Read more »
Barrick CEO’s Nevada Venture Could Be His Biggest ChallengeMark Bristow has recently become the new chief executive of Barrick Gold, the world’s largest gold producer which struck an agreement to pool its assets with its rival Newmont. Now the South African geologist, who described himself as a “consultative dictator,” has to make the partnership work.
Read more »