Ivanka Trump: 'Nepotism Got Me in the Door'

Ivanka Trump pleaded guilty about belonging to a lucky gene pool. But, born into one of the world's most affluent families, the 27-year-old daughter of real estate mogul Donald Trump said privilege wasn't everything.

"You can be born into privilege, or you can not be born into privilege. You can be born into the opposite extreme and into poverty. I think from there on though, you really do have to make your luck," she said.

And it seems that Ivanka has taken full advantage of all her assets. For the past three years, the former international fashion model has showed off her business savvy as executive vice president of development and acquisitions for the Trump organization.

"I joke about titles at our company," she said, "It's my father, and then everyone else."

Trading her high heels for construction boots, Ivanka helped oversee the construction of the new Trump Soho -- a 46-story hotel condominium in downtown New York. The project is her baby -- a $450 million baby at that. It's set to open Feb. 1, 2010.

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From the rooftop of the penthouse suite at the Trump Soho, the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building and all the other major landmarks of the New York City skyline are visible on a clear day. But for someone who has spent most of her life in buildings with her family's name festooned on the front, handling the responsibilities of a multi-million dollar property is just another day at the office.

The titan-in-training also recently launched her own high-end jewelry line, with a boutique on Madison Avenue.

In her new book, "The Trump Card: Playing to Win in Work and Life," Trump writes about life lessons for business success that she learned from her upbringing. She tells young women how to focus at work, negotiate with gumption and thrive in uncertainty.

"I think you have to understand the objective of the person you're negotiating with, and I think you have to understand your own," she said, about how to be a good negotiator.

Despite her drive, Trump acknowledged that if she had a different last name, she wouldn't hold the title of vice president.

"I believe that, of course, nepotism got me in the door. It would be silly to say otherwise," she said. But "if I was not performing in a way that was satisfactory ... I could not stay within the organization."