Oprah Winfrey
Reading time: 3 – 5 minutes
Now usually I might copy and paste something about a person to put up for Inspiration but I felt the need to write this one myself. Oprah Winfrey is the epitome of what I try to get across on the R&G. Here is a woman who reaps all the money from her own talents. She went from someone trying to get put on as News Anchor in Chicago to parlaying that into her own show, buying the rights to her show outright, buying the distribution company King World, putting other people on who wanted to be on TV, financing her own Films, making a Radio Show on Sirius, making her own Book Club, and now OWNing her own TV network.
You might not like her show or you make criticize her for way she gives out charity but you cant hate her Hustle. I think Oprah from this point on has to be included in one of the all time greatest Black Business Owners of all time. Now of course she crosses all racial barriers with her business feats but for me I am proud that she is Black. She has provided a true blueprint not based on being lucky but purely based on learning the game and taking back possession of her talents from the empire set up to pimp her.
Now of course there is more that Oprah has overcome to become the Titan she is today and you can read all of that HERE at Wikipedia. I just wanted to make sure I highlighted the fact that we are lucky to have such a tough, independent Black Woman to pick up game from. No matter what is ever said about her shortcomings the more you read her hardships you will have to respect what she is internally made of. There comes a time in life when you watch someone push the impossible out of the way and just like Obama, Oprah has done the equal if not more for any Black person to push the limits in business.
For some of you I know this is a rant of epic proportions but for me she provides the template for true Independence. True owning of oneself and ones talents is freedom that most people will never get to experience. She took advantage of every opportunity that came to here and held steadfast despite the ridicule of haters who don’t understand Money. With her launching the OWN network on the 1st you are witnessing a self made Black Woman who doesn’t seem to be in anyway slowing down now that her empire has been established.
I know some of you still don’t see what she has done but when you start to understand Money more and more you’ll see the straight up military moves she executed to control everything she creates. She came into her own game in the Sucker position seeking to get put on and plotted and planned a empire right under everyone’s noses! You got to love the game and the way she played it!
Extra: You don’t think her OWN network being called OWN is a mistake do you? People are telling you the way to the mountaintop don’t get caught admiring the roses when their is a trail and breadcrumbs the trailblazers have left for us to follow.
Popularity: 6% [?]
Twitter
Youtube
RSS
Email
Facebook
I believe people judge Oprah out of pure jealousy. Oprah is a single, black woman who made it to the top. It wasn’t handed to her on a silver platter. She worked hard and had faith she could accomplish great things. The word “can’t” isn’t part of Oprah’s vocabulary. Oprah demonstrates the difference between wishing and doing. She is aware God created All with the potential for greatness. Oprah had a passion, she applied devotion and hard work and realized her dreams. She didn’t just talk the talk, she walked the walk. I feel Oprah is an inspiration. She is a walking, talking demonstration of the accomplishments we are all capable of achieving if we believe we can. It’s not a simple task, but very doable. Thank you Oprah for giving all of us hope.
Oprah is a true hustler and I respect her for that. but I am interested in who does she leave her money to when she leaves this earth. Who are the heirs to the throne? just like most successful black business owners we have yet to see a family pass down some significant generational wealth being passed down. Throughout history we can point to black millionaires and now a few billionaires but what about families that have 3 generations of wealth
No one can deny what Oprah has built. She creates and more importantly OWNS. A great blueprint for what wealth is really about.
@ Boardroom
Interesting question. I feel the same way in the sense that there are no Black dynasties like the Rockefellers, the Goulds, the Vanderbuilts, etc. What’s the point of grinding and building for years and not being able to set any foundation for years to come? That’s what legacies are made of. That’s why men like John Rockefeller will live forever because what they built can still be seen today in the wealth they left behind for their family and foundations. This is a lesson that needs to be understood in the Black community. Too many families start from ground zero with every new generation because no one left anything behind.
I respect Oprahs drive & hustle acumen as I get at this paper I realize the game is about deliberate steps, not luck… In my Opinion fam her legacy will speak for itself regardless of who she passes her paper down to…
i read somewhere it’s a 50/50 split with discovery so she is part owner, right?
We have to learn how to separate the person from the profit model. There are people I don’t like but you best believe I understand how they make their money. We have to stop approaching these people with perspectives and start looking at the moves they make and the money they made from it and apply the same principles to our hustles.
It doesn’t matter what Oprah does with her money when she die or who admire or despise her – that outside stuff that only matter to people who name isn’t Oprah Winfrey. The whole point I see in this article is when you are an owner like Oprah, you set your own path and you have your own platform to build upon, like Oprah has done.
@LH – I agree with you that most people are jealous of her status in life because other than what has she really done to anyone besides do her show. People hate for no reason but when you’re out in the public people hate for things you may have said on a show or how you look or how you talk.
Besides that Oprah is a tycoon and I think anyone with any common sense would study her angles to the top because she did it with no real fanfare.
@BB – Maybe you should write her right now so you can get in line when she hands out money! I’m very confident she will dole out the money to some charity or some friend or family member or some trust like GETTY OIL for something aimed to help people. I’m sure she’s thinking about what the end will look like and I’m confident she has plans. Overall I don’t sweat it because she made the chips so how she chooses to spend them is completely her decision. Same as if all that money was yours.
@McD – I’m sure Oprah will do something interesting with the money but it’s nothing I can wait around to see on my own Empire building End. When you have money and death is around the corner you’ll be surprised what people will do and say when they know you can’t really stop them. I think she will do something we all will be proud of overall. People can’t come out and say what’s on their mind especially in the public eye but you can tell the way they are leaning by what they fund and produce. Think about that and you’ll see where she is leaning.
Most of us start off at rock bottom because we have no one to teach us how to stack. The only thing we have is a house but we haven’t thought about building. Once we learn how to do for self and capitalize and retain our own talents the world will change for Black people the next day. Just pass on what you know to one more person and the process will begin.
@PM – People who do Great things will always be remembered as Great! So I am with you 100% whether she does it the way we want or not the building of the empire is impressive!
@Keish – 50/50 is the way Oprah seems to start with all of her business ventures. But, if you look at the KingWorld distribution deal she ended up buying that flat out too. I wouldn’t be surprised when OWN becomes dominant that she doesn’t buy Discovery out.
@Ed – Exactly, as the trail has been blazed so anyone should be able to set their goals with what Oprah was able to do in mind. It’s not a impossible feat anymore if we would study those who have come before us.
I think everyone worries about what everyone else does because it’s interesting to talk about. Like what would you do if you won the megamillions? Overall I agree that the post isn’t about Oprah’s money but really about the angle she took to get the billion in the first place. Everyone likes how the story ends but few study what was done to get it in the beginning!
I like the discussion and basically everybody has to focus on their own individual hustles but my question
1 Why are there no black dynasties
2. how can we help ensure that we build one. Families to pay attention to John H. Johnson of Ebony, Robert Johnson formerly of BET, Michael Jordan, Michael Jackson family, Barack O family
my point is that throughout history we can point to individuals who rose above and made millions but we can not publicly point to a black family continuing the legacy.
There are Black Dynasties but they are quiet about it as they should be. Think about the Black Businesses like Ebony, Black Enterprise and Dudley Products as they are more than one generation deep on their dough it’s just they are quiet about it. Dig a little bit deeper and you’ll find that in each Black Town there are a couple of families who have been making money quietly for the past 80 years. Look at the BE TOP 100 and I’m sure you’ll find your Black Dynasties….They just know Rule #1 – There’s no need to show off your money.
You insure that you build one by learning how to run a business and teaching your kids how to run that business and telling them not to sell it. If your kids can’t run the business then you make it a non-family ran business like a franchise and pimp other people under you.
The reason why you can’t point to any because they are not entertainers. Straight up how many people you know playing basketball or singing are smart enough that you would think they are business oriented too? NONE! So you don’t see them because the focus of your eyes are on comedians, singers, rappers and basketball players. The whole angle you are looking at is full of people who have been PUT ON and got raped by Non-Black people but somehow made it out with a million aka their booty hole!
No one who is making Billions is on TV because they own the TV station. Until we learn what money really looks like we will get caught up in this entertainment shit. Think of it simply who owns the Pawn shops in your area? Now think that cat has cash transactions going through his hand all the time so he probably has a million too. There are legacies and dynasties going on all the time it’s just they don’t want any damn attention… they will walk right by you in a bummy ass car and be respected in the bank and a nobody on the street.
I don’t think she bought King World. I believe King World is owned by CBS which I think still distributes the Oprah Winfrey Show. She probably does own the rights to her show (which she probably would have bought from King World originally) but probably not the company that distributes it. Just saying.
With her syndication deal and it seems with most of her business interests such as with the Discovery venture, Oprah typically contributes her talent and expertise with somebody else putting up the financing and subsequently splitting the profits, which is a good gig if you can get it.
You could be right about her owning the rights to her own show and partnering with King World on other shows through Harpo Productions. And, don’t worry about correction the goal is to be right so I welcome it anytime.
I am confident she partnered with Discovery because they have the expertise and they benefit mutually. But, saying that; I am confident Oprah owns everything she creates and while there might be a distribution deal there aren’t any ownership rights to her wares which is the most important of all. The owning of ones talents and getting the lions share of all proceeds from that talent is paramount.
Lol, I’m not used to hearing brothas speaking highly of Oprah. But I understand, follow her moves and take control of everything. She is in positions to do and say whatever she wants.
Once we remove the chauvinism and the hate for her position then you will admire what she was able to accomplish. I try my damndest to remove all the emotion from the chip game so I can execute and whether or not I like someone I got to respect their hustle. Money is a cold calculation and the only you can be cold with it is to strip any emotion away from the angle.