Oprah the Entrepreneur

Oprah Winfrey an Entrepreneur

What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur? For starters one must be a risk taker and also be willing to take initiative. Oprah Winfrey is the epitome of entrepreneur and has the success to back it up. She is not just a famous African-American entrepreneur, but also an example of a woman who rose from poverty and overcame many obstacles along the way. Throughout her life she had to overcome many experiences that could have deterred her from success. Winfrey displayed hard-work and dedication to aid her in her journey to success. Despite her wealth and popularity, she still remains a humble, warm hearted person who is very inspiring to many. Although she came out on top the road to success was not in the least bit easy.

Life and Times of Oprah Winfrey

Oprah was born on January 29, 1954, in Kosciusko, Mississippi. Originally named as Orpah, which was often mispronounced Oprah, she went on to use this particular name. As a child she learned to read and practiced recitations at the early age of 3. She lived with her grandmother until she was a six and later moved with her mom and soon began to act out. In 1960 while living still living with her mom in Wisconsin, she turned into a wild girl who was involved in drugs and also suffered sexual harassment. Her behavior was a result of her lack of attention and affection from her mom. In 1968, she lost her premature baby who died shortly after being born (Sean, 2010). Oprah took the death of her son as she was given a second chance in life. At this time her mother decided to send her to Nashville, Tennessee to be put under strict rules and high standards of her father. He taught her to be a discipline and purposeful person while under his care. He expected only the best from her and gradually helped to fix her chaotic life.

Oprah's road to success

During the last year of high-school, Oprah was rehearsing with her drama class when a local radio station, WVOL spotted her and asked her if she would like to read on radio (Sean, 2010). Oprah was then given a job reading the news on the radio. Oprah soon entered into a public speaking contest where the grand prize was a scholarship to Tennessee State University. Oprah won the contest and received a scholarship to Tennessee State University where she majored in Speech Communications and Performing Arts (Sean, 2010). While at Tennessee State, Oprah was offered a job as Co-Anchor on a CBS television station which she declined several times before she was pressured by one of her professors to accept the position as the next step in her career.

Oprah was determined to find work outside of Nashville Tennessee and was soon offered a job in Baltimore, Maryland. She received a job offer months before her graduation, and had to choose between the job and graduating. The job was very tempting so she decided to accept the position. Although this was a job she wanted she wasn't a very good reporter and was shortly fired (Oprah.com, 2011). Oprah's boss then set her up as a talk show host on a morning talk show called, "People Are Talking"(Oprah.com, 2011). Immediately after the first show Oprah knew this is what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. Oprah strengthened the talk show for seven years and then she decided it was time to move on and branch out on her own (Entrepreneur.com, 2008).

Success of the Oprah Winfrey Show

In 1981 Oprah sent recorded tapes of her show to a talk-show in Chicago called A.M. Chicago. The year of 1984 marked Oprah's career because the show surprisingly became popular within several months and it was soon extended to be a one-hour show. Following the show's success in September 1985, its name then was changed into "The Oprah Winfrey Show"(Oprah.com, 2011). It entered national syndication in 1986, becoming the highest-rated talk show in television history (Oprah.com, 2011). In 1988, she established Harpo Studios, making her the third woman in the American entertainment industry after Mary Pickford and Lucille Ball, to own her own studio (Entrepreneur.com, 2008). Having her own studio was the start of her entrepreneurial journey.

The Oprah Winfrey show first targeted woman, however soon due to controversial topics and intriguing topics Oprah brought on to the show it appealed to people of all genders, ethnicities, and