Oprah Winfrey is more than an American icon; she is an American entrepreneur, female entrepreneur, and Internet entrepreneur. Despite her humble beginnings, Oprah Winfrey has become one of the most powerful and influential entrepreneurs of our time. Due to her business practices, activism, and philanthropy, Oprah has also become a worldwide household name.
Oprah the American Entrepreneur
Americans love to hear of people who face hardship and move on to bigger and better things. Oprah Winfrey was born in Mississippi and then raised in Nashville, Tennessee. It was there at the age of 19 she became the first African American woman and youngest person to become an anchor for news station WTFV-TV. From there she moved on to Baltimore, and then to Chicago, where after only a year the show AM Chicago was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show because of the impact she made on its audience. Several years later, with many lives changed through her talk show and winning Emmy awards, Oprah was no longer content to work for others and created her own Harpo Productions. Renamed Harpo Inc, the company employs well over 250 people full time in production, print, and movies. Oprah also went on to co-found Oxygen Media, which owns the Oxygen television channel.
Female Entrepreneur and Black Entrepreneur
Life Magazine has named Oprah the world’s most influential woman. Oprah’s main appeal is that although she is private with her personal life, she brings many of her thoughts and beliefs to her shows. She has gained the trust of the audience with the genuine concern she feels for others. Oprah is able to identify with many people from all walks of life, and her magazine, “O,” appeals to most women. She also subjects and guests, both male and female, who relate their own personal stories of success and failure. Forbes Magazine said Oprah Winfrey was the richest African American of the 20th century and the world’s only black billionaire for three years in a row.
For more information on Oprah as black entrepreneur visit: http://www.blackentrepreneurship.com/Oprah_Winfrey.cfm
Internet Entrepreneur
Oprah’s website, Oprah.com, has promoted her as a female entrepreneur as well as an Internet entrepreneur. The site is one of the top women’s lifestyle websites, filled with recaps of shows, message boards that connect her fans, articles on a variety of topics, links to her favorite things, and the list of books from the popular Oprah’s Book Club
Visit Oprah’s website at: http://www2.oprah.com/index.jhtml
From The Oprah Winfrey Show and the magazine, “O,” to her production company Harpo Inc., and co-founder of Oxygen Media, Oprah Winfrey has proven herself time and time again as an outstanding entrepreneur. Oprah Winfrey has made an impact across the world and paved the way for others to do the same.
For more information on Oprah’s accomplishments in business and life, visit Fresh Business thinking at:
http://www.freshthinkingbusiness.com/oprah-winfrey.html
and Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah_Winfrey
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