My name is Evan Carmichael and I believe that the fastest and most effective way to build a business is to model the strategies of people who have already successfully accomplished what you’re trying to do. I call it Modeling the Masters. My last post was: How to Find Your Next Big Business Opportunity Like Ray Kroc (McDonald's).
Today I’m going to focus on how you can find your passion like Oprah Winfrey, the billionaire entrepreneur who some consider to be the most influential woman in the world.
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“Follow your instincts. That's where true wisdom manifests itself." – Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Gail Winfrey (born January 29, 1954) is an American television host, actress, producer, and philanthropist, best known for her self-titled, multi-award winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history. She has been ranked the richest African American of the 20th century and beyond, the greatest black philanthropist in American history, and was once the world's only black billionaire.
While Oprah had begun her media career working at her high school radio show, it was in her freshman year when she got her first true opportunity to work in local media. She became both the youngest news anchor and the first black female news anchor at Nashville’s WTVF-TV. In 1976, Oprah relocated to Baltimore to co-anchor WJZ-TV’s local evening news. Her popularity led to her being recruited as co-host of WJZ’s local talk show, People are Talking.
Oprah’s warmth and big smile were quickly gaining appeal across a wider audience. In 1984, she relocated to her current home of Chicago, Illinois to host WLS-TV’s AM Chicago. Following a massive jump in ratings with Oprah’s takeover, the show was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show and extended to a full hour. With her powerful screen presence and friendly demeanour, the show went national just two years later. It became the highest-rated talk show in television history and would retain its leading position for the next twenty years.
Today Oprah's company, Harpo, has 410 full-time employees, a modest turnover (10% to 15% a year) and earns over $275 million in revenues. It is a media powerhouse that competes with giants like Lifetime and AOL Time Warner. And, Oprah remains as committed as ever: "I believe I'm just getting started.”
Action Item #1: Find Your Passion
If you study any famous entrepreneur and why they started their business you'll almost always find that it wasn't for the money - it was to make a difference in something they felt passionate about. When you create a business around what you're passionate about you're more likely to be the best at it, overcome hurdles put in your path, and ultimately achieve success.
In Oprah's own words: “Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you... What I know is, is that if you do work that you love, and work that fulfills you, the rest will come. And, I truly believe, that the reason I’ve been able to be so financially successful is because my focus has never, ever for one minute been money.”
In order to find your passion, Oprah says you need to “pay attention to your feelings. The path to discovering why you are here is through your feelings.” The most important thing, she cautions, is to not let others prescribe your path for you. “You can be pursuing a profession because your parents say it’s the best thing. You can be pursuing a profession because you think you will make a lot of money. You can be pursuing a profession because you think you are going to get a lot of attention.” But, she warns, “None of that will do you any good if you are not being honest with yourself.”
Action Item #2: Rise Above Your Obstacles
Entrepreneurship isn't an easy road and you'll probably have moments of doubt where you're not sure if you should continue running your business or just go get a job. Stay strong - if you can make it through those early moments of crisis you'll end up with a business that you can be proud of, provides an income, and makes a difference.
Born as a poor, black, and out of wedlock child, Oprah already had the odds stacked against her. Raped at the age of nine and sexually harassed by family members for the next four years, Oprah turned to a life of rebellion and drugs. It was not until she went to live with her father, who imposed strict discipline on the young Oprah and encouraged her education that she began to turn her life around. With a renewed focus on school and the encouragement of her father, she overcame the mental trauma of harassment and went on to win a scholarship at a reputable university.
Reflecting on her youth, Oprah says, “You can take from every experience what it has to offer you. And you cannot be defeated if you just keep taking one breath followed by another... We are each responsible for our own life – no other person is or even can be. That is why it is crucial not to let challenges, be they your own characteristics, events, people, or other uncontrollable factors, act as barriers between you and your goals."
Action Item #3: Set Big Goals
When you have a big goal that you're aiming to accomplish it can help keep you motivated and get you through the day to day problems that you'll face with your business. Make sure the goal is something that gets your blood pumping when you look at it - it has to be a goal that truly excites you if you want it to motivate you through the tough times.
“I always knew I’d be a millionaire by age thirty-two,” said Oprah in 1987. “In fact, I am going to be the richest black woman in America.” 23 years later, with a net worth of $2.4 billion, Oprah has become not only the richest black woman in America, but also one of the richest people in the world. She ranks 141 on the Forbes 400 Richest Americans list and millions of homes tune in to her show daily to hear her talk about everything from relationship problems to business investments to human rights abuses around the world.
Gut instinct has been one of the largest driving factors behind Oprah’s success. “Be quiet,” she says. “Part of your responsibility is to honour the quiet inside yourself so you can hear the call.” Her prescription for doing so is to “take five minutes to centre yourself in the morning…set your intention every day…if you don’t have five minutes, you don’t deserve to have the life of your dreams.”
True Story
While Oprah's company, Harpo (Oprah spelled backwards) is known for paying its employees well, they must sign a lifelong confidentiality agreement, barring them from talking or writing about Oprah’s personal or business affairs and those of her company for the rest of their lives. This has resulted in some disgruntled workers, but no legal challenge against Harpo to date has been successful.
What is your passion? Why did you start your business? As always, I’ve love to hear your thoughts if you leave a comment below!
Evan Carmichael
To learn more check out my list of Oprah Winfrey articles or my website, EvanCarmichael.com.
