As Oprah Winfrey wraps up her time as the queen of (and there is no king) of TV talk shows, women in business should be watching her every move. Oprah is the most successful businesswoman on the planet and therefore she is a role model for every woman.
Now, I have never been a big fan of her program, but I am an admirer of her business savvy. As her fame escalated, Oprah expanded her brand and built a multi-faceted business. Today, Oprah has become like the Good Housekeeping seal of approval was in the 50s -- the guarantee of quality. She approves books, movies, doctors, fitness gurus, chefs, dramatic theatre persentations, stars, writers, lifestyle coaches and more. Yes, Oprah's favorite things soar to success because of her endorsement. Her entry into the publishing business with her O Magazine increased her ability to further support products, people and things to a level never seen in our lifetime. There are many people in our country who believe that Barack Obama would not be our president today had Oprah not endorsed him. Yes, that is power but it is more importantly, the power of the Oprah brand....and it is how Oprah has used her brand to affect her business that women in business MUST be oprahfied.
Oprah has been consistent from the beginning of her career in making the right moves for herself and her business. Again, as a TV talk show host her days are now numbered, but her business in TV will only expand. She has announced her own network.
Oprah has spent the last year telling us - her viewers, her fans, her business associates - yes the world, that she is leaving daytime TV and the announcement has only built her a stronger brand. The more we hear about her leaving the more we want her to stay. You'll recall that this has been her strategy every step of the way as she built her business. Oprah always tells us what she is going to do well before she does it. Even her weight loss plan was talked about continually so that her audience would watch as she changed size.
Lesson learned for women in business - tell your customer what you are going to do well before you do it and keep telling them as often as you can so you are top of mind and they want you even more. Allow your customer to feel as though they are on the ride with you as you evolve and grow as a business and brand. Think of your customer, your vendor and even your employees as fans. How differently would you relate to them if you took that approach every day?
Your brand will always be critical to your business and having a role model to follow provides the tools to getting it right. So, watch Oprah today at 4 p.m. on WCVB-TV Channel 5 in Boston or pick up O Magazine and do your homework on how the master uses her brand....get oprahfied to build your business.