One Page Business Plan Template: Fill & Download for Free

Several men cued her on, some women pitched in and some unique, strong arm, money generating tactics and wild strategies were applied that had never been done before in quite the same ways.The King Brothers Discover A Potential StarOprah is doing her People are Talking talk show in Baltimore, she’s doing okay. Making over $100,000 a year in the early to mid-1980s. She’s starting to get better and better ratings. King World, the King brothers, come to her and say we can make you a star, we’ll take your show national and you’ll go head to head with Donahue. And we’ll pay you $250,000 a year.Roger King and Michael King owners of King World in partnership with Oprah Winfrey and with her, launched Harpo Productions' successful The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1986, which eventually led to the creation of the spin-off series Dr. Phil, 2002 as well as the latest Harpo Productions contribution, Rachael Ray.Bill Cosby Hips Her To Fish, Pointedly PiranhaOprah is ecstatic. She goes to friends, the Cosby's, Camille and Bill. He tells her that she has a problem.“What’s my problem?”“You’ve been offered $250,000 because of your agent.”“That’s a good thing, right?”“Sister (he calls her sister), it’s not a good thing. They like your agent at King World, that will distribute the show, at ABC Cap Cities, that will broadcast the show they like your agent. They like him so much that’s your problem.“When they see my agent coming down hallways at TV studios, networks, anywhere, people get scared. Because when they see him it means one of two things: I want more money or I’m unhappy and my agent is a piranha. You’re being offered chump change, sister, because they don’t fear your agent.“You need a piranha. I know a guy, he’s just starting out but he’s smart as a whip. Jeffrey Jacobs. Also, he’ll talk to you about why I’m wealthy. They might be offering to make you only rich, for just a little while, and how to change that.”“Ok, Bill. I’ll go see Jeffrey Jacobs.”Enter Jeffrey Jacobs, Oprah’s net worth is less than $1 millionJeffrey Jacobs for years would not allow his pic to be published….but in retirement, he now teaches in California, he has allowed so. I keep a picture of him on my desktop. You’ll see why.Oprah in a t-shirt and flip-flops makes her way to Jeffrey’s office, King World and Cap Cities contracts in hand.Jeffrey reads her contract and says with deep sincerity. “You can sign this contract. You can sign it if you’re willing to be nothing more than a slave.”“Excuse me?”“This is a slave contract. Slaves work for a fixed dollar. They’re willing to bank on a national show. This contract is for 4 years, totaling $1 million dollars, an effort to make you a highly paid slave. Now there’s a thing called syndication that they’re going to market this through.”“Yeah, my friend Robert Ebert, the movie critic, was explaining it to me one night. He took me out to dinner and he was explaining how him and Gene Siskel held out for a piece of the show’s syndication revenue but had to take on production costs but it’s where the money is. I think that’s the kind of deals Mr. Cosby brokers for Fat Albert, The Cosby Show, his specials. But I don’t have that kind of clout.”“Roger Ebert was right.”Roger Ebert, engaging his interest in things both chocolate and vanilla, took Oprah out on several dates but she didn’t realize he meant it as dates because he was talking so much about TV, business and syndication. He could’ve been Stedman……if he’d been like a foot taller.“He was?!!”“Yes, you want a part of the pie and there’s only two ways to get it. This way is just crumbs. The other way is to own your show, lock, stock and barrel. Produce it yourself in a production studio and sell it to King World who will then lease it to ABC Cap Cities who will then sell it to the 220+ local TV stations around the country and they will pay back up the line. Cap Cities gets a piece, King World gets a piece and you get a piece and eventually the TV Stations get back a piece of the total revenue.”“What would my piece be?”“About 25% of the overall take a year.”“How much is that?”“I’d say $30 million a year for each year of this 4-year contract. Yes, calculating revenues, ads, etc. and the number of markets this would go nationwide in the overall take would be about $125 million at least, even in second place. You see why $250,000 is slave wages now?”“Holy shit! Yes, I see it now! I see it!”“Yup.”“I’m not sure they’ll go for it.”“They will. They’re offering you a full 4-year contract to come in second behind Donahue. They’re not looking for you to win, just compete and offer an alternative. But I think you might be able to win over time because you’re new, different and very likable. And now you understand the difference between an employee, a slave, and an owner, freedom. I can help you.”“You’ll negotiate this back and forth with them? But then, how will we pay for the show? How much will the show cost? We don’t even have anything to sell, a place to produce the show, a crew, a team, anything.”“We’ll rent that all out year one and slowly build with the yearly profits a fully operable studio. We’ll float this as a loan, a venture capital investment. You’re holding a promissory note on your work for 4 years, worth to you as an owner, about $120 million. The contract with some tweaking, namely you becoming a company they do business with rather than an employee, will be your collateral. These huge companies no matter what will make at least the initial 4 years happen. We’ll just barter against those 4 years.”“This is amazing, Jeffrey. Is this what Bill is doing?”“Yes, which is why he’ll soon be one of America’s invisible billionaires. Every project he works on, he operates not as a paid performer but as a business, a partner, so he gets a piece of the pie, not crumbs as payment.”“Ok, if we can leverage all of this it might go beyond the 4 years, right? I mean I’ll have a studio, employees, I’ll have to produce more TV, somehow, somewhere, lease out space for TV shows, films, commercials. I’ll have to operate my studio as a business. I can’t do that and host/produce a national TV show. I understand this from a macro view but I’m going to need a partner in the micro details. A president of my company, maybe even of all of my interests, if we’re now treating me as a full business entity. There are lots of other things I dream of doing, acting, producing, lots of things. I think that’s you. What if when we draw up this company, I give you 10% of the shares, of the company as a whole? You can’t sell it but I can buy you out and you’ll help me put this all together and manage my future. You’ll be my President, agent, manager, an attorney so that it's just one stop shopping for anyone who wants to deal with me and then you and I talk it through about what works best for a plan of freedom, of ownership?”“Sounds like a deal.”“Uh, Jeffrey, I’m a Black woman. Grew up in poverty. I’ve done some things. Had some things done to me, I’m worried about fame. I want it but I’m worried. Already my family is weird about me and money.”“Let me think about it.”Jeffrey gets 10%, Harpo Studios is created, a reversal of her name and a sign for her when she’s approached by Quincy Jones to star in the film adaptation of The Color Purple by Alice Walker, her favorite book as Sophia, Harpos’ wife…as her show premieres——a synergistic alignment so that she can promote herself and the show across the world under a Steven Spielberg connection.Popularity, Really Popular, Famous and StardomNet Worth: Fluctuating, Living in a friend’s condo in Chicago to workSpotted on TV one day by Quincy Jones while visiting Chicago, he cheers “That’s Sophia!” They contact her, she changes all kinds of schedules to get the part and gets nominated for an Academy Award.Through the sharp eye for talent from Quincy Jones, he knows that giving her this small role in the film with her national exposure will blow up the movie for all involved, it will create a blockbuster.Quincy becomes a close friend and tells her that “Your future is so bright, it burns my eyes!”Venture capitalists are found to fund the studio, ABC Cap Cities and King World have no choice, and no downside, so they go for the deal. Harpo is in fact cutting costs for them because it can promise them a stable production cost, which means they can more readily predict and control the overall profits.By being the production arm at the table, Harpo is able to negotiate how the show is presented and formatted and make strategic requests that are unique to the show itself. She wants the show broadcast everywhere at 4 pm. The idea that it’s geared towards both housewives and women coming in from work, getting dinner ready, taping the show on VCRs but everywhere at 4 pm.She wants none of the “find me” TV show hunt, what she sees with Siskel and Ebert—-which plays a variety of times based upon the TV station’s scheduling designs. Everyone must lock in at 4 pm.Oprah suggests that if they do this then Ryan’s Hope, Loving, All My Children, One Life to Live and General Hospital will act as natural lead-ins, bringing their audience, her core demographic into her show at 4 pm and then the local news will come on at 5 & 6 pm and as King World is distributing Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, the hours of 12 pm to 8 pm will be a natural progressive lock.This is revolutionary but it’s how Phil Donahue is defeated. It’s harder to change a channel that progressively moves through your mentality modality and demographics. He’s appointment TV on his channel, she’s part of the family on hers.Fame & Barbra Streisand“These tabloids are killing me, girl My family is a mess! A mess. I can’t deal with this shit anymore. How do you handle it, Barbra? You’ve been famous since you were a little thing. The lies the betrayal, the demands for money, the tabloids, the drama.”“Don’t you have NDAs?”“What’s that?”“Non-Disclosure Agreements. Everyone who comes within a certain amount of feet to me has to sign one. barring any divulging of my work, business, comments, etc.. Family signs it and you sue the hell out of anyone who tries to breach it to the point where just signing it puts the fear of God and the Devil into them.”“Ha,ha, girl, you so crazy!”“I’m serious.”“Really?”“Really.”“Everyone?”“Even the UPS man. Employees. Family. Friends. Restaurants. Doctors. People who can spell my name. People who come into contact with me. Everyone. You. You signed one to come over here.”“Really? That’s what that was?”“Really. That’s what that was.”“NDAs?”“NDAs.”“JEFFREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYY!”The NDA becomes a staple around Oprah. It allows her to control her stardom as if and with a legal form of anonymity. Every employee at Harpo and future companies must sign it, business relations, family, friends. It gives her privacy about the past and privacy into the future. She can have a safe space with the people around her and not have to be so guarded as celebrities can get with mega-fame. This comfort allows her to remain “the same” which translates on to TV because she’s protected.1986 to 1990 net worth $100+ millionHarpo/Oprah is a resounding success. The building/studio is purchased and the money starts rolling in and the investors are paid back. Donahue is beat and it is now contract renegotiation time.Jeffrey is in his element, Oprah is now a national, worldwide star and every time he calls ABC Cap Cities or King World, or God forbid, goes there, or calls for a meeting, they’re half terrified, half pissed off. He’s a piranha.It means Oprah/they want more.And more.And more.Of the pie itself.Second place was valued at $120+ million….but now she’s been #1 for 4 years solid. The pie going forward will be bigger than that. Much bigger, and here comes Jeffrey with his calculator.Oprah starts mentioning on air, a Queen comfortable on her throne, that yes, she’s suddenly wealthy and she loves acting, even doing a few small projects after The Color Purple. The talk show thing is great but maybe…?...it’s not forever. She has every shoe and luxury she could want, she’s okay for the rest of her life. She is edging towards 40 years old, maybe she needs to consider doing other things after all the world is her oyster? Maybe she should walk away from the show while it’s a success and focus on other areas?Maybe………King World and ABC/Cap Cities begin to panic. They ask Jeffrey is she serious? The revenue expectations are astronomical if they keep riding this wave. Walk away? Now? Really? Really?Jeffrey shrugs innocently: “Oprah, completely owning her work and self, under production contract, but not personal control, goes like the wind and her mind takes her.“And yes, the wind is many other offers being fielded from other networks, movie studios, lots of things. She could do a drama, a TV sitcom, movies, sit back and make Harpo the mid-west production facility for the middle of the country.”Shrug.What would make her stay? What does she want?Jeffrey says he’ll get back to them.Days later he says that as a production partner, they too look at their numbers and mayhap if they could adjust them? They initially funded the building of Harpo through Venture Capitalists but that cost them in the short run. Now, more secure they want to be wholly independent, produce more than just Oprah related projects, operate as a true production company.How so?“Well, the 4-year contract called for 220 episodes per year. That divides out to each show being worth about $136,000 an episode. Which though we average it out, sort of limits Harpo’s/Oprah’s availability because it demands that they spend $30 million, borrow some—-everyone on their end has to get paid—-plus she has only a relatively short period of time to rest, to do other projects. Her exclusive contract needs to have some breathing room.”Breathing room?“Logically and mathematically and to give them some break time, some breathing room, what if Harpo were to deliver 200 episodes per year for a renewed contract? That would make each episode worth about $150,000 which would give them an additional 10% profit. The valuation is then $50 million or more a contract year, and I think it’s definitely more. Consider the international markets. There are at least 44 other world markets, a total of 120 countries this can now be broadcast into. Harpo will need to see the overall revenue books to adjust the value of the 1/4 cut as the production company. It will be worth more than $50 million a year, right?”They agree to open up to this, to alter the structure. Cash? Do you want more cash?“Well, as a second point then, looking at how this show has blown up to a mega success the old metric of $125 million split the 4 ways, evening out to Harpo getting $30 million a year feels disingenuous to the actual revenue stream. Harpo wants to still be maintained as 25% of the revenue stream from advertisers, TV stations, affiliates, international rights because that 25% is no longer worth 1986 dollars of $30 million, it’s now worth by Jeffrey’s calculations $50–75 (?) million to start, potentially $100 million (?) or even more, maybe $200 million a year, if he’s understanding these revenue metrics correctly. It’s all so complicated. Which means that Harpo will proceed cautiously. It won’t do any contracts longer than 4 years but wants the optional right to have shorter contracts, never less than 2.”They agree….. in principle.“Well, as a third point, it would make it easier for Oprah to pursue her other TV interests and ideas if she had two things—-the money upfront, it was stressful finding investors and having to pay them back. She wants to operate solely in the black. The way she can do this is if she has more capital on hand, more cash, or more fixed collateral in terms of contracts for a future period AND most importantly, a cushion.”They agree warily in….principle again. What kind of cushion?“Well, she wants to strengthen this relationship, to truly bond us all like family so everyone knows she’s committed….and she also profits from the Oprah Effect which is what your companies are profiting for, beyond just the incoming revenue…”and by that Jeffrey means the pre-glow and afterglow of her show onto the entire line up of shows around her and the network itself. This is exciting! Yes, but she’s not getting a piece of the Oprah Effect.“This is two-fold but profitable to everyone. Harpo doesn’t just want cash. Harpo wants more cash upfront AND stock in King World so that Harpo reaps the benefits of Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune enriching the KW coffers AND Harpo wants an exclusive deal with ABC/Cap Cities to produce a TV series and some TV movies—-let’s say 7—- to give the studio more street cred. as time goes on then ABC Cap Cities, which eventually will be absorbed by Disney, with King World eventually absorbed by Paramount/Viacom, will also pass on stock options, instead of simply straight cash to Harpo. The value of monies “paid” to Harpo will now increase in value over time.” Jeffrey smiles.Anything else?“Well, we might also need you to act as a collateral backer if we need to take out floating loans in-between payments for capital improvements to the studio. We don’t want to bet our house on our future, we want to bet yours. You have cash stores, banks charge higher interests rates or you can vouch for us. But we need cash reserves so that we’re not dependent on just one customer buying our products, the way you as much larger companies are not dependent on one customer/studio/network.”“You’re a piranha,” they grumble to Jeffrey over the phone.“Isn’t he though?” Oprah giggles. “Whoopsie, I should’ve said I was listening in on the line.”Harpo gets bigger until it’s a 3 1/2 acre production campus. Oprah isn’t a business it’s now an industry.1986 to 1996-How the Oprah Show Became a Hit via The Hit WomanIf you put Oprah with anybody it just works because she’s simply herself. The key is that you have to get the rest of the show to be as interesting as Oprah is. And to get someone to make the show around Oprah came the superb Executive Producer for 10 years, Debra DiMaio.Debra knew the business. Knew the demographic. Knew Oprah’s strengths and knew how to build a show around a star that would ease into people’s hearts.What Debra did not know was that other people, besides Oprah, were….human. They had feelings. Human feelings. Human’s have feelings. Debbie did not always recognize this in her zeal to make, keep and forever broadcast a #1 show.By all accounts, Debra worked like the world rested on her shoulders and she couldn’t face disappointing Oprah. So she kept all the production drama away from Oprah. Oprah was the overseeing Supervising Producer, yes, who designed the ultimate frame of the show, it’s feel, it’s intent, but Debra worked on the nitty-gritty, the colors, the screws, the nuts, the bolts.Debra designed the bullet of the show to be #1 a decade in a row.Debra just wasn’t….a people person.Debra was a taskmaster.Debra was sometimes emotionally detached.Debra was often demanding.Debra was a bit much.Debra was way too much.Debra caused some folk to have nightmares…..breakdowns…..hives….panic attacks….night terrors…..day terrors…. to rue the day they took the job.Debra was the antithesis to Oprah, the ball breaker, the fixer, the hawk to Jeffrey’s piranha, who flew above the waters of the business and kept the show, the ship safe, protected, in line. Debra was the all eyes, everywhere, able to discern an issue before it got to Oprah and eliminate it. Until she became the issue because in spite of her hawk-like focus:Debra scared people.Debra was not nice.Debra made Santa Claus nervous.Debra made God apologize. Twice.Showdown, Getting Down to Business, Becoming a BusinesswomanOprah walked into her office one day and her first appointment was the entirety of the production staff, a few dozen people. She thought it was a surprise party of——no, those weren’t surprise party faces——they politely explained that it was Debra or they were all quitting.Effective immediately. “Debra terminated, this morning, or we walk.”They had signed resignation letters.“Oprah, boss up, you’re the only Glinda, the good one, the only one who can kill that bitch.”“Is she really that bad? Come on, guys,” Oprah asked innocently. Dozens of people looked back at her silently. Oprah realized she’d been sacrificing them so that she could be the only free one, in truth, in the experience.“Yes, that incarnation, known as the human Debra, is that bad.”Due to several physical laws, some laws of physics and an odd internet buzzing, this is one of the only confirmed pictures of Debra DiMaio. Just think loving thoughts at her.Oprah called Debra into her office.After four hours of talking, singing her praises, talking about staff problems, the color of the carpet, her dogs, her favorite psalms, how great Debra was, the best potato chips and how much she liked her outfit, Debra, supposedly having ice picks and x-rays for thoughts, asked: “Are you firing me? Is that what you’re trying to get at?”Oprah sighed in relief. “Yes, girl, it’s you or I think they might fire me.”“They can’t fire you, Oprah.”“I know right! That means it’s definitely you.”“You’re really not good at this.”“I know, girl. I thought about asking you to fire yourself.”“Yeah, you’re really bad at this. You need to boss up. The building has your name on it. Without me, even if you promote someone here, the problems will repeat unless you become the hawk.”“Yeah, I do. You delivered though. You crafted my energy to its optimal laser focus. I overlooked the fact that you know—people were killing themselves, no, really, girl, they were ready to suicide—-because you kept me safe on TV.”“Yes, well, that’s what I’m best at.”“Speaking of which…..I talked to Jeffrey before this conversation.”“Can a piranha eat a hawk?”“Hahaha, you funny. Anywho… Girl, I think that man has a contingency Kill File on everyone in this building. Here’s yours. The deal is as long as I am on TV, plus several years, you can never produce anything for television, movies, films, anywhere, ever. We will cut you a check of $10 million dollars a year. For your official retirement from anything media related right now. Just sign and let’s go out to dinner, I’m pooped for the day.”Debra signed….and has vanished into perpetual wealth, 20+ years of payments………You can’t kill your assassins, you must negotiate with them.1990 to 2000-Net Worth $1 BillionBusiness, Oprah, the reluctantly titled Businesswoman & What Business is Harpo In? Really in? Going to ultimately be in?BusinessHarpo produces more and more TV and feature films, learning to spread its wings. Oprah gets bigger and bigger and bigger. She starts doing things with her money—-like actually buying television and radio stations so she controls her own outlets around the companies that distribute her, making ways to be her own distributor in some cases. But there are limits how much a production studio can do. Then the Federal government, the FCC gets nervous (because of her, Cosby, Seinfeld, Roseanne, Tim Allen, Johnny Carson—-by they get nervous, networks are getting nervous, big stars no longer want big checks—-they want Oprah production deals) and institutes a ban on talent/performers owning the studio.The new thought is that 25% of the residual take is all that a performer should be able to press for in ownership not 100% ownership of a show because then they could fall ill or have a snit fit or not live up to such a mega responsibility. Hence why Roseanne, Seinfeld, and Tim Allen and Jay Leno are mega rich Seinfeld $800+ million, Roseanne $100+, Tim and Jay $200–$500 million but capped unlike Johnny Carson, Oprah, Cosby, who had deals in place before the regulation changes.“This mofo, again…………” (*heard at King World and ABC/Cap Cities meeting as Jeffrey Jacobs calls into the conference call.)Jeffrey is like: “This regulation doesn’t change our standing because we created Harpo before this but we’re thinking maybe this means Harpo needs to change its future strategies. No longer do we negotiate in 4 year contracts, we now only do 2–3 years because there are other networks out there now and we don’t need to work with just one network and distributor, in fact we don’t need to limit ourselves to TV, we’re considering getting into film, cable, the internet. It’s no longer about family, it’s about the best relationships. The best relationship partners know that as the main engine, Oprah needs to recharge, she needs time off, but she needs to know her employees, hundreds now, are secured to pay off their mortgages, their car notes, school loans.“Did I mention she’s set up a scholarship for 500 Black men to attend Historically Black Colleges? Full ride. All 4 years. She has obligations. She can know this, feel secure enough, safe enough to go back onto TV, if, and only if say we go from 200 shows to lets say 175 every contract year 1, 165 contract year 2, and we get all cash upfront in structured lump payments and we get more healthy helpings of stock in both the network and distributor. Oprah needs to feel safe. It’s not about the money, it’s about safety.“The show is generating $1 billion dollars across the revenue board, we’ll continue as a partner to take our 25% in cash and stock. Thank you. My calculations are starting to put that at the north of $150 million a contract year, maybe $200 million, correct? I think I can convince her to continue her mission, her Purpose, her Calling. her destiny. Her destiny, which I’m sure we can all agree has been lucrative for everyone at the table? I think I can do this. Maybe. if you help me help you help her help her to more helpings.”King World and ABC/Cap Cities Executives Renegotiation“Fine, Jeffrey, fine. In fact Jeffrey, why don’t you just type up whatever it is you want in the contracts, sign them and have them forwarded over here? Why wait for us to——who’s that at the door?”“It’s the messenger from Harpo,” Jeffrey smiles, “I took the liberty of having the contracts drafted….”Reluctantly Titled Businesswoman“Strategic & Synergistic Marketing and Branding Partnerships and Platforms.” Jeffrey Jacobs to Fortune magazine, a full business article on the business of Oprah, not just the celebrity, in 2000 (where he insists that no image of him be shown).He envisions Harpo as a multimedia synergistic branding—-he’s on the lookout for how to develop the “next Oprah”; Oprah is confused because she’s still learning the complexity of her own company’s potential. She hates meetings; distill into to an email for her please and she’ll be in on the final decision after all the nuts and bolts are laid out; she is also trepidatious about Harpo and her, intertwined in her personal vision and such intensive business terminology. Being called a businesswoman makes her nervous because she’s focused on being authentically herself, so much of her work is from instinct, her gut, not to belay her own intellect but she doesn’t want to come across as a predatory, calculated businessperson because she’s far from it.She recalls a capital allotment and distribution meeting being called and had no idea what that meant——a few weeks ago. She does understand it though in round ways; the show’s budget is $50 million a year—-for 160+ episodes—-she calls the Harpo President and the Executive Producer, she thinks that’s a good budget ceiling going forward. Her most intense and consistent business advice—-from Bill Cosby—-”Sign every check, sister.”She does.Until her hand cramps because she’s personally signing everything from paychecks to inventory bills to invoices to Fed Ex invoices. Finally, she gets an electronic pen. But she still sees and signs everything, to this day, 32 years from 1986.What Business is Harpo in? Really In? Going to be in, ultimately?Jeffrey turns to the rest of the world, it’s a damn world media podium now, and says : “You all know Oprah, having sat next to everyone who is anyone on the planet, and in 15 years she has become America’s trusted heart and truth teller, she is a Platinum Brand, which means that what she is connected to will increase exponentially. Like, say a Martha Stewart….who has a magazine? Doesn’t Martha Stewart have a magazine?“Hmmmmm. World, Oprah is open for strategic branding business partnerships.”The Black-White Woman and Semi Trucks (With Blessed (Exiled and Redeemed) Acolytes in the Mix)Cathie Black of Hearst comes to Harpo, several others have taken the shot at creating a magazine out of Oprah but Oprah likes her, Hearst’s company age, and reputation, their lack of tabloid coverage of her—-she’s almost in to do it with them—-but she has one request:“With the show, it comes on 4 pm everywhere. I want a magazine delivered the same day, everywhere in the country. I like the idea of an Oprah Effect where say for example Show# 150 and then related topic magazine Issue 150 hit at the same time so that everyone knows the schedule and at the same time and can’t tell someone not to get it this month. Everyone makes up their own mind because it’s within a couple of hours so it’s a small investment to judge for yourself.”Cathie Black, a gentle flower and anvil of corporate power, smiles and gently explains to Oprah, a combination of a business owner, a mogul and a celebrity. “That’s not how publication distribution works. It’s a series of flatbed trucks delivering across the country to hubs on a rolling schedule.”Oprah, oblivious to anything but….well, Oprah, says, “I know! Change! Change is what makes it so exciting. A whole new way of doing this! In fact, we won’t make the first few pages ads, we’ll make page 2 a double spread table of contents. I hate wading through ads to find the table of contents on page 10 or 15. That’s what will work. Change.“ Oh, and in order to make sure that this magazine is done in a way authentic to me, it can’t just be Oprah stamped. It has to be me on the cover, every month. We need more Black women on covers of magazines every month, I’ll trail blaze that.“And I’m thinking I need to have full editorial control, just the way I do with my shows. I’m the yes and the no on everything in the magazine and it’s production and distribution system. Yes, like an artist with a palette, a print palette. I love it! I love books.“We’ll need a book section too. I’ll write a column, in fact, all the people I’m developing on my show to spin off, they’ll contribute too. Even Gayle! In fact, Gayle will be my Editor At Large there in the office since she lives in NY. She knows what I like and doesn’t like. She doesn’t have to be the Editor In Chief, she has a broadcasting job, but more of an avatar of and for me, someone I trust completely is there.“Oooh, you know maybe one day we can combine the issues into like a leather-bound volume and sell it in bookstores? Yes, change and it will be a collector’s item because it will have good, useful information to help people. Change, change, change. It’s the future! If you can make all that happen, you got me, I’m in!”Oprah leaves the room already brainstorming on what this will look like over the phone with Gayle King (bff and magazine Editor At Large) and how to incorporate not only the show to the page but the sponsorship, the ads, she can bring to an Oprah entity without having to pose with shoes or cans of soup or a car. She’ll deliver sponsors to her fan base in a much more direct way than a celebrity doing ads. There was a reason to hold out. She’s a platinum brand and can control the hybrid way that she’ll synergize sponsorships now.Jeffrey smiles from the corner of the room. “If you can make that happen, you've got her. Make it happen.”Cathie Black gets that look on her face where she sees Oprah, smart, revolutionary and pulling ideas out of a whole different schema….but then realizes Jeffrey is the piranha, the designer, and enforcer, who makes the monkeys dance as the Glinda wants on the Yellow Brick Road. And the bricks are gold.“You’re a pira—-.”“Yes, yes, I am. But I’m hers,” he smiles. “The beauty of this is we have been working out a long term strategy for Harpo Productions. Get stable, get money, replicate the Oprah Winfrey template. She doesn’t think we can find another Oprah but I think we can get close. I call them Iyanla—-whoops, that one is off the table for a while, Nate Berkus, Dr. Phil, Suze Orman, Rachael Ray, Dr. Oz across every network. NBC, CBS, Fox, we’re already on ABC….unless ABC misunderstands the leveraged partnerships elsewhere mean the show could go elsewhere, with ease.Everything's Coming Up Roses, Rosie O’Donnell, Rosie’s Mimicry and Rosie's MistakeIt’s working! The magazine is a HUGGGGGGGGGGGGE success right out the gate. Crushing records, skyrocketing ad rates, delivered on time on the same day everywhere. The magazine is hovering at 4–5 million issues a month at a cover price of $4.50–4.99, plus subscribers at about 1/4 the cover rate in the 1+ millions.The magazine takes a slight Recession 200802009 dip in circulation but continues to be the #1 magazine for women in the country.Oprah, on a trip to South Africa, notices thousands of Black women reading Hello! magazine. Her intent, having seen this over the years in America is to be on the cover of every magazine (And so far 12 issues x 12 months for 18 years, she’s been on every cover) because there’s a lack of Black women on magazine covers. (Yes, Essence and Ebony monthly and then smaller magazines, Oprah’s been on American Vogue and UK Vogue.)And of course there are supermodels and actresses but not consistently so she turns to Jeffrey and whispers an idea and he turns to Cathie who presents to Hearst——O Magazine in South Africa!Oprah wants little BLack girls and African girls like her and girls who attend her leadership academy to see representations of themselves everywhere. Pointedly in beauty and self help magazines.Cathie Black is hailed as a hero from landing Oprah. Cathie just nods politely and eventually does a favor for Mayor of NYC Michael Bloomberg. She retires and becomes School’s Chancellor for a year. She’s a Potemkin. She comes in with a hatchet, upsetting unions and teachers and parents alike so that after her a milder Chancellor can be installed by Bloomberg but her acumen, business skills, ability to get things done and strengths are on display. Plus she has a permanent badge of professional honor on her CV, she landed Oprah to the best selling magazine of all time.Everyone came to that launch party though in 2000 though!Everybody!!!!!And that’s when a chubby lesbian (okay, who was shocked by her coming out? Who?) comedian makes a run at being The New-ish Oprah—-but lighter. Sorta!Here’s Rosie.She hosts her morning talk show from 1996 to 2002. It’s a mega hit! She’s a morning darling! She’s the Queen of Nice!Dan Brewster, CEO of Gruner+Jahr. (He’s not really relevant to the next snaffle jungle but faces help context.)Heard Around Gruner+Jahr USA Offices: “Hey, if Rosie’s such a darling and she’s a media success and she’s not as expensive as Oprah, maybe we can do some Oprah like stuff with her———like a magazine!!!!??????”The Rosie magazineIn 2000, O'Donnell partnered with the publishers of McCall’s to revamp the magazine as Rosie's McCall's (or, more commonly, Rosie). What had happened behind the scenes was that McCall’s was knocked out of the running for Oprah because Oprah wasn’t happy with some of their past coverage of her. Oprah’s concern was that no partnership be with anyone who had ever written tabloid like material about her (or in general), the 50/50 revenue split with Harpo putting up nothing, per usual and Editorial Control and Veto power. When Oprah went Hearst, McCall's rushed to go Rosie in 2000.The Rosie magazine was clearly launched as a competitor to fellow talk show hostess Oprah Winfrey's monthly magazine but maybe just maybe there could be room for… two?Rosie, light fare in the daytime, gave Rosie a chance to go hard in print because she had Creative Control—— covered issues including breast cancer, foster care and other matters of concern to O'Donnell. In the September 2000 issue, she shared that "she has struggled with depression her entire life" and decided to start medications when she realized her fears were affecting her family. Rosie was going deep in the competition. She wasn’t winning exactly but Rosie is Gold Brand. Not Platinum but damn close.With a strong start and a circulation close to 3.5 million, things looked promising but the magazine stumbled as conflicts emerged between O'Donnell and the editors. Rosie’s downfall is two-pronged:She hasn’t been at the game long enough to have not only constructed her own company (she has a production company) but to then have matured and grown it as Oprah and Jeffrey have. Harpo has 10 years growth experience over Rosie.)Jeffrey/Oprah lobby in all their deals very specifically for absolute control. In writing. So Oprah has Editorial Control and Veto Power on everything about the magazine. Essentially Hearst produces the magazine, pays for everything, distributes the magazine and sits back lets Harpo/Oprah run the magazine. That distinction is why there isn’t a competitor to Oprah in many venues in production capability or profitability.Rosie's contract gave O'Donnell control over the creative process but Veto Power remained with publisher Gruner+Jahr USA. A year later O'Donnell quit the magazine in September 2002, following a dispute over editorial control."If I'm going to have my name and my brand on the corner of a magazine, it has to be my vision," Rosie told People.(Oprah, having tea and a scone somewhere, reading this thought: “Duh. Don’t you negotiate total (editorial) control and veto power before the project even starts? I respect other people, other visions. And if we’re working together then our visions are aligned. But Yes and No? Them bad boys always stay with momma.”Which is why Harpo often isn’t involved in the legal entanglements that follow fuzzy Yeses and No’s and I Love You’s, No, We Love You More’s.Harpo: Clarity on Control and Yes and No Power. Oh, and how the pie gets split plus ancillary fees and their expected due dates. Thank you.)Rosie summarily folds in 2003, a gasping, bloody death. In late 2003, O'Donnell and the publishers each sued the other for breach of contract. The publishers claimed that, by Rosie removing herself from the magazine's publication, she was in breach of contract. The trial received considerable press coverage because not only had Rosie followed the Oprah playbook to try and win but she’d stumbled a year in. Rosie was often thought to be the natural successor to Oprah, (even in ABC Cap Cities eyes…..)O'Donnell, in her much-publicized off the cuff, Aries style, would often give brief press interviews outside of the courtroom responding to various allegations. Rosie is good for a verbal tennis match. Of note was a former magazine colleague and breast cancer survivor who testified that O'Donnell said to her on the phone that people who lie "get sick and they get cancer. If they keep lying, they get it again".(Rosie almost 10 years younger than Oprah and not Black has less experience with being thoughtful about her words, her reach, her power, her intentions. One could argue that they are an excellent comparison culturally, racially of women, media, success in America and the balances and imbalances and expectations.)O'Donnell apologized the next day and stated: "I'm sorry I hurt her the way I did, that was not my intention."The judge dismissed the case, ruling that neither side should receive damages. Essentially both sides were working so hard to replicate Oprah that they didn’t clarify what their relationship would be so they created what is politely known is vaulted hallways and legal circles as a clusterfuck. The judge suggested everyone just admits they didn’t have the foresight of others (Harpo & Hearst), pack up their toys and go home.2011-2012: The Rosie Show and Oprah Winfrey NetworkIf they can’t beat you, hire them!In 2011, O'Donnell began producing material for the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). In May 2011, The Doc Club with Rosie O'Donnell premiered, a show where O'Donnell moderated live panel discussions following premieres of OWN Documentaries. She has hosted specials for Becoming Chaz in May 2011 and Miss Representation in October 2011. OWN is slowly warming Rosie up for bigger things. The world—-the media world had been tapping Rosie after her, not one, but two, ventures onto The View, to come back to talk show world. Oprah is officially off the air, the spoils are laid out for someone to take them!Rosie thinks she’ll just be sort of lesbian bookend to Ellen but she can’t get the freedom, the kind of deal she wants. So she goes all in with Harpo/Oprah/OWN. In fall 2011, O'Donnell began full-time work on her new show, The Rosie Show, for OWN. The beauty is that Oprah can not only hand over her affiliates to Dr. Oz but now she can hand over her entire studio set up to Rosie, that again Harpo is off the hook for costs as it steps into this nebulous new world of cable. The show taped at the Chicago studio formerly home to The Oprah Winfrey Show. The show debuted on October 10, 2011, to generally positive reviews. September 2011, TOWS had stopped taping.OWN canceled The Rosie Show on March 16, 2012, with the last show taped March 20, on the eve of O'Donnell's 50th birthday. The final show aired on OWN on March 29, 2012. In a statement, Oprah Winfrey said:“I thank Rosie from the bottom of my heart for joining me on this journey. She has been an incredible partner, working to deliver the best possible show every single day. As I have learned in the last 15 months, a new network launch is always a challenge and ratings grow over time as you continue to gather an audience. I'm grateful to Rosie and the dedicated Rosie Show team for giving it their all.”O'Donnell responded to the cancellation by thanking her viewers and the host city of Chicago:“I loved working with Oprah in the amazing city of Chicago. I was welcomed with open arms and will never forget the kindness of all I encountered. It was a great year for me—I wish the show was able to attract more viewers—but it did not. So I am headed back to my home in New York—with gratitude. On we go!”What went wrong?A hit on network TV and a hit on cable TV are two different animals. Rosie was bringing in 500,000- 2 million viewers, ending as she scaled down her show to one on one interviews (perhaps where it should’ve begun at).It would be simplistic to say that Rosie can’t be Oprah. She’s proven that she’s a draw because even though she can be brash and sharp, Rosie is genuine, loving, helpful, thoughtful, empathetic and funny. She has a lot of the same qualities as Oprah does. She even is a good actress!What she doesn’t have, arguably……… is Jeffrey/Harpo.Jeffrey has a had an extra decade for he and Oprah to sit down and codify exactly how to deliver her throughout media, to be thoughtful and specific about what they want and do not want and most importantly to practice control in small measures and then larger measures. Rosie (much like Martha Stewart) lacks a fundamental leverage piece—-she/they do not wholly own their work/the companies they work for. Oprah owns Harpo, a multi-billion dollar company. That’s a whole different beast to negotiate from than owning a production studio (offices, space, time, a budget) given to you by a parent company. Harpo/Jeffrey have the freedom to walk away from any deal and deal with anyone else.Most entertainers, wielding power yes, are still highly paid employees. Jeffrey’s initial edict and convincing to Oprah, own yourself, has matured and blossomed so that Oprah doesn’t have to demand or sue, she can ask/negotiate and walk away if a deal is not to her liking. It is to the other’s loss, not hers.The distinction can’t be stressed enough. The distinction also allows Oprah to develop others.If Harpo gets a large share of the real pie in its deals, it now starts baking its own pies,m with its own recipes to replicate a thousandfold. To get paid a thousand times.The financial reaping that Harpo/Oprah did/got from the whole Rosie debacle was in the hundreds of millions:It proved that Oprah was a Platinum Brand and had Platinum instincts and team. Not just any daytime host could push out a magazine with a publisher’s assistance and it is a resounding success. The $150–200 million that Harpo reaps yearly from O Magazine seemed to be worth every cent.This lined up advertisers in a bigger way than were done so for TOWS on ancillary TV movies, specials Harpo had done. Suddenly everyone who wanted to have Oprah as a spokesperson that she uniformly turned down for decades could get “endorsed” by her by being in her magazine. The surety of her hand and instincts was a deliberate extension of the Oprah Effect, Platinum Branding to the advertisers.# 2 meant that Hearst could charge a premium and every increasing price, in the hundreds of thousands, for singular and multiple month advertising spaces. The lifeblood of any publication was insured.Rosie didn’t leave her show in 2002 on a complete high because this was the middle time of her litigation war with McCall's. This meant that Rosie stayed Gold brand, perhaps even took a dusting down to Silver Branding. Had her magazine flourished, capturing some of and uncaptured demographics then O Magazine one, wouldn’t be a singular success and two, the way would’ve been paved for other knockoffs that didn’t have the Oprah Blessing?The Oprah Effect/Blessing is then able to be extended in the future to other Oprah related entities—-including:O at Home—-a magazine focused on interior design (supervised heavily by Nate Berkus—-who often contributed to O Magazine as well.)Every Day with Rachael Ray on October 25, 2005. The magazine featured seven issues in 2006 and increased to 10 issues in 2007. In October 2011, Meredith Corporation acquired the magazine.Dr. Oz and the Hearst Corporation launched the bi-monthly magazine Dr. Oz: The Good Life on February 4, 2014. He has a column in O Magazine.In 1998, Dr. Phil McGraw published his first best-selling book, Life Strategies. In the next four years, McGraw published three additional best-selling relationship books, along with workbooks to complement them. And he had a monthly column in O Magazine for well over a decade.Suze Orman writes a financial advice column for O, The Oprah Magazine.Iyanla Vanzant writes an advice column for O magazine.6. When Rosie came into the Harpo/Oprah fold in 2011, while she didn’t save OWN, she was instrumental in drawing attention and viewers to the initial offerings in 2011 and offset the -production cost loss of Oprah no longer taping in her studio. This gave time for Harpo/OWN to understand the new market it was entering. She wasn’t the sacrificial lamb…but she was like a canary sent down the cable mine. She was also yet another a long line of acolytes to Oprah’s Effect, Oprah blessed acolytes.7. Rosie’s exit from daytime TV opened up the space that would eventually seemingly come around to bite Oprah when one of her acolytes was poached by the gap left by Rosie, the mess created by the poaching of an acolyte and the redemption/revenge Jeffrey was able to reap on daytime, more than made up for the stress and drama to come in 2001 to 2002 then 2006 and 2011.The Blessed Acolytes-Partners“In the next few years, we’re negotiating with other networks and our distributor network, King World, to launch shows for them all. We’re a boutique TV/film/commercial production studio with Oprah blessed branded talent that expands out across every major network—-that she’s introduced and therefore shared her Oprah Effect with. Her audience will now include these people into their viewership as trusted advisers on mental health, life issues, medical health, interior design, and personal finance.Rachael RayDr. PhilNate BerkusSuze OrmanDr. OzIyanla Vanzant….sort of.(Oprah has long wanted to move on from being the one exclusively on the couch even going so far as to offer the entire show to Gayle, her bestie. They’ll co-host for awhile and Oprah will phase out. Oprah is even thinking about doing a phase-out like The View, she’s concerned that they’re running out of ideas for her, she’ll get bored and it will show, or she will be stuck as the host forever.From a business perspective, TOWS, her personality, is the main cash cow of Harpo Inc. It’s not a balanced business situation. TOWS is bringing in over 90% of the companies revenue they have to change this.What if they can create enough mini-spin offs that are in viewership and financial equivalency in partnerships on multiple networks to the $275 million TOWS is bringing in a year?(The natural split would be Harpo, Inc. gets 50% from each spin-off a year as a production partner so that the Chicago production studios are still used for shows and movies and TV shows and the staff of 490 at Harpo stays employed. It’s an evolutionary growth plan.)Oprah’s success is becoming a singular trap to her. She knows that there is a natural end eventually to every show/star and she wants to heed Cosby's advice and get off of the air as the primary person before she’s “been in the ring too long and is punch drunk and has to be carried off or canceled.” Stay Number #1 and walk away Number #1.(Interlude)The Tragic Tale, Loss, and Redemption of Iyanla Vanzant with Oprah WinfreyIyanla Vanzant, bestselling author and life coach/relationship coach, becomes a mainstay on the show, Oprah giving her the stage, much as she does to the others on a rotating basis, grooming them in ability and presentation as she presents them to her audience for eventual “spin-offs”. Oprah sees the time needed for this gestation to work like 4 years.Iyanla gets antsy at 1+ years.Iyanla is on the team then off the team after a hiccup where she left the Oprah stage/show in the late 1990s for a show deal offer from…Barbara Walters, though Harpo was developing her for a show. And went to her own show (where she didn’t even have an office and she was given a wig) and crafted in BW’s vision and version of cough (Oprah) cough Iyanla.Umm hmm…Barbara Walters.Oprah’s North Star who she’s looked up to as a female guide in media/TV work world and personally as a friend and mentor. Well, maybe a professional “friend”. (Frienemy?)Barbara goes soft Iago on Harpo/Oprah and poaches Iyanla, in secrecy, promising to use all of her considerable influence and ability to make a hit (she has after all made The View a hit) with this shining star who is big enough to be as big as Oprah. ABC Cap Cities loves BW so she’ll have the lead in time before The View at 11am, Iyanla will come on at 10 AM…(pay close attention to this time slot, it gets funky.)Iyanla tells Oprah and her team that God told her that she should go with this offer with a bigger company. Oprah takes her seriously, God told her so! So she didn’t fight or try to keep her. Gayle, however, ran after Iyanla and told her in the hallway she was making a big mistake.Iyanla walks out thinking she was going to be a next cough (Oprah) cough.(Interesting side note: I, Kyle, was at the first Iyanla Show taping. It took so long to start due to delays (we audience member s waiting outside in line, even as BW arrived. She’s as tall as my kneecap.) I was tired of waiting in line for two hours, I left. I didn’t miss much The Iyanla Vanzant show was canceled within a year.)Now, Oprah, I wouldn’t call her gullible or naive, I would call her honest and openhearted—in a way that is easy to connect to personally and emotionally but hard to believe sometimes within a business arena because it’s so anti-business “cold” and calculating in some ways—-believed Iyanla when she said in the parting meeting that she was offered her own show by someone bigger than Harpo/Oprah. Oprah thought it was someone bigger, outside of the wheelhouse, the network she was with, the parent company. She thought it was Viacom (CBS). Or maybe Sony Telepictures. She thought BIG. Which is why she believed Iyanla that maybe it was God’s voice/plan for Iyanla to move on from Harpo so she didn’t grouse it.(Jeffrey on the other hand…………)Word on the media street was that he doesn’t forgive nor forget when you outplay him in business and poach. His clap back was eventually polite, poetic but pointed.The Come To Jesus TWO part episode over a decade later where Oprah and Iyanla ReconciledIt’s now 2011: Oprah and Iyanla reconcile as Iyanla reveals humiliation, bad business decisions, literally the wrath of the universe fell upon her, her life, her business, her bestselling books are taken away for late tax payments even her husband left her! She’s making hand lotions and potions in her kitchen when Oprah gets back to her in 2011.They reconcile on air.Oprah doesn’t even get bitter or condescendingly I told you so about it and in typical Oprah aikido fashion she turns it into—-Iyanla, what was going on with you, girl? interview judo and Iyanla……..emotionally breaks down on Oprah why she broke out from Oprah!!!!!! (pay attention, Oprah does one more Alpha Talk Show Host Aikido move before her show ends in 2011.)Iyanla gets honest and explains that with hindsight she didn’t feel worthy, she didn’t trust all the profit and blessings, she lost her way to her ego trying to become the next Oprah and didn’t trust Oprah who was setting her up to be …..the next…Iyanla.Oprah’s philosophy sticks to her mild ire at Jeffrey’s comment in the Fortune 2000 magazine article about finding/developing/creating the next Oprah. She firmly understands——from a deep spiritual POV——that there can only be one.One Oprah.One Iyanla.One Dr. Phil.You can’t replicate her but you can establish a rapport with the audience for them to see in Iyanla, what she sees, the gifts Iyanla has, the abilities Iyanla brings to the stage, that Oprah doesn’t have in the same way.Spiritual Aikido“I did believe in you 100%. In your gifts. I always believed in you….even when I tuned into your show and saw it was all wrong for YOU, the Iyanla I see and know. And I still believe in you, Iyanla. And I always will. I am never false in my esteem, trust, estimation nor truth in what I think of you or what you are worth. They (BW) did not know your worth.”“No”, Iyanla corrects, “I did not know my worth. It wasn’t you, I was afraid that you were being (business) nice to me, that I wasn’t enough, that I was false, a fake for all of this, all that you were bringing to me, giving to me, setting me up to walk into for myself. I believe in my skill but not my worthiness to receive, reap, from it..”“You are enough. Always, Iyanla. Always!”NOT. A. DRY. EYE. IN. THE. AUDIENCE. IN. THE. STUDIO.Nor 40 million people around the world who watch both back to back episodes.And there is always redemption: Oprah announces the launch of Iyanla, Fix My Life on her new network, OWN, as a flagship show, coming in 2011. She’s giving her a TV show…on her brand new network!Alpha QueenAnd just to, you know, show how a real Queen shows that she’s Queen. Oprah has on all the talk show hosts who lasted the longest against her Number # 1 show on one of her final shows…but never beat her in the ratings and was canceled.Phil Donahue, Geraldo Riviera, Ricki Lake, Sally Jessy Raphael, Montell Williams.And toasts with champagne them to a game well played,…….non-winners.(Technically Donahue ran for 29 years, 26 in syndication. 1 more year than TOWS.)Revenge of the Jedi…JeffreyBW had Bill Geddie, her longtime Executive Producer, right-hand man. Her Debbie DiMaio….But Oprah. Oprah had Jeffrey. He went Michael Corleone on BW. He waited. Patient as Death. Subtle like. You don’t beat enemies, you don’t trash talk them, you don’t get even. You get better than even. Success is the best revenge. The best revenge is a dish served cold. Very cold.Steel goes brittle in Jeffrey’s mouth.Iyanla’s ABC show produced by BW and Bill Geddie ran from 2001–2002. 1 year. But made a gap in the programming schedule. A few more shows run nationally and locally but never take hold at 10 am. No one takes hold. And then Oprah/Harpo contracts come up for negotiation again.How can you keep Oprah post-2000?Revenge is Spelled EVOOIn 2005, after appearing on TOWS for years, Rachael Ray is spun off to her own TV show.On ABC.At 10 am…before The View….the coveted slot that BW had wrangled from ABC/Cap Cities and lost when Iyanla’s first show tanked.Produced by Harpo as leverage-incentive within the Oprah/Harpo contract renegotiation.Rachael Ray is entering its 13th season with Harpo Inc as a partner in 2018.Hey, girl!!!!!!Barbara Walters retires in 2014 after 50 years on TV. Oprah comes to The View and sits center table for her retirement.Umm hmm. Yes, she did.Dr. Phil is on CBS. From 2002 to present—-renewed through 2022.Nate Berkus is on NBC for two years. Harpo and Sony Pictures co-produces.And Suze Orman ends up on CNBC in 2002 but is still regularly on TOWS through to the end and does exclusive webinars with Oprah herself.Dr. Mehmet Oz debuts his show in 2009 for Fox after years on TOWS, being groomed. But there’s a catch to him.The Dr. Oz show though was unique in it’s syndication agreement because Harpo negotiated that all of the distributors/affiliates that originally broadcast the Oprah show—-if they wanted to be in her 2 year last episodes contract would have to take Dr. Oz’s show on in her time slot and maintain him for 5 years out.92% (about 225 of the 250 affiliates across the nation she was on, took the deal after she’d spent the nominal 4 years grooming him. He literally slips right into her shoes, guaranteeing he’s a hit before his show even debuts and everyone who was making money from TOWS isn’t at a loss when she leaves AND Harpo still gets a 50% production payoff from their old time slot/his show. Harpo literally gets half of the salary/revenue by her handpicked replacement when she leaves network TV. for her time slot.)He’s going into his 10th year.Harpo Controls TimeRachael Ray comes on at 10 AM across the nation.Soap operas/game shows/rivals talk shows like The View are on from 11 am until 1–2 pm across the nation.Nate Berkus comes on a 2 pmDr. Phil comes on at 3 pmOprah comes on a 4 PM—-then is replaced by Dr. Oz at 4 pm (and syndicated times.)Suze Orman comes on every evening and the weekends then naturally leads viewers back to TOWS during the week….and then helps gather them online and then helps bring them to OWN.Harpo/Jeffrey set it up so that you don’t kill your enemies/poachers——you outdo them on so many levels that you show them up as incompetent.Back To Black and Black Don’t Crack…until it met Harpo in 1999/2000Jeffrey takes a meeting with Cathie about a potential Oprah magazine.“Cathie, may I call you Cathie? A magazine would be a great add on with a readership of about 4 to 5 million subscribers that we can pull in, low end, because that would mean about $200–300 million in revenue, split down the middle.We provide Oprah and Oprah-ness, have total control over the magazine from content to distribution, and you get to sit back, distribute and count your money. Harpo never puts in money, it would express a lack of faith in Oprah. But the whole Oprah camp and talent bank will contribute and their fan base will buy issues too.”“Jeffrey, no one has been given this level of distribution, autonomy, profit structure, and control before. Putting up no money?!! Ever.”“I know, right! Exciting huh!? To be on the cutting edge. Call me when you work out that distribution snafu Oprah mentioned. Then we know you’re the one for us. I’m thinking ten, fifteen, twenty, thirty years of a magazine, month after month.“What’s that at $150 million a year domestic and then international down the road? Five, six billion? Yes, that would be a crown jewel in Hearst’s crown….especially with print going the way of the internet.“Do you know the group over at Time Warner Publications they said they could be here next week? Great guys. Oprah likes them a lot too. I’m sure whatever Hearst can’t do, someone, somewhere will figure out the way to do it looking at the whole picture, the future picture, the profit picture. Have a good day.”Cathie went back to Hearst and amazingly enough, they were able to figure out how to get the O magazine distributed everywhere, all at once, on the same day, throughout the entire country, by timing their semi trucks better.As always, with Hearst Magazines, Harpo Print, LLC publishes O, The Oprah Magazine. The company also published O at Home, which Hearst officially folded in 2008 after a four-year run but occasionally does spot issues like October 2018’s.2001 to 2011 Net worth $2–3 billion dollars;O Magazine becomes a mega-hit; first in the US and then pointedly in Africa and around the world, averaging sales of 4 million copies a month.last year of the 25 years of TOWSthe OWN Network deal with Discovery (getting one of their 8 channels is signed in 2009, to launch in 2011)All the Blessed Acolytes are in place across the board of network TV channels—-bringing in revenue so that Harpo is no longer dependent on Oprah solelyDr. Phil is on the air on CBS, Rachael Ray is on the air on ABC, Nate Berkus is on the air on NBC, Dr. Oz is on the air in syndication/Fox, and then the last disciple she slowly trains and introduces to the world on her show and then releases from the fold—-is given 94% of the slots on TV that TOWS occupied as a swap deal with the affiliates when she ends her show at the 25 year mark in 2011—-Harpo is reaping 25% to 50% of each of the show's revenues of between $100–250 million a year.Oprah Goes Back to Her Roots in Radio…in a BIG wayHarpo has also signed a deal with Sirius XM Radio to broadcast 4 years of new and old programming from the Harpo catalog—-which includes all the above shows. She brings on Friends of Oprah (newly Blessed Acolytes who may already have their own success/followings. Synergistic partnerships in multimedia.)You Get a Radio Show, You Get a Radio Show, You Get a Radio Show!Marianne WilliamsonNate BerkusGayle KingDeepak ChopraTony RobbinsOld Oprah Winfrey ShowsOprah herselfPlus others.It’s a $50 million dollar deal.All (Really) Good Things….TOWS ends after 25 years, most notably business wise it produces in its last couple of years about 130+ episodes, making the valuation of each episode/the budget about $300,000 to $500,000. capping at $50 million. The Oprah Winfrey Show episode library worth about $1.8 to $2.5 billion, by the valuation of budget, costs, syndication fees.But how to resell that catalog a second, third and fourth, infinite time(s)?Guess Who Owns Half of OWN…and some of ABC Cap Cities, and some of King World and a little bit of Disney, and a significant piece of Viacom?King World is bought out by Paramount and then Paramount is bought out by Viacom, bundled together into National Amusements by Sumner Redstone, a prolific, tough, smart….special billionaire who even fires Tom Cruise when he gets on his nerves. And then ABC Cap Cities is bought by Disney.CBS and Viacom acquisitionOn January 19, 2000, King World was acquired by CBS. After CBS' purchase of the company, Eyemark Entertainment, the successor to Group W Productions following the CBS/Westinghouse merger, was folded into King World.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_World_Productions#cite_note-7[7]CBS Enterprises was bought by Viacom, Inc. around the time of CBS's acquisition of King World, thus becoming owned by the post-split CBS Corporation as well as all of Viacom's former TV production and distribution operations.In its latter days, King World was considered the syndication branch of the CBS network (a role Viacom actually first served upon its creation), having succeeded Eyemark in that role. King World, however, distributed newer CBS shows such as Everybody Loves Raymond 1990s Until 2000s while the older shows were syndicated by corporate affiliate CBS Paramount Television, the successor to the original distributor Viacom Enterprises. Additionally, from 2000 to 2006, King World distributed archive programs from Group W, such as The Mike Douglas Show.On September 26, 2006, CBS announced that King World and CBS Paramount Television's syndication operations would be combined to form the CBS Television Distribution Group (CTD). Roger King was announced as CEO of the new entity. However, he died on December 8, 2007, after suffering a stroke the previous day. Paul Franklin currently serves as President of CTD.[8]For one year, the King World on-screen identity was kept for the programs it distributed at its closure. However, most of the programs handled by King World were distributed under CTD. On September 27, 2007, CBS Television Distribution introduced a new closing logo to replace the old logos of King World, CBS Paramount Domestic Television, and its predecessors.In all iterations, Oprah’s stock stakes survive and converts, so she’s a partial owner in Disney and in Viacom. And the Discovery deal is a 50/50 split.Oprah has moved on to the Discovery Partnership for 50% ownership in rebranding one of their 8 channels into OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network, again following the Hearst mode of Harpo puts up Oprah and Discovery puts up hundreds of millions of dollars. Close to $300-$550 million to get it up and running as she steers the ship and finds it’s audience, it’s best productions and content creators. and makes it a hit within 4 years of the 7-year initial contracted deal (2009–2016). She begins traveling the world Canada, UK, India, Australia, South America making deals to broadcast throughout the world throughout the Discovery world network. Expanding her fame.But why cable, some wonder?Discovery has roughly 100 million cable subscribers to its 8 channel bloc a month around the world who pay cable fees to view. Cable fees per channel are set and often shift depending on regulations and offerings, premium offerings, viewership, and expansion.In 2012 -2014 new payment rates change Discovery’s payment amount to approximately $1.15 per cable subscriber. Approximately $115 million dollars a month X 12 months equals about $1.4 billion a year, divided by 8 channels equals about $172 million and then divide that into Harpo/OWNs stake of 50% valuates at a fluctuating $75 to 80 million a year.That’s not counting old shows from her catalog (answering the quandary of what does one do with a catalog of 4600+ TOWS shows; including other people’s shows (Blessed Acolytes and newly created shows) they rebroadcast and Discovery pays a fee to Harpo for and new shows OWN/Harpo develops and gets paid a fee for while retaining ownership.But wait, you know Oprah, she has to pull in quality talent and filling 20+ hours of a channel a week is a tough deed. When you’re in doubt, debt and trying to swim upstream who do you call?An old Black woman.Wait, a young Black man dressed as an old Black woman.Tyler PerryTyler Perry has been rocking films that are….attractive to a large segment of the Black…and White demographic. Broad comedies. Simple dramas. He’s spread out into an unprecedented deal with sitcoms on TBS. He agreed to do 200 episodes of multiple sitcoms for payment of $100 million upfront. Because he owns his own studios in Atlanta, similar to Oprah’s Harpo, he can churn out TV shows, films, commercials, stage plays at a staggering rate.His initial deal with TBS has ended, fulfilled perfectly, and he’s slowly pulling his chips and relationships together with Lionsgate and others—-considering starting his own cable network.But Tyler is a Silver brand. He’s good, very good. But he’s not Platinum brand yet. What Oprah has done with a handful, he’s done with ten times as many products. She calls him up.“Tyler, it’s Oprah. I need you, baby. These mofos got me in a corner. I have a headache, they said I can’t make this ship fly. Harpo is in a contract with Discovery from 2009 to 2016. It’s 2012 and momma’s feeling the heat. I need this bad boy to fly.”“What you need, girl?”“I need you, your shows, maybe some movies on my network. I need you to bring that audience you’ve been cultivating and leading to OWN.”“That’s money, momma. You know that. I don’t want to hurt our friendship by poaching cash from you. Not the way we run hard at business.”“It’s okay, sugar lump. Discovery is paying the bills. How about this though? I’ll break you off a piece of my ownership percentage and get them to break you off a piece of their ownership percentage—-let’s call it 5% ownership plus episode production fees in total, for 4 or 5 or even 6 shows. As many as you want to make. Let’s say approximately 100–150 episodes of some original stuff and I’ll even get them to pay up for some of your other show reruns.”“That’s a lot, momma.”“They like me. Plus think of it this way—-practice for your own network in the future AND I’ll sweeten the pie down the road. I’ve got some good shows and ideas and relationships coming. Ava Duvernay, others, even Iyanla, but they all need time. I need a bridge-hitter. Tent poles. Someone to keep us in the game for a few more years as I develop the others from scratch.”“What else could you possibly give me besides your mentorship and this deal, sweet teacher?”“Baby, I own part of Viacom from all that King World-ABC Cap Cities-Paramount-Disney stock options paying, swapping, takeover, boom boom over the years, about 2% of the whole mama jamma. I’m one of the largest single stock holders. You know Gayle is sitting pretty on CBS right now, right? You sign with us, produce for us, exclusively for awhile—-say five to ten years and I’ll hook you up with the really big boys—-you know Viacom has been trying to woo me to CBS any which way they can since TOWS was on—-I used to use them as leverage .“ In 2000 I toyed with them by threatening to leave ABC Cap Cities for CBS to up my contract fees and incentives with ABC/Cap Cities. ABC Cap Cities saw the error of their slow-poking ways, gave me everything I wanted and finally I threw Viacom Dr. Phil to give them a good taste of my love and then I kept, every contract negotiation with ABC Cap Cities, suggesting I might slip on over there and create a 3pm and 4pm whammy with him.“Hell, I might even start doing network evening specials for them—-interview the Obamas, maybe even join 60 Minutes. I’ll present you to them as I walk in the door for more production deals. Each one help one. Sound good? I got you, baby, momma got you.”“I’m in!”Tyler gets 5% of OWN, Harpo-Discovery—-Harpo owns 47.5%, Discovery owns 47.5%.The Haves and the Have Nots.Love Thy NeighborFor Better or WorseThe Single Moms ClubIf Loving You Is WrongThe PaynesAll premiere on OWN between 2013 and 2014, all ratings stars, from moderate to some of the highest rated shows on all of cable TV for their respective nights. Perry’s shows don’t save the network as much as Oprah’s bonds and acumen allows her to negotiate a deal with someone to add ballast to OWN long enough for them to have years for developing other successful shows and weed out the shows that won’t work.This also gives Tyler Perry more Hollywood street cred in the TV space so that he’s able to secure a future deal with Viacom(On June 14, 2017, Perry signed a long term deal with Viacom for 90 episodes/year of original drama and comedy series. Viacom will also have distribution rights to short video content and a first look at film concepts. The TV deal begins May 2019, as he is still under contract to OWN.) and use this all as leverage to create a ginormous movie studio/campus in Atlanta—- it also hosts 12 sound stages (The blockbuster Marvel film, Black Panther, was the first to be filmed on one of the new stages.)Oprah Needs You to Go To Work and Pay Your Bills, Thank YouBut most importantly—-you have cable?You have Discovery channel as part of your cable TV basic package?You pay your bill?You’re paying Oprah about 15 cents a month as Harpo gets 50% of 1/8 of Discovery’s cable revenue payments from each subscriber.“Sincerely, from my new office in West Hollywood (that Discovery built out for Harpo), thank you for your 15 cents every month. All 100 million of you. Thank you.”But wait, where’s Jeffrey?Well, there was some meshuggas about 20+ years in—-him, his wife, perhaps a secretary or two. Can’t be any meshuggas and since 1996 Oprah has stepped up as a boss. Even your Merlin must sometimes go, King—-errr Queen Arthur——-err Queen Oprah.She quietly let’s him go. he still retains an original ownership stake in Harpo Inc but over the years the percentage has gotten smaller as the company has expanded into films, magazine, network deals, radio, publishing, stores, etc. etc.His stake is about 3–5% now….of a multi-billion dollar company.OWN/Harpo, Inc. now occupies this spectacular building….for the most part some form of rent free as part of a convoluted:You (Discovery—(from Advertisers and Cable Subscribers)) Pay For It (all shows production, Distribution, Branding, Marketing, manufacturing, design, cable systems distribution and management, legalities, insurance, HR, etc.)We (Harpo—Blessed by Oprah) Make Shows for You (Discovery),You (Discovery) Pay for What We (BLessed by Oprah/Harpo & Production Companies of Shows like Tyler Perry and others) Make,We (Harpo) Sell It to You (Discovery),You (Discovery) Have Us (Harpo & Production Companies) in the Building, You (Discovery) Pay Forso it gets made right, and thenThey (Discovery from Cable Subscribers) Pay Us (Harpo Staff & Production Companies/Staff)andWe (Harpo) Pay Them (Harpo Staff & Production companies)and thenThey (Discovery Channel) Hand the Money Right Back to Us (Harpo to keep our cut and distribute to partners like Tyler Perry and production companies of other shows)Deal!!!Ultimately know though….the money stays with us at Harpo.Trust that.All Good Things….Bye, Chicago!The Chicago Harpo campus is sold to….McDonald’s for $32 million, Oprah sells her condo, her Indiana ranch and heads to California.Discovery is kind enough to put Harpo up in a brand new spanking building of studios…which totally alleviates all of the Harpo studio physical costs. In many ways Harpo has evolved into a boutique production company of storage, temporary offices, a formerly swelled staff of 400+ but now leaner, tighter, though other entities in the catalog, swell Oprah’s touch/responsibility staff is about 12,000+.But Harpo has one thing now that it didn’t have before—-a stable of shows it owns, co-owns, and produces, through the Discovery deal so that the burden of revenue no longer rests on just Oprah shows/shoulders——which was always the razor's edge worry at Harpo—-what if something happens to her? What if she burns out? The whole house of cards falls down.Oprah used her space, fame, acumen, business to essentially buy media “acreage” and farming “equipment”, till the soil, plant some Oprah vegetables; then sell those to market to start spreading out more acreage purchases, differing vegetable plots; partnerships with mills and farms; borrowing of their equipment to create Harpo into it’s own fresh media supermarket with production deals with Discovery, HBO, film studios, and most recently Apple for original programming.She’s parlayed the original 4561 episodes of TOWS talk show by selling them and reselling them multiple times—-First Time first run syndication (1986 to 2011)Second Time played as audio on Sirius XM (2009 to 2013)and then againThird Time repeated on Discovery as a whole or chopped up into new shows (Oprah: Where are They Now?, Season 25: Oprah Behind The Scenes, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Oprah Builds a Network, Oprah's Favorite Things, Best of Oprah (100 Episodes))that are charged to the venture at new show prices.Like steak one night, hamburger the next, pasta with meat sauce the next, Sloppy Joes the next, tacos the next, beef broth soup the next, but always at a premium price. Jeffrey taught her and the staff well. His business vision was right. They were never in the business of the talk show—-they were in a media, intellectual property, branding enterprise.OWN’s productions since 2009 to Present (all of which Harpo & or Oprah acts as the owner, partial owner, executive producer of)Original ProgrammingDramasGreenleafQueen SugarLove Is_ComediesThe PaynesSoap OperasThe Haves and the Have NotsIf Loving You Is WrongDocu-seriesBlack LoveThe Book of John GrayTalk ShowsThe Dr. Oz ShowDr. PhilHome Made SimpleThe Nate Berkus ShowThe Oprah Winfrey ShowRachael RaySuper Soul SundayRealityIyanla: Fix My LifeMind Your Business with MahishaOprah's Master ClassReleasedAcquired Programming Syndicated227BensonNewsmagazine20/20 on OWNDateline on OWNRealityUndercover BossUpcomingAmbitions (2019) (soap opera-style drama from Will Packer and Lionsgate)David Makes Man (2019) (drama series starring Phylicia Rashad)My Name Is Love: The Darlene Love Story (TV movie)Tulsa, miniseriesFormer (Expired/Cancelled, Non-Renewed)2 Fat 2 Fly6 Little McGhees10 Kids 2 DadsAddicted to FoodAll My ChildrenThe Ambush CookAmerica's Money Class with Suze OrmanAre You Normal, America?Ask Oprah's All StarsBeliefBeverly's Full HouseBeyond BeliefBlackboard WarsBreakthrough with Tony RobbinsCarson NationChecked InnCommander in HeelsThe Customer is Always Right?Deion's Family PlaybookDeliver MeThe Diamond CollarThe Doc Club with Rosie O'DonnellThe Dr. Laura Berman ShowDon't Tell the BrideExtreme Clutter with Peter WalshExtreme Weight LossFinding SarahFlex & ShaniceFor Better or WorseFor Peete's SakeThe Gayle King ShowGolden SistersHelp DeskHouston BeautyIn the Bedroom with Dr. Laura BermanIn Deep Shift with Jonas ElrodIt's Not You, It's MenThe JuddsKidnapped by the KidsKnight Life with GladysLife with La ToyaLindsayLives on FireLivin' LozadaLost and FoundLove in the CityLove Thy NeighborLovetown, USAMarried to the Army: AlaskaMiracle DetectivesMom’s Got GameMy Life Is A JokeMystery DiagnosisNY EROne Life to LiveOperation ChangeOprah Builds a NetworkOprah PrimeOprah's Favorite ThingsOprah's LifeclassOprah: Where are They Now?Our America with Lisa LingOWN Documentary ClubParty at Tiffany'sPolice Women of Broward County (marathons are still aired)Police Women of Cincinnati (marathons are still aired)Police Women of DallasPolice Women of Maricopa CountyPolice Women of Memphis (marathons are still aired)Raising WhitleyReal Life: The MusicalThe Rob Bell ShowRollin' With ZachThe Rosie ShowRyan and Tatum: The O'NealsSearching For...Season 25: Oprah Behind The ScenesShocking Family SecretsStaten Island LawSuper Saver ShowdownSuper Soul SessionsSwell LifeT.D. JakesTrouble Next DoorTV Guide Magazine's Top 25 Best Oprah Show MomentsThe Tyler Perry ShowUnfaithful: Stories of BetrayalVisionaries: Inside the Creative MindWanda Sykes Presents HerlariousWelcome to Sweetie Pie'sWhy Not? with Shania TwainYour OWN Show: Oprah's Search for the Next TV StarLong live the Queen.2011 to 2018 net worth $3–$4 billion dollars.“Yes, them is some Louboutin’s….I bought a few more shoes.”The Discovery deal ran initially from 2009 until 2016, with Harpo having the right to back out, no harm no foul, at any point. Instead they re-upped for another run until 2025 with a portion of the stake being sold to Tyler Perry to bring his shows onto the network under her banner and then to another portion of the 50% being sold to even out the deal with the acquisition of the Scripps Network to acquire that behemoth, by cashing out $70+ million of the stake from Harpo. They decide to hire Oprah.Oprah gets a job…at Harpo.2017 to Present-Oprah gets a job at Harpo!!!!!!!!, the company she owns,Takeovers, Blowing Yourself Up, Cashing Out and ultimately as always, paying Oprah and now Harpo as TWO separate entities.In a takeover as Discovery took over Scripps you have to basically puff up your company.The way you puff it up is you show to the takeoveree and the banks that you’re big enough to absorb the company you’re after and/or take care of it.The new company/bank you might be getting loans from asks in a very simplistic way—-have you got enough money to buy this on hand?—-or instead of cash money do you have enough of your own company as a mass to do this?Discovery turns to Oprah and says we need to buy back some of your percentage to puff ourselves up.Harpo/Oprah says we’re worth as 1/8 of approximately $150 million a year—-that’s what we’ve been getting from you for our end of the partnership.Discovery then said ok, we’ll forward you $70 million in cash to buy your ownership stake out, get you down to 24.5% ownership stake (Tyler Perry probably being bought/phased out in percentage ownership from Harpo’s end, .5%, the burden of sharing on Discovery to total to his 5% stake plus production fees on his 5–6 shows——-approximately $7 million in stakeholder value to Perry a year, over 10–12 years—-worth about $90 to 100 million) and Discovery then makes it up by Oprah being “hired” as the CEO of the OWN Network at a salary of $70 million a year. Her entire salary then becomes a taxable expense to Discovery and not a revenue drain.Discovery gets puffed up, Oprah/Harpo gets paid this year and next year we pay you both two checks, equaling $150+ million.Oprah signs a 7 year CEO contract with Discovery to be the President/CEO of OWN, $70 million a year. Or a $490 million dollar employment contract… to work at her own company. Harpo getting another $490+ million, as cable subscriber rates could, will change.Harpo (Oprah) signs on the dotted line, to own 24.5% of OWN, worth $70+ million every year from subscriber fees.)This clarifies that the Discovery deal in total from 2009 to 2023, 14 years, is worth first $1 billion in cash/pay and ownership stake and then production fees for all the shows run on Discovery from the Oprah vault, acolytes and new OWN productions.Harpo IdeologyStay lean and free of entanglements and in control of one’s destiny….never be a slave….always own your work…be able to walk away… own yourself, your work lock, stock and barrel.Oprah got back to acting, making a few movies along the way (Selma, The Butler, A Wrinkle in Time, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks—-her pay rate probably from $2 million to $5 million per project—-but she/Harpo is often a production partner so that fee fluctuates), plus some more TV shows (appearing in Greenleaf on OWN), interviews, you know just for the contracts, making new friends and fun.HBO Deal in 2008 and Harpo FilmsIn late 2008, Harpo Films signed an exclusive output pact with HBO.Previously, Harpo Films had a deal with ABC, which included production of Oprah Winfrey Presents: Mitch Albom's For One More Day.In February 2013, Harpo Films was shut down, citing that "the demand for long-form projects, especially on the broadcast side, has dried out." Many of its employees will move on to Harpo Studios' new scripted series division.Harpo Feature FilmsBeloved (1998)The Great Debaters (2007)Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)The Hundred Foot Journey (2014)Selma (2014) (under Harpo Productions)Harpo Telefilms (all on Network TV, ABC, per the ABC/Cap Cities deal)There Are No Children Here (which Oprah starred in with Maya Angelou)Oprah Winfrey Presents: Mitch Albom's For One More DayTuesdays with MorrieTheir Eyes Were Watching GodAmy & IsabelleDavid & LisaThe WeddingBefore Women Had Wings (which Oprah starred in)The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (which Oprah starred in on HBO)Apple Production Deal in 2018Stay loose and commitment to no singular entity indefinitely so that no one can ever shut you down or out. Harpo signs a deal with Apple which seemed shocking but really wasn’t if you trace this back to you guessed it…Jeffrey’s omni-vision for Harpo. His comment in the Fortune 2000 article was bundling together all of his ideas and plans, including the internet, not nearly as big as it is now… but both he and Oprah thought it had possibilities. So they started experimenting with it.The Oprah Book Club80 books have been chosen for Oprah’s book club, started in 1996 as a way of extending Oprah’s love of reading to the audience. Simply put she announces she loves a book, some audience members and the author came on the show and discussed the book and the audience could follow along.That sounded so simple.It’s not simple when Oprah blesses something.First off she wanted it to be a secret so that you had to tune in to the show for her to announce the book—-and as a precursor to the O Magazine idea, bouncing off of the initial idea of TOWS coming on at 4pm all at once across teh nation, she wanted the same thing to occur at bookstores. Sealed boxes of the books that wouldn’t be opened until she announced at 4pm what the book would be.The first time they tried this, Harpo alerted teh bookstores and teh publisher.“It’s Oprah. When she announces the book, there will be a mad rush. You should order like a massive amount of copies. Like a lot, a lot.”Barnes and Noble: “Tut tut, Harpo. Don’t toot your horn so loudly. We got this.”OPRAH TOLD ME TO READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”1 million copies of each book. Minimum.At the show's conclusion in May 2011, Nielsen BookScan created a list of the top-10 bestsellers from the club's final 10 years (prior data was unavailable).The top four with sales figures as of May 2011:Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth (2005), 3,370,000 copiesJames Frey, A Million Little Pieces, 2,695,500 copiesElie Wiesel, Night, 2,021,000 copiesCormac McCarthy, The Road, 1,385,000 copiesIt become s a phenomena as America….reads! ‘Cause Oprah suggested it.But wait there’s more. In 2008 the right bok comes along to experiment with along Jeffrey’s “synergistic multimedia intellectual property platform.”The Future/The InternetA New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose is a self-help book by Eckhart Tolle. First published in 2005, it sold 5 million copies in North America by 2009. In 2008 it was selected for Oprah's Book Club and featured in a series of 10 weekly webinars with Tolle and Oprah Winfrey.For 10 episodes, approximately 2–3 hours each, follwoing a chapter in the book, Oprah opens the book club, A New Earth to… cyberspace.And breaks the internet.See Oprah again had a “vision”. (Probably the most frightening sentence heard in Harpo hallways because it means a team of folk has to figure out how to make something that’s never happened before…happen.)Oprah’s vision was her and Tolle and people could Skype in from home. Like a worldwide audience. And then the producers/directors could have face bubbles appear on teh screen and she’d be talking live in the initial broadcast of the webinar to people from everywhere.“Wouldn’t that be cool, producers?” Oprah beamed.“Ummm………………….ok.”“Yay, team!” Oprah cheered. “I’ll come to the studio Tuesday afternoon after the taping of TOWS with my post it dogeared copy of ANE and chat it up with Eckhart. See ya then, guys!”And so it was Tuesday afternoon………Of course.OPRAH FIASCOBy Don KaplanMarch 5, 2008 | 7:59amOPRAH flattened the Internet Monday night.The first of several heavily hyped live Webcasts featuring Oprah Winfrey and the author of her current book club pick crashed about 10 minutes into a promised, history-making 90-minute show.Only a handful of viewers were able to see the entire event.Most of the audience, estimated at more than 500,000 viewers, could only see the first few minutes before their screens froze.“This is the most exciting thing I’ve ever done,” Winfrey told viewers at the beginning of the Oprah-cast.“I’ve done a lot of exciting things in my life but I am most proud at how all of you have joined us in this global community,” she said shortly before the Web site crashed.It was to be the first of 10 live Monday-night broadcasts with Oprah and Eckhart Tolle, author of the best-selling spiritual book, “A New Earth,” Winfrey’s latest Oprah Book Club selection.Nearly 3,000 people left messages yesterday on Oprah’s Web site complaining about the screw up and expressing their frustrations.“The broadcast kept freezing and sputtering and only caught a word here and there,” complained a fan going by the moniker, 4sandrella. “It was very frustrating and it only got worse as the broadcast went on.”“After having waited so long for this. . . it was heartbreaking to have the screen freeze continuously and then finally stop with only an explanation that the network was experiencing technical difficulties,” wrote another fan, calenejd.Officials at Harpo, Winfrey’s production company, issued an apology yesterday and promised that technicians were working to fix the problem.“Harpo Productions, Inc. . . recognizes that interactive Internet broadcasting to a mass audience is still an emerging medium, and we’re proud to have been pioneers in pushing the industry forward.“We deeply regret that some of our audience did not have an optimal viewing experience and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.”The Webcast was made available yesterday for replay on Oprah.com.Internet industry experts blamed the crash on several factors, among them the inability of local Internet service providers to handle the traffic – much the same way local phone companies have trouble shouldering simultaneous phone calls when people try to vote for “American Idol.”2018 to 2025 net worth $5–$10 (?) billion dollars.The Discovery deal will start to bear revenue fruit. $1 billion plus.The Apple deal will bear fruit. (Though undisclosed, a minimum value is at least $100 million for Harpo to get involved with their development of programming for ITunes/online consumption.The food line of healthy pizzas and vegetable combinations with start to bear fruit (she’s always wanted to do this similar to Paul Newsman’s line which has garnered $125 million back to philanthropic causes—-she likes this idea of how to use celebrity to give back with food.There’s no coincidence that the Weight Watchers parlay of buying in at $6 and selling at $60 with a significant ownership stake while publicly using the programming and losing weight isn’t synergistic to a food line.She’s the CEO of OWN so she’s getting a real boss salary in the millions, $70+ million in ownership stake plus a salary in the tens of millions (and part of a building) by some estimates—-which might explain the trade off of ownership to cash—-more cash plus show ownership of dozens of shows,plus plenty of shows played from the catalog and none of the associated risks of stock exposure.The leverage play here was how do you dissolve a company in one part of the country and recreate it in another, not all of the employees wanting to move but keep revenue streams coming in to offset the shift of the major revenue cash cow, TOWS, no longer first run, with it’s star Oprah, no longer in the hot seat of having to be the 90% revenue creator?How do you resell your past work and create new work to sustain the company?You latch onto a bigger fish in a much bigger pond, ocean actually, than an ABC/Cap Cities/Disney network pond.Cable is a an (international) ocean.Nicely done, Harpo, Inc., Team & Oprah.Nicely done.Edit 1: Thank you all of the Upvotes and Comments and I have read the Private Messages with further Questions so here is the link to Jeffrey Jacobs “thinking” in a nutshell, a book I hear he uses regularly and gave him some framework to business. Hence why I got it—-How to be a Billionaire: Proven Strategies from the Titans of Wealth eBook: Martin S. Fridson: Kindle StoreEdit 2: I will link here all of my Oprah Answers within the next few days that are about the marketing design of “Oprah” to create a marketing effect and details about specific deals as well as celebrity.Further Information:How did Oprah Winfrey become such an important and powerful person? What is her social significance?In hindsight, did Oprah Winfrey make a mistake by ending her talk show and launching the OWN cable channel?Smile,Kyle#KylePhoenix#TheKylePhoenixShow

75 Ideas for Businesses You Can Launch for Cheap or FreeIt takes courage and dedication to start your own business, but not much cash.NEXT ARTICLE20 Business Ideas for Stay-at-Home ParentsNext ArticleBusiness Ideas You Can Do Cheaply Or For FreeIt takes courage and dedication to start your own business, but not much cash.hMurray Newlands•VIP ContributorToday, many people today are looking to leave the daily grind for something that feeds their passion. People do not want to retire at the age of 60 (or older) to look back on life and feel they have wasted it.Luckily, it is now increasingly easy to start a business from scratch without spending a fortune. Below, I've highlighted 75 varied business ideas you can start cheaply from the comforts of your own home. Some of the business ideas listed require nothing more than an internet connection, while others demand a level of licensing or a specific set of vocational skills...the choice is yours!1. Making ChatbotsI am quoted on Entrepreneur - Start, run and grow your business. as "ChatBot expert Murray Newlands commented that "Where 10 years ago every company needed a website and five years ago every company needed an app, now every company needs to embrace messaging with AI and chatbots." That brings opportunity and jobs. You can learn to make them for free without coding for companies.Chatbots are in and it has reached the point where every business needs one. Chatbots have become a huge opportunity for companies to engage with their customers, gather data, and improve their marketing and customer care efforts. You can start your own chatbot creation business easily and quickly without needing to code. I created the free to use tool Chattypeople.combut there are lots of others out there. All you need to do is:Read about bots and their functionsCreate an accountLearn about the company who needs a chatbotCreate their bot throughLaunch it through Facebook MessengerNo coding or long courses neededThe platform is great, as it:Works with Facebook Messenger and commentsCan push promotions to customers on demandRecognizes variations on trigger wordsCan process orders from FacebookIntegrates with all main payment processing platforms2. Bookkeeping ServicesAre you great with numbers and want to work from the comforts of home? To become a freelance bookkeeper, you do not need to be a Certified Public Accountant, but you do need to be good with numbers. There are lots of free to use online invoicing tools such as Sighted.com and online payments tools like Due.com. Some services you could offer include:Creating balance sheetsProviding income statementsCreating various monthly, quarterly, or annual financial reportsRelated: Looking for a New Payment Company? You're 'Due' for Some Good News.3. Personal or Virtual AssistantAlthough personal and virtual assistant jobs do not sound glamorous, they do pay well. If you have already held this job in an office, you will find the digital version allows for a lot more freedom. Use services like Upwork.com to find clients. You can choose:Your clientsYour hoursYour hourly, daily, or monthly pay rate4. Marketing ServicesMarketing does involve a certain level of background knowledge. That said, if you are not experienced, investing in an online course is not only cheap but will equip you with the adequate tools to start a solo digital marketing agency you could expand in the future. There are lots of new marketing fields opening up such as influencer marketing.Companies are always looking for freelancers able to provide marketing copy that is SEO-friendly and can transform website visitors into leads and, eventually, customers. In addition to offering optimized copy, you could offer to upload the content to their websites and improve their SEO further with:Meta descriptionsThe right titlesThe correct keyword densityTags and categoriesRelevant images with SEO captions and alt tags5. Social Media ConsultantWho doesn’t love Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram? Fancy yourself to be a bit of whiz but don’t have any formal training? Twitter and Google, among other platforms, offer complete professional courses with recognized certifications that require little to no money. Social media is also a business that has unlimited potential with a client base that can span across the world. This trend is unlikely to die soon, if ever, and new platforms are being released every year, making the possibilities for expansion limitless. You can use social media management tools to make your job easy.6. Affiliate MarketingAffiliate marketing is extremely easy to get into and involves you earning a commission by promoting other companies' products and services. Basically, you choose a product you like, promote it, and make a profit on each sale that stems from your marketing efforts. An affiliate marketing business is especially easy to start if:You have a blog or website of your ownYou can prove your success through visitor statisticsYou have already successfully undertaken affiliate marketing and can show this to your potential clientsRelated: The Affiliate Marketing Model: A Blueprint for Success in the Gig Economy7. Tester or ReviewerIndividuals or startups often look for people to review their products to encourage others to buy them. You can either get started with a profile on freelancing websites or approach companies directly, offering them a review in exchange for a monetary reward by becoming an influencer. Even better, if you have your own website or blog, you could write entire posts about their products, thus allowing you to charge more money in the long run and build a portfolio with tangible results to show future clients.8. Secretarial ServicesSimilar to virtual assisting, remote secretarial services require little to no experience. All you need is:Strong organizational skillsGood communication skillsGood time managementA high level of autonomyYour day-to-day tasks as a freelancing secretary will typically include:Booking meetingsOrganizing calendarsReplying to emailsPutting together presentationsAnswering phone calls9. Online Dating ConsultantHave you got a way with words? Or have you found your Mr. or Mrs. Right and want to share how you got there? You can become someone's wingman or woman and help them find love by becoming an online dating consultant. This type of consulting comes with a large level of responsibility, as you will be guiding someone's love life. Daily tasks include:Acting as an account manager on dating sitesWriting profilesOffering telephone updates on their matchmaking status10. Ebay Assistant or SellerAn Ebay assistant or seller is similar to being a marketing affiliate. The key difference is that instead of marketing the product, you are selling it directly to the customer. When selling for others on Ebay or any other platform, you will sell the product and keep a commission as compensation.Unfortunately, this type of job comes with risks. Commonly, scam artists attract Ebay sellers and use fake shipping papers to convince them to send payments. Unfortunately, even if you are scammed, you will be held responsible for your customers not receiving their items. Always remember to:Get to know the distributorKeep all payments in your e-wallet until the customer confirms having received the parcelReport any suspicious activityDo not share any of your banking details11. Application DeveloperNew applications are launched on a daily basis and if you believe you have the skills to create your own and a unique enough idea, you should do it! Aside from the fact that you will have to invest little to no money to get started, it is far less time consuming than the average 9 to 5. Once you have created your application, couple it with the right marketing strategy and you'll be making money in your sleep. The best part about developing applications is that you can do it from anywhere in the world.Related: 11 Ways to Make Money While You Sleep12. Website DeveloperWe live in a digital world where every business needs a website to drive their traffic to in order to make sales. If you have the skills, you could enter an industry that will never die. You can also start small by creating websites on platforms such as Wordpress. If you want to take your web-building skills to the next level, you can learn the language of website creation through Codecademy - learn to code, interactively, for free, where you will be able to learn how to incorporate personalized:Shopping cartsProduct pagesGalleriesBlogsServices pagesFeedback forms13. Internet Security ConsultantHacking, scamming, and viruses are just some of the security threats on the web today. If you know your stuff, you could make very good money consulting businesses, especially those who handle sensitive customer information and want to keep it as safe as possible.14. Graphic DesignerCompanies are always in search for branding that tells people about what they do. If you can follow company guidelines and customer needs, all you will need to get started is a computer and applications such as Photoshop or Illustrator. Types of media you will be responsible for creating include:LogosFliersNewslettersMagazinesInformation sheetsLettersAdvertisements15. Desktop PublisherDesktop publishers typically use publishing software to create:MagazinesBooksMarketing newslettersOther marketing materialsIn order to offer a full service, you could also write the content or hire a content writer and create your own small team.Related: Former Apple CEO John Sculley: The Most Valuable Lesson I Learned From Steve Jobs16. Designing Business PlansHaving a eureka moment is great, but it can be hard to put that idea down on paper in a way that will speak to a potential investor. If you have owned your own business in the past or earned a business degree, why not help those with a eureka moment start something they love? Plan your fee around the various packages you are prepared to offer your clients. You can either:Create an electronic copy that your client can customizeKeep a copy on file and continue customizing it according to their needsCreate various templates that you can show your customers and how you can customize the templates for them accordingly17. Tax ConsultantCompanies big and small pay good money to have their taxes prepared for them. It gives them a chance to focus on the everyday operations of their business. If you have the appropriate experience, you could set yourself up as a freelancer; however, by starting with a tax preparation franchise, you will receive courses, seminars, and training.18. Blogger or VloggerAre you an expert in a specific field? From travel, fashion, cooking, to DIY, and removal services, if you know how to do something particularly well, why not tell the world through a blog or vlog? All you will need is a computer and a good quality camera. You can make money by offering advertising space and reviews of products on your platform.19. Informational Product CreatorSimilar to blogging or vlogging, creating informational products is your chance to put your expertise in an e-book or some form of digital format and selling it to the online world. Find a niche that's not been overdone and start writing. You can sell your information piece on platforms such as Amazon Books.20. Resume WriterNo matter the experience, there are very few people that enjoy or are good at writing their own resume. Individuals pay very good money to have their personal statements put on paper for them. It will cost you nothing to get setup and once you get the hang of it, you should be able to average a good hourly or daily pay rate.Related: The Do's and Don'ts of the Modern Resumé (Infographic)21. Domain Name BuyerAs the name suggests, all you need to do is buy domain names you believe people will want and sell them for a profit. You will need to be able to:Identify profitable domain namesIdentify domain names that are memorableLearn about SEO and keyword optimization22. Flipping WebsitesFlipping a website is the art of buying an already existing website, improving it, and selling it. With the right web development skills, it is a very easy and cheap trade to explore. That said, you need to be able to identify websites that have the potential for improvement.23. TranslatorTranslating is one of the easiest and most profitable industries to delve into if you are proficient in more than one language. Sought out on a global scale, translators do not need any capital to get started and can earn a salary of $40,000 a year (minimum) depending on the size of the company you are hired by and the length of the contract they offer.Related: Global Business Leaders Speak Multiple Languages ...24. Financial AdvisorAlthough the number of people wanting to start their own business has grown, many still do not know how to organize themselves financially. Start by getting your Certified Financial Planner (CFP) certificate to show clients you are credible. On the other hand, if you already have the experience, you can start by advising individuals and then grow your empire to consult for larger organizations.25. Editorial ServicesAn editorial services business is easy to start, requires no initial monetary investment, and has a huge potential for expansion. From small and large businesses to authors and students, your client base could be endless. You can offer a variety of services, some of which include:CopywritingGhostwritingMagazine article writingNewspaper article writingWeb content writingProofreadingEditingIndexingBook writing26. Online Photo SellingIf you are a professional photographer or just have a deep-rooted passion for it, you can make money from your pictures on photo selling websites. All you need to get started is a camera, preferably a digital SLR with a minimum of 8 megapixels, and a computer. Once you have established yourself on websites such as Stock Photography, Royalty-Free Photos & The Latest News Pictures and http://Flickr.com, you can setup your own website with a list of your watermarked images and their price per unit.27. Meal PlanningThere are loads of people who love food but don't have the first clue about what to buy. They are either not very confident in the kitchen, don't know the first thing about a balanced diet, or struggle with maintaining a budget. As a meal planner, you would:Create a list of ingredientsCreate step-by-step recipes for your customers to followExplain the nutritional value of the meals to educate your customersExplain to them how they are saving money by sticking to your meal plansRelated: A Startup To Get You Cooking Healthy Meals: Cook-A-Box28. Patient Advocacy ServicesPatient advocacy services are extremely important to communities across the world. On a daily basis, you would be:Helping people track down hospitals for paperworkGather bills for insurance companiesArgue cases with insurance companiesPeople in need of these services are most likely ill or grieving, leaving them fragile and often unable to defend themselves. It is important they have the right support during this time in their lives.29. Ecommerce StoreIf you have a great product, but no money to invest in a physical storefront, staff, and bills, why not set yourself up online? Aside from the lack of huge monetary investment and time commitment, the marketing opportunities online are endless. Also, although a storefront is great for branding purposes, it does limit the size and scope of your audience. By setting yourself up with an e-commerce store, you can:Sell to anyone in the worldHave a store that is open 24/7 (meaning you literally make money in your sleep)Run promotions easily, whenever you wantCross-sell between your marketing and social media platforms and your websiteRun marketing campaigns through Google and other platforms30. Survey TakingAlthough you won't get rich doing surveys online, you may make a steady income if you sign up to multiple sites. These surveys take barely any time at all to complete and can normally net you around $150+. Some of the most popular survey-taking platforms include:MySurveysInboxDollarsGlobal Test MarketEarningStationHarris Poll31. Video ProductionThere are a number of ways you can use videography to create your own home-based business. There are so many people wanting to become YouTube celebrities who don't have the skills to upload high-quality, well-edited videos. Other services you could offer include:Vlog editingCreating music videosVoice-oversAdvertsRelated: 4 Tips for Hiring a Great Video Production Company32. Sustainability ConsultantBusinesses of all sizes are trying to find news ways to do their part for the environment by implementing greener practices. Unfortunately, many of the more eco-friendly options available today are also significantly more expensive, so business owners need someone like you who can advise them on how they can change their process without sacrificing their bottom line.33. Call Center RepresentativeMore companies are looking to hire call center representatives that are willing to work from home on customer care issues. All you need to get started is a computer and a phone line. Aside from the fact that you could earn a good base salary, you will not have any commuting expenses and can save money by cooking your meals at home.34. Direct Sales RepresentativeThe term "door-to-door sales" often puts off people because all they picture is getting doors slammed in their faces on a daily basis. That said, by working for companies such as Avon, Mary Kay, and Tupperware in the right areas, you could host very civilized parties in your home, allowing you to make money while meeting new people.35. Travel PlanningWith all the booking platforms available online today, anyone can book a holiday from the comforts of their home. But with so many different factors to compare, it can be overwhelming. Some of these include:FlightsCar rentalsHotelsRestaurantsToursActivitiesIf you have strong organizational skills and the knack for finding a good bargain, you could offer these services to others who have less time on their hands. Find the deals for your customers and add your surcharge for your services.Related: 11 Strategies for More Efficient Business Travel36. Online Custom TailoringPeople are increasingly conscientious about the way they look and with that comes the need for tailored clothing. One size does not fit all, and businessmen and women, in particular, want to look the part when they go into the office every day. The custom clothing industry is still relatively untapped, so starting a business now will offer you a significant potential for growth in the future. In addition to having their pieces delivered directly to their homes, you can offer customization of:FabricPatternsSizeFittingStitchingLining37. Currency TradingOnline currency trading is easier than ever thanks to the number of tutorial videos, online courses, and applications that offer step-by-step guides to becoming a currency trader. All you need is:Technical skillsFundamental analytical skillsA small amount of cash flowA phone, tablet, or computer38. Telemarketing ServicesMore and more companies are outsourcing their marketing efforts, and telemarketing is one of them. As a freelance telemarketer working from home, you will be setting appointments with customers and creating warm leads for companies. The amount you charge will depend on the size of the company you are working for, and the project they want to allocate you.Related: The How-To: Using Chatbots As A Tool For Customer Service39. Referral ServicesAre you the person that all your friends and family call when they're trying to find a good restaurant, lawyer, carpet fitter, or gardener? If that's the case and you love referring them to all the lovely businesses you know of in your neighborhood, you could start a business doing just that. You'll be able to work with individuals and businesses, helping customers find what they want, and businesses gain more clients. To get started, you will need to:Gather a list of businesses you want on your referral listsSell them the benefits of being on your listPlace ads online and in the Yellow Pages to gain customers40. Event and Project PlanningEvent and project planning can be done remotely, but having a hands-on approach and offering your services in your local area will be more beneficial to you from both a quality control and monetary point of view. You can start this business from the comforts of your home and meet with clients in restaurants, cafes, or at their office or home.Related: How Event Management and Analytics Gave This E-Vite Company a Boost41. Professional PhotographyWhether it is a wedding, family event, or a business' marketing materials, people pay good money for professional photography. Unless you feel the need to sign up for an online course, the only monetary investment you will have to make is for a camera. Establish your daily fee and remember to keep into account your travel expenses.42. TutoringHave you worked as a teacher before? Are you proficient in a second language? Have you studied math, science, or any other subject? If so, you could tutor adults and children, provided you have the right paperwork for child protection reasons. It will cost you very little to get setup and you can offer your services at people's homes.43. Computer TrainerThere are a number of seniors wanting to learn how to use computers and the internet, meaning that if you are proficient in both Mac and PC, you could offer your services in your neighborhood. Be warned, most will not be as passionate about computers as you, so they will only want to learn basics, such as emailing and using an internet browser.44. Property ManagerAs a property manager, you will be responsible for ensuring your clients' properties are running smoothly. You will also be the primary contact for tenants and will be responsible for making sure the properties you manage are safe and well-maintained.45. Home InspectorThis job may sound like it is just a matter of looking around people's homes, but it actually requires a high level of expertise. You will need to learn about the new products that are constantly appearing in the market and stay updated with any changing laws. Networking and building positive relationships with your local real estate agents will give you the best chance of success, as they will recommend your services to others in your area.Related: Need a Business Idea? Here are 5546. Courier ServicesYou may be thinking “that is what the mail room is for”, but in actuality, businesses in busy areas often use local courier services, as they can offer more flexible pickup and drop-off times. Because of the specific services you are offering, you will also be able to charge more.47. Life Coaching or MentoringIf you have a proven track record in a particular field, can prove past success, or have trained in matters of the mind, life coaching or mentorship could be for you. People, especially soon to be entrepreneurs, seek guidance through mentorship and life coaches. You can setup your services from the comforts of your home with no monetary investment.48. Massage TherapistThe licensing to become a massage therapist varies according to the state in which you reside, but if you have a passion for health-related activities, you could take a masseuse course and set up a clinic from the comforts of your home. Once you have completed your course and gained your license, you will have to invest in a massage bed as well as the appropriate oils and massage products.49. Personal TrainerFancy yourself as a bit of a fitness fanatic? Then why not channel that energy into a course where nutrition and the anatomy of the body are also covered? With this, you can train novices from the comforts of your home or through your local gym.Related: This Entrepreneur Lives in the Back Room at a Gym While Building His Business50. Personal ChefAs a personal chef, you will spend your days cooking for people who do not have the time to do so themselves but do have the money to pay someone to do it for them. If you want to stand out from the crowd, offer meal plans that suit various dietary requirements, such as:Gluten-free, lactose-free, or egg-free mealsVegan and vegetarian dishesMeals for those with diseases, such as coeliac51. Cleaning ServicesCleaning services are easy to offer and require no training. You can either:Offer discounted services, provided they have the necessary cleaning products onsiteOffer a more expensive service that includes you bringing your own productsAlso, you can take your business in various directions by targeting different clients. Possibilities include:Cleaning offices or shops in the eveningsCleaning restaurants or people's homes during the dayProviding morning housekeeping services for hotels52. Dog Walker/Trainer/GroomerIn some places, dog walking alone can be a very profitable business. Those working from 9 to 5 either do not have time to walk their dogs before leaving the house or just prefer it if someone comes in to let them out of the house for some exercise. Also, dog walking businesses that offer additional services are becoming increasingly popular. Consider also offering:TrainingGroomingDogsitting53. Packing ServicesIf you have an eye for the little details, a packing service business could be your calling. When someone moves out of their home, they pay for removal services to take their belongings from their old house to their new one. But the process of packing all their belongings into boxes in the first place is extremely time-consuming. Why not offer people your time to do this for them while they are at work or busy running errands?Related: How Technology is Infiltrating the Old-School Shipping Industry54. Laundry ServicesIf you are looking for a way to make money at home without the need to learn new skills, home-based laundry services are easy to offer with the possibility for expansion in the future. The most complex part of the process will be establishing whether or not you need licensing to start this business from your home. This will depend on your location and the size to which you plan to grow your empire. Otherwise, all you need to do is:Keep track of your sales, expenses, taxes, and general bookkeepingEstablish how much you will chargeDecide on how the payment process will take place (e.g., before or after you complete the service; in cash, or via card, bank transfer, etc.)Create a website and other marketing materials to get your name out there55. CaregivingTo become a caregiver, you will have to undergo professional training and acquire various certifications and health and safety diplomas. That said, if you've have cared for a parent, sibling, or friend in the past and feel this is something you want to pursue, it is a business you can set up cheaply. You can not only choose your clients but also your working hours. Daily tasks as a caregiver will vary; however, you will often be expected to:CleanWashDo laundryPrepare mealsTake your patients outdoors for fresh airDo their shoppingPotentially dress and feed them56. Landlord or Bed and BreakfastYou do not have to own a huge building with multiple rooms to start your own bed and breakfast. If you have a nice, clean home with a spare room, why not advertise it? Websites such as Airbnb make it easy for people to rent out the spare rooms in their homes. You can even charge more by offering:Food and beveragesCity toursLocal experiencesHousekeeping servicesBy offering your customers something unique, you will find the experience gratifying and profitable.Related: What 70 Airbnb Stays Can Teach Anyone About Running Any Business57. Personal ConciergeYou are probably thinking that being the concierge to the executive of a big company will be a piece of cake, think twice. Although you will make good money being someone's personal concierge, it is a very challenging job in which you will be expected to deliver what has been asked of you, on time, with a smile. That said, you will normally be paid very handsomely for your services.58. Grocery Delivery ServicesBig supermarkets do offer this service, but delivery prices are often very high or the food is warm or bruised when it arrives at the customer's home. If you own a large car, you could become people's personal shopper. Some people do not have time to run errands after a long day at work and others may not have the physical capacity to do so, so why not do it for them? You could also couple this service with others, such as:Being a conciergeOffering cleaning servicesDaily or weekly dog grooming, walking, and training servicesBeing a caregiver59. Lawn Care and GardeningAlthough you will only be able to mow lawns for a limited time of the year, gardening services span throughout the 12 months. You can set up your own business with services, such as:LawnmowingGardeningRakingSnow removalHerb farmingHerb farming can be offered as a service across most parts of the world. Whether you are in an urban or rural area, herb gardens take up very little space.60. Babysitting ServicesBabysitting may not sound like a profitable market to enter, but you'd be surprised how well you can get paid if you have the right experience, certifications, and licenses. Although formal training is not required, this can teach you all the procedures in the case of any emergency. There are also a number of families offering service work as a:BabysitterNannyTutorAu pairRelated: 8 Tips for Anyone Starting a Child-Care Service61. Childproofing ServicesChildproofing is a trade that many do not think of these days. But every family with a newborn baby or small child wants to provide a safe home for them. There are so many areas of a home that can be dangerous, from sharp corners to stairs. A childproofing business is very cheap to startup, but you may be required to follow certain state regulations, depending on your location. To understand all the ins and outs of the industry, you may want to undertake an internship in the field before setting up shop.62. Digital Media ConversionHave you ever thought about what happens to all the old CDs and DVDs we use to use to listen to music and watch films on? Well, the answer is, often nothing. For those who have only just started using the internet to download, purchase, and listen to music, their CDs are wasted. If you know how to transfer this media to a computer, you could be doing the tech-phobic and those with little time on their hands a serious favor. Offer your services on forums, social media, or flyers. You may even end up with customers with more general tech needs on a long-term basis.63. Personal Driver or Taxi ServicesThis is an especially easy business to start if you live in an urban area, as many businessmen and women prefer having a driver to go to and from work in order to make calls, schedule meetings, and generally work on the operational aspects of their companies during that time. On the other hand, if you are looking to start a business that is more like a taxi service, why not become an Uber driver? To become an Uber driver, you need:A decent carA clean driving recordA smartphoneTo be 21 years or olderAt least 3 years' driving experienceA background checkSome of the main benefits of being an Uber driver are:You can create your own scheduleYou don't have a real bossYou will benefit from “surge pricing” regularlyYou'll meet new people every dayRelated: 5 Lessons Learned From the World's Greatest Uber Driver64. Hairdressing or Makeup Artist ServicesIf you have worked in a salon before or just know how to cut hair but do not have the capital to open your own business, you could start one from home. All you need to do is make sure you comply with all your state's requirements for opening a salon in your home. That said, once you've got yourself up and running, you could earn anywhere from $22,500 and up. You could also offer other beauty treatments, such as:Hair coloringHair extensionsManicure and pedicuresMakeupMassages65. Interior DesignerBoth homeowners and business owners look for interior design and home decorating services in order to make the vision for their space come to life. Having a degree or certification will help you understand the different functions of a home or office, but it is not legally required in most places. You will be able to do most of your research from the comforts of your home, but you will need to get to know your client in order to understand how they want to use the space. Consider asking questions like:Is it for adults or children, or both?Does the space need to be pet-friendly?What is the purpose of the room?66. Tour GuideMany tourists like visiting new places with a guide. It allows them to ask all the questions they want and get a real local feel of the place they are visiting. If you know your town like the back of your hand, why not charge people for tours? You can create packages that include:Walking toursTaxi services to and from their hotelsBreakfast, lunch, or dinner at a local restaurant67. Bridal ConciergeThe wedding industry is one that will most likely live in perpetuity. This is meant to be a special day for a couple but often turns into a chore because of all the planning that comes with it. Because it is nearly impossible for brides and grooms to be able to enjoy the planning of their wedding, they often pay professionals to do it for them. If you have strong organizational skills, are communicative, pay attention to the little details, and love weddings, then you could set up shop from the comforts of your home. To get started and build a portfolio, offer your services to a friend or family member. From there, you can start charging other clients.Related: What You Can Learn About Ecommerce From Used Wedding Dresses68. House and Pet SittingPeople who go away on holiday often worry about whether or not they will come back to an intact home, especially if they have pets. This type of business requires little to no monetary investment. Start by approaching:FriendsFamily membersNeighborsAs your house and petsitting business gets on its feet, think about marketing yourself to your local community by:Designing business cardsLaunching a websiteHanging flyers in your areaAdvertising in the Yellow Pages69. Senior Home CompanionThe minimum life expectancy is becoming later and there are now more than 45 million people in the United States who are 65 years old and up. As people age, they need more help with their day-to-day activities and may also appreciate some companionship.70. Electronics Repair ServicesThe 21st century has led the majority of people to own at least one electronic device, if not multiple. Although many insure their products, most still prefer to get a quick fix rather than sending it off for a long time before getting it back. This type of business has room for expansion, and you can offer repairs for:AppliancesComputersCamerasPhonesSpeakers and musical equipmentTelevisionsGaming devices71. Upholstering ServicesIf you're good with your hands and have a particular love for sewing, why not train as an upholsterer? There are a number of ways you can learn the upholstering trade, including:A courseBooksYouTube tutorial videosPracticing on old furnitureThere is also significant potential for expansion. Often people who need upholstering services also need their furniture repaired, so why not learn to repair furniture as well? You could also team up with a company who does repairs and add these costs to your customer's final invoice.72. Auto RepairsYou can start an auto repair shop from the comforts of your home if you have a garage and the right tools. On the other hand, if you don't have the space to open a business from home but do have the tools, you could open a mobile auto repair shop where you travel to the location of the vehicle in need of repair. There is also the option to start your own car wash and detailing shop. You don't need to have any mechanic skills, just a keen eye for detail and a love for getting your hands dirty. This is a very rewarding business that can become extremely profitable with the right promotion.Related: How to Find the Right Tech Talent (for the Non-Tech Entrepreneur)73. Bicycle RepairAlthough a bicycle repair service can be seasonal, there are opportunities to tap into multiple markets so that you can have an income year round. For cyclists who just use their bikes to go to and from work, offer general repairs and maybe storage facilities during the winter months. If you want to attract cycling fanatics, you can offer year-round repair services. A Saturday shop in the right location is the perfect way to gather a bit of a crowd that will surely spend hours discussing their common passion.74. Menu Planning ServicesThe restaurant chef is not the only person that has a say on what goes on the menu. High-end restaurants often find themselves indecisive when it comes to the food they want to serve, especially as seasons change. A menu planning business is a very low-cost idea but is perfect for those who love to work with food without any direct involvement in preparing or serving it. Many places are willing to hire a consultant to design their seasonal menus so visit local restaurants and make them aware of your culinary skill set.75. Home Daycare ServicesFirstly, you will definitely need the appropriate licensing and permits to start a home daycare business. That said, if you love children; have worked with them before; and have friends, neighbors, or family who take their young children to nurseries while they are at work, then starting your own home daycare business could be very profitable. When getting licensed, you will need to:Research the requirements according to your state's lawsGet the correct orientationsSubmit your applicationGet your trainingBuy the necessary insuranceHave your home inspectedFinally…It may seem daunting to leave your 9-to-5 grind and start your own business, but by doing so, you are giving yourself a newfound level of freedom while doing something that feeds your passion(s). The internet has made it increasingly possible for you to brush up on your skillset or even learn new ones, leaving you with the opportunity to start a business easily and cheaply.i hope that could be more help

Are you looking for a free, easy, step-by-step guide on how to start a blog?My free guide on this page will show you how to create a blog that is beautiful and functional, all in an easy step-by-step tutorial (with pictures).Ready to start the simple step-by-step tutorial?My name is Shoubhajit Sarkar, and I am going to show you how to start blogging. I have been building blogs and websites since 2006. In that time I have launched several of my own blogs, and helped hundreds of others do the same.I know that starting a blog can seem overwhelming and intimidating. This free guide is all about blogging for beginners, and will teach you how to be a blogger with just the most basic computer skills. So whether you’re 8 or 88, you can create your own blog in less than 20 minutes.I am not ashamed to admit that when I was first learning how to build a blog I made a ton of mistakes. You can benefit from more than a decade of my experience so that you don’t repeat these same mistakes when you make your own blog. I created this free guide so that anyone can learn how to blog quickly and easily. And if you get stuck at any point, and I will do my best to help you.What is a blog anyway?In short, a blog is a type of website that focuses mainly on written content, also known as blog posts. In popular culture we most often hear about news blogs or celebrity blog sites, but as you’ll see in this guide, you can start a successful blog on just about any topic imaginable.Bloggers often write from a personal perspective that allows them to connect directly with their readers. In addition, most blogs also have a “comments” section where readers can correspond with the blogger. Interacting with your readers in the comments section helps to further the connection between the blogger and the reader.This direct connection to the reader is one of the main benefits of starting a blog. This connection allows you to interact and share ideas with other like-minded people. It also allows you to build trust with your readers. Having the trust and loyalty of your readers also opens up the door to making money from your blog, which is something I discuss later in this guide.Should you start a blog?One of the misconceptions about starting a blog is that you need to be a great writer to be successful. Nothing could be further from the truth. People read blog sites to get a personal perspective on things, so most bloggers write in a very informal and conversational style.In addition, you don’t need to be an expert on your topic in order to have a successful blog. For example, readers of a cooking blog don’t want to read a textbook from a food scientist, they want to hear the experiences of someone who has actually cooked some real meals, mistakes and all.To be successful as a blogger there is really just one requirement: a passion for your topic.At its heart, blogging is about sharing your knowledge with the world. Choosing a topic that you are passionate about makes the process of starting a successful blog so much easier. Writing about more than one topic is totally fine too. As long as you are writing about things that you are genuinely interested in, your passion will shine through and keep your readers interested.So why would you go to the trouble of blogging? There are a few reasons:Make money from home. Blogging can be quite lucrative if done correctly. The top bloggers in the world obviously earn quite a bit, but even a part-time blogger can expect to make a nice profit if things are done correctly. The best part about it is that blogging is a form of passive income, since you can spend just a few hours a week writing a blog post and then continue to make money from it long after the blog post is written. I go into much more detail on how to blog for money later in this guide.Share your story. A blog allows you to have a voice and be heard. You can share your story with the entire world if you so choose. One of the most common ways blogs are used are as a diary where the blogger writes about their daily experiences so that friends, family, and others can all be a part of their lives.Recognition for yourself or your business. No, you probably won’t have paparazzi following you around because of your latest blog post. But a successful blog makes your idea into a reality, and can gain you a ton of recognition in your respective field. Many bloggers are known as experts just because of their blogs, and some have even gotten book and movie deals based on their blogs.Find a community. Blogging at its heart is interactive. You write a blog post and people comment on it. This is a great way to connect with people who are interested in the same things as you are. Blogging allows you to teach these people based on your experience, and it gives you the opportunity to learn from your readers as well.The good news is that the internet is exploding with growth right now. More people than ever are online. This explosion in growth means more potential readers for your blog. In short, if you are thinking about starting a blog then there is no better time than right now.So, just how do you start a blog?How to Start a Blog in 6 StepsLearn how to create a blog in about 20 minutes following these steps:Pick a blog name. Choose something descriptive.Get your blog online. Register your blog and get hosting.Customize your blog. Choose a free template and tweak it.Write & publish your first post. The fun part!Promote your blog. Get more people to read your blog.Make money blogging. Choose from several options to monetize your blog.Let’s start your blog!Step 1: Pick a blog nameThe first step to finding a good blog name is choosing your topic.If you’re not sure what to blog about, there are a few ways to find a good blog topic:Hobbies & passions. Hobbies or other interests you are passionate about are a great place to start. Cooking, travel, fashion, sports, and cars are all classic examples. But even blogs about more obscure hobbies can be successful, since the your audience is literally anyone in the world with the internet.Life experiences. Everyone has lessons they have learned through life experience. Sharing this knowledge can be incredibly helpful to others in similar situations. For example, I recently helped a woman start her blog about being a fireman’s wife. She has a lot of experience and knowledge to share with others about this topic, and it has helped her connect with others in similar situations.Think about the things you have experienced in life. This could be related to your family (example: a blog about being a stay at home mom), work (a blog about experiences dealing with clients), or other life experiences (a blog about dealing with a troubling time such as a disease or divorce, or about a happy time such as preparing for a wedding or a birth of a child).A personal blog. A personal blog is a blog all about you. This will include a variety of topics, from things you do on a daily basis, to random thoughts and musings. This is a great way to share you thoughts with the world without having to stick to just one topic.Once you have a topic it’s time to choose your blog name.A good blog name should be descriptive so that potential readers can instantly tell what your blog is about just from the name.If you are blogging about one specific topic then you will definitely want to include that in some way in your blog name. Try not to get hung-up on just one word though. For example, a cooking blog doesn’t necessarily have to have the word “cooking” in it. The words “food”, “recipes”, and “meals” would also let people know that your blog is about cooking.If you are planning to create a personal blog where you discuss a variety of topics then I recommend using your name, or some variation of it, since your blog is all about you. For example, I own the blog Scott's Travels. You can also add your middle name or middle initial if you find your name is already taken. Or you could use a variation like “Scott Chow Blog” or “Blogging with Scott”.Can’t decide on a good name for your blog? Contact me and I will help you personally (for free)!Once you have some blog name ideas you will need to choose a domain extension.A .com domain extension is the most preferred, but .net or .org work as well. It is also important to note that for the purposes of a blog domain you cannot have any spaces between words. So “Blogging with Scott” becomes http://bloggingwithscott.comNow that you’ve got your name and have picked an extension it’s time to make sure that no one else has already registered the same name:Note: You cannot use any spaces or punctuation other than dashes in a domain name.If you find that the name you wanted is already taken there are a few things you can do:Try a different domain extension. If the .com version is already registered you may still be able to get the .net or .org version of your blog name.Add small words. Words like “a”, “my”, or “the”. For example, this site is called http://TheBlogStarter.com instead of How to Start a Blog in 2020 - Easy Guide to Create a Blog for Beginners.Add dashes between words. For example, http://scott-chow.comStep 2: Get your blog onlineNow that you’ve got a name picked out it’s time to get your blog online. This might sound hard or technical, but the steps below will walk you right through and make the process easy.To get your blog up and running you need two things: blog hosting and blogging software. The good news is that these typically come packaged together.A blog host is a company that stores all of the files for your blog and delivers them to the user when they type in your blog name. You must have a blog host in order to have a blog.You also need to have the software to build your blog. In this guide I will be showing you how to build a blog using the WordPress blogging software, because it is the most popular, customizable, and easiest to use.The blog host I recommend, and the one I show you how to use in this guide, is BlueHost. I personally use BlueHost and I recommend them for all new bloggers because:They will register your blog name for you for free, making sure no one else can take it.They offer a free, simple installation of the WordPress blogging software (which I show you how to use in this guide).They have been recommended by WordPress since 2005 and currently host over 2 million blogs and websites.They have helpful 24/7 customer service via phone or web chat.They have a 30 day money-back guarantee if you are unsatisfied for any reason.Use any BlueHost link on this site to make sure you get the special discount price of $2.75 per month.Disclosure: BlueHost compensates The Blog Starter when you purchase through this link, so my services are free of charge to you! In fact, if you have any trouble at all setting up a blog with this tutorial, and I will do it for you (free!).1. Click here for the special $2.75 per month rate on BlueHost and then click “get started now”.2. Select your plan. I recommend that new bloggers get the basic plan. Click “Select” to choose your plan.3. Type in your domain name in the left box and then click “next” to start the registration process.If you already own a domain name and want to use it for your blog, type your existing domain in the right box and then click “next”. Only use the right box if you have previously paid to register a domain!4. Fill out your billing details on the registration page.5. You will also need to choose your hosting package and options.All packages have everything you need to get your blog up and running, including a free domain name, easy WordPress blog installation, web hosting, and branded email accounts (e.g. [email protected]).The 36 month package gets you the lowest monthly rate, while the 12 month package has a lower up-front cost.I uncheck the boxes next to the other products when I sign-up. You can always get these products later if you decide you need them.6. You will then need to create your account and password.Once you do that you will be taken to an installation helper. Since you are following this tutorial you can just click “Skip this step” on the next few pages to be taken directly to the dashboard.Now your blog software (WordPress) will be installed. Once the install is complete click the blue “WordPress” button to be logged-in to the administrator area of your blog.Having trouble installing your blog? Get help here.Step 3: Customize your blogLogging inIf you are not already logged-in from the previous step, go to Bluehost.com and click “Login” on the top right to bring up the login screen. You can then login using your domain name and the password you set in the previous step. If you have misplaced your password you can reset it by clicking the “Forgot Password” link.Once you log-in you will be taken to your BlueHost Portal. From the portal you can click the blue “WordPress” button to be logged-in automatically to your blog.Changing your blog designOnce you login you will be in the WordPress administrator area. This is where you can make any changes you want to your blog.Everyone has a different idea of how they want their blog to look. One of the great things about a WordPress blog is that you can change your entire layout and design with just a few clicks.In WordPress, blog layouts are known as “Themes”. What is a blog theme? Themes control the entire design of your blog. To change your theme you are going to click on the “Appearance” tab on the left menu.You will see several themes are already installed on your blog: Twenty Seventeen, Twenty Sixteen, etc. These are well-designed, clean-looking themes that can work for just about any type of blog. In fact, many of the world’s top bloggers use one of these themes.Unless you have a very specific design in mind for your blog, I suggest you use one of these themes to start with. For our example, let’s use the “Twenty Sixteen” theme. In order to activate the theme on your blog, hover over the theme and click the “Activate” button. That’s it! You have changed the entire design of your blog with just one click!If you don’t like any of the themes that are already installed you can easily choose from thousands of other free themes. To install a new theme, click on the “Appearance” tab on the left menu and then click “Add New Theme”.This is the theme search screen. There are thousands of themes to choose from. You can change your entire design at anytime simply by activating a new theme. To find a theme you like, I suggest you click on the “Popular” tab and start browsing. When you find one that you like click the blue “Install” button.Once the theme is installed click “Activate” to activate the theme on your blog. To see your new theme in action, go to your blog and take a look!Changing your theme is the simplest way to customize your blog, but there are lots of other customizations you can do.You can also watch the video at the end of this guide to see me completely customize a blog from scratch.Step 4: How to write a blog post & publish itNow that your blog is up and running it’s time to actually do some blogging!Go to the left menu and click on “Posts”.You will see there is already a post there. This is a default post on every new WordPress blog, and we don’t need it. To delete it click “Trash” just under the post.To begin writing a new post, click the “Add New” link.You are now on the post editor screen. Enter the title of your post in the top box and then begin writing your post in the lower box.If you would like to add a picture to your post, click on the “Add Image” icon and click “Upload” to upload a picture from your computer. You can make adjustments to the picture size on the next screen. When you are ready click “Insert into post” to add the picture.Once you have finished your post just click the “Publish” button on the top right side of the screen to publish it.Publishing Your BlogEven after you have written a post your blog may still be showing a “Coming Soon” page.When you are ready to make your blog public just click the “BlueHost” menu at the top left of the menu in your administrator area then click the blue “Launch” button to remove the “Coming Soon” page.Congratulations! You now know how to start your own blog and publish content!