What I learned from reading the transcripts of Young Oprah on Her Life and Career and Oprah on Career, Life and Leadership.
I'm going to jump right into this episode.
Make sure you stick around to the end.
There's two very important updates, including the very first in person founders only conference that's taking place in Austin, Texas, less than 60 days from now.
I'll tell you more details.
Stick around to the end.
I'll see you on the other side.
In 1984, Oprah was riding high.
She was already Chicago's most popular tv talk show personality, and the local ABC affiliate that produced her show was paying her $230,000 a year.
Her agent had negotiated a four year contract with annual salary increases of $30,000 a year.
She was pleased at first, but then began having second thoughts.
Three separate ABC people stopped me to tell me what a great guy my agent was, Oprah said.
And that didnt make sense to me.
Oprahs natural skepticism was aroused, and she fired her agent.
She replaced them with a Chicago lawyer named Jeffrey Jacobs.
I had heard Jeff is a piranha, Oprah said.
I like that piranha is good.
That key decision turned Oprah from employee to capitalist and vaulted her out of the ranks of the merely well paid into the Forbes 400.
Her show now airs on more than 200 stations in the United States and in 117 foreign countries.
Oprah earns more than $70 million a year.
It is ownership that has made her rich.