The Self Made Woman Oprah Winfrey

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

biography :

Oprah Winfrey was born on 29 January , 1954 in a family of Haitian origin .After a difficult childhood spent in the first time on the farm of his grandmother, then from six to thirteen years old with her mother in Milwaukee, where she suffered from a lot of abuse , she was returned to the care of her father in Nashville. At seventeen, she was hired by the local radio. Her career in television began when she was 19 , she became Miss Black Tennessee , she started as a host of the TV WTVF-TV in Nashville channel . Always aiming high, she moved in 1984 to Chicago, where she perfected her art talk show: "AM Chicago"  .In one year, her show changed its name to 'The Oprah Winfrey Show'. In 1986, the show goes on national television and became the best show in the USA .The Oprah Winfrey Show has big influence on the American public .

 As an actress, we saw Oprah Winfrey in "The Color Purple" including Steven Spielberg in 1985, " Beloved " directed by Johnathan Demme in 1998. She also had a role in Ocean's 13 (2007) .

She has also acted in several series, including : "Home Improvement" in 1998 , "30 rock" (an episode of season 3) in 2008. 

The story of success :

Oprah Winfrey is a successful model to follow for all the people who did not have an easy life. His courage made ​​her the richest and most influential black woman in the world.

Its history is probably one of the most representative of the American dream , after launching her show : 'The Oprah Winfrey Show'  ,in 1986 , her show increased by $125 million by the end of its first year, of which Winfrey received $30 million. 

After creating her own production company (Harpo Productions) , she gained the ownership of her show, and she made more money from syndication.

Oprah Winfrey commencement speech at Howard University, 2007   is very inspiring . she talks about her vision of success , she said that her success came from not changing her principals under any circumstances . Quote : "My integrity is not for sale, and neither is yours…Do not be a slave to any form of selling out."referring to the times when she was asked to avoid some topics to boost ratings on her show  .

In her speech , we can notice how much she is  proud for being a self-made woman , quote :''I stand here as a symbol of what is possible when you believe in the dream of your own life" . her speech is very inspiring specially for people who had already lived some fails , we cab easily notice his "positive thinking" through his speech .Quote : '' Don't be afraid. All you have to know is who you are  … What other people label or might try to call failure, I have learned is just God's way of pointing you in a new direction''.

Being a model to many people , Orah Winfrey shows her willing for charity , She has donated millions of dollars, with the majority of her donations going to three charitable foundations: The AngelNetwork, The Oprah Winfrey Foundation, and The Oprah Winfrey Operating Foundation.

 

The fourth case that we are going to study is about the self-made woman  Joanne Kathleen Rowling.Young divorced mother living on allowances, Joanne Kathleen Rowling is now known worldwide for the Harry Potter series translated into more than 65 languages​​! with a fortune estimated in May 2012 by the Forbes magazine at 15 million dollars ,this is a fairy tale come true.

Born in Yate, England, on July 31, 1965, J.K. Rowlin worked as a reasercher for Amnesty international , she studied in  Exeter University,. In order to teach english , the  british novelist moved to Portugal in 1990 . There, she encounters the Portuguese journalist Jorge Arantes , and later she will marry him . The couple gives birth to a daughter, Jessica, who were born in 1993. Unfortunately, their marriage didn't work , so after divorce J.K.Rowling went back to Edinburgh  to live near to her sister .While she is divorced and poor , she decided to draw her attention into writing, and she went to bars such as The Elephant House and Nicolson's in Edimburg. Once  she completed her first book, Bloomsbury Publishing has agreed to publish her book, but fearing that the target of the novel (boys) will be unwilling  to read a book written by a woman, they asked Joanne Rowling to use her  initials.  She chose as a pseudonym JK Rowling.

J.K.Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter in 6 months, most often in a cafe. Since its release in 1997, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" were a big success. the eerie of seven books will be translated into at least 65 languages ​​and tJK Rowling has reached 400 million copies sold worldwide. The fourth film based on his books also smashed the box office. With an estimation of  1 billion dollar fortune in 2006.

The literary epic Harry Potter lasted exactly ten years, from 1997 to 2007, which marks the end of the saga with the release of Volume 7 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

J.K.Rowling is also known for her generosity, especially when she founded the association of  Children's High Level Group, she fights also against diseases and social inequality.

Michael Dell is the founder of the Dell computer company, he began his studies at the Texas University with the intention to become a physicist. He created his computer company "PC's Limited" from his dormitory. A year later, his company had an incredible success, so the 19 year old student left the university to give his full time to his company. Since it's become Dell Inc., the company has grown to become the most profitable computer manufacturer in 2003. Elected CEO of the Year several times, Michael Dell, 44 years, is also ranked the 37th richest man in the world by Forbes, with a net worth of $ 13.5 billion.

 

Michael Dell has a different vision about success, quote: '' There are a lot of things that go into creating success. I don't like to do just the things I like to do. I like to do things that cause the company to succeed. I don't spend a lot of time doing my favorite activities’’. Michael Dell thinks that hard work is the key to success , he advised the students to not be afraid of making mistakes , but not to do the same mistake over and over again .

The role that represents self made persons in society as an inspiration, is very important , in his speech in Texas university , Michael Dell inspire one of the students, who takes advantage of Michael Dell advices to start her own computer company . Michael Dell encourage the student to test and experiment new ideas, to search about special things that will make the consumers by the product. Michael Dell thinks that there is always a need that has not been fulfilled yet.  

Michael Dell thinks that hard work pays , but according to him , there is a limit of hours when we can be productive in a given day or week, so we have to find a balance in our life with our families, friends and work. Physical exercises and time to recharge batteries is important too, otherwise our life will be consumed in requests, especially when you are leading a company.

It appeared to us important in the study of the case of Michael Dell to focus in one of the major difficulties that he encountered in his professional life .In 2010; Dell paid 100 million dollars to the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) to put an end to the investigations of its accounting practices in 2000. Michael Dell, Kevin Rollins, the CEO at this time, and James Schneider, the former CFO, will personally pay fines of between 3 and 4 million dollars. According to SEC, Dell manipulated its accounts for a long time in order to post flattering results on Wall Street. Manipulations aimed particularly to hide the amount of money paid by Intel, to dismiss his rival AMD. Although after this scandal, Michael Dell kept his job as CEO of Dell Inc. How many CEOs would have kept their jobs under such circumstances?

 

 In order to provide a better life for many children in need , Michael Dell with his wife Susan Dell founded in 1999 an association called '' Michael and Susan dell foundation". The couple spent almost $850 million to assist nonprofit organizations working in major urban communities in the United States, South Africa and India.