Forbes recently estimated Oprah Winfrey’s net worth at $3.2 billion. Here are some of the business takeaways of Winfrey’s success that any exec can use: 

1. Avoid deals that could compromise your brand: Unlike most celebrities, Winfrey’s never allowed her name to be associated with other brands. The exclusivity she’s gained from that decision keeps her in total control of her name, while also rendering anything she does endorse all the more marketable.
2. Use your own company’s resources (e.g., Web site, blogs, social networking sites, newsletters, etc.) to strengthen your brand and stay in touch with buyers: Rather than signing an agreement with a major women’s magazine to write a column or host a blog (something a lot of high-profile execs have done), Winfrey created a magazine around her own image and values that simultaneously promoted her show, her brand, the authors she touted, and any other projects she was involved with. By controlling the medium, Winfrey also controlled the message.
3. Specialization spells success: Winfrey never got involved with side businesses she knew little or nothing about simply because there was a good deal was on the table. Doing so would have taken away from what she does best, and, long term, it may have hurt the overall effectiveness of her core message.
4. Stay one step ahead of the competition by knowing what’s about to change, and using it to your advantage: Who knows what the future holds for daytime television (or network television altogether, for that matter). By ending her show while it’s still high atop the daytime heap, Winfrey walks away with her image fully intact. She also capitalizes on the public’s overwhelming interest in her next project. This way Winfrey’s ratings will remain high during the final two years of her contract, and she’ll have plenty of time to plot her next move. Like any good CEO, she knows when it’s time to diversify.
5. Convey the image of a consummate professional: Winfrey is a professional both on and off camera. She’s never engaged in any type of double dealings or wild nights out. Incidents like these have become a major distraction for other hosts (e.g., David Letterman and Martha Stewart). Staying out of the tabloids has helped Oprah build a long-term reputation for high ethics and reliability. And it’s also made her seem genuine and trustworthy, which not only made her a big hit with viewers, but also helped her land several high-profile interviews.
6. Take the people you admire and give them an opportunity to succeed: Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray, Dr. Oz … these are only three of the people who Oprah transformed into household names. There are countless authors whom she’s done the same for. Rather than offer a “letter of recommendation” or some similar gesture, Winfrey has always taken the people she believes in and put them to work for her brand. Doing so hasn’t only made that brand more profitable, it’s helped the company extend its reach to several different demographics.

If history’s any indication, it’s a safe bet Winfrey will use her own show to announce what that next move(s) will be. She’s an ace at using her own marketing channels to promote herself.

But she’s also a woman who turned her name into a global brand – a brand that’s about to enter a brand new era.

Source: “A Triumph of Avoiding the Traps,” by David Carr, New York Times, 11/23/09