MaineBusiness.com

I rarely look to Oprah Winfrey for inspiration but she did something worth mentioning. She increased her net worth to $2.7 billion last year. This is worth noting because losses were the norm on Forbes' list of billionaires.

Yes there are 233 people with more money than Oprah but many of them have less of it than they did last year. Oprah is a rarity among billionaires apparently.

So here's the inspiration: If Oprah can make money, why can't we? No reason. Plenty of people are increasing their worth like Oprah.

Really. Oprah may be a talk show host, but that's not her source of riches. She's a hard working business owner who leveraged her personal brand into a media empire. Her fans have an emotional tie to her that encourages them to become customers.

The key here is the emotional tie. Do not underestimate the role emotions play in economic choices. Personally I don't like Oprah but I recognize that millions of women do like her because she understands them. And that helps people feel good about themselves.

This is doable for all of us. If we word hard and respect the emotional triggers in customers, we can increase our net worth too.