Around Des Moines

The Sunday television news shows continued the Oprah buzz today. All the male hosts asked if Oprah Winfrey’s power to sell books and to give away refrigerators would translate into lending strength to a political candidate. That is the wrong question. The question we should be asking is, why do so many women feel the only way they can get enough publicity or income to keep their businesses going is by having Oprah notice them?

There have been several stories over the years of women struggling with lack of capital and/or lack of customers only to be discovered by Oprah. Then the businesses are overwhelmed with demand. Where are the rest of the women with for-profit businesses that can invest in women-owned businesses?

Why does it take celebrity notice to draw customers to a product or a service? This question is not limited to women-owned small businesses. The saying “nothing succeeds like success” has been around for a long time. However, my observations suggest that women with money are more likely to start a non-profit foundation than to build a for-profit empire. In contrast, men are apt to grow their own wealth first.

I have written several articles on new methods of financing start-up businesses. These include being clear about the differences between a self-employed part-time independent sales agent and an entrepreneur. It also includes looking at options for using venture capital that do not include Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) on stock exchanges and the instant wealth that can be created upon taking a company public. We need financing options and growth plans for those businesses that want to be something more than a self-employed consultant and something less than a company listed on the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Some commentators have understood the power of Oprah. I heard one person note that for African Americans the business acumen Winfrey has exhibited and the success she has created are important symbols. Other people noted that Winfrey’s endorsement of Obama tells women that it is okay to support the man instead of the woman running for president. These people also noted how well Obama was organizing precincts in Iowa, unlike Clinton. Few people realize, though, that this is not necessarily a failure of Clinton’s so much as it is a failure of women across Iowa to share information among themselves.

It took me two years to find someone who could tell me when and where the Democratic women meet in Des Moines. I have encountered similar outreach problems with the Iowa Federation of Republican Women. Sadly, this problem is not uncommon to most women’s groups in Iowa.  Clinton’s campaign made a mistake in trying to make use of non-existent networks.

In closing this commentary, I want to make note of Lisa Nuss’s comments on Winfrey’s appearance in Des Moines as seen on C-Span. Writing for her How Dare She blog, Nuss takes issue with Winfrey’s reference to Miss Jane Pittman and asks what moral authority Obama is supposed to hold.

M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa.