Take Care of Business & Then Take Care of Yourself Like Tyler Perry

If you have not heard about entertainment mogul and powerbroker Tyler Perry, what planet are you on? His entertainment and business prowess is undeniable. With interest in books, television shows, movies and plays; his Tyler Perry Studios is quickly becoming a $1 billion empire. We could learn a thing or seven from his business model.

Do What You Have to Do- Perry always says that he didn’t originally intend to play his beloved Madea character. At the last minute, the actress he hired to play the role was not available. So, instead of letting an opportunity slip away, he donned a fat suit and the rest is history. Perry has a direct hand in all aspects of his business including the designing his studios; writing, producing, and creating his material.

Develop Your Base- For years, Perry toured the chitlin circuit with his Madea helmed plays. This grassroots process allowed him to develop intimacy with his base and figure out what they liked.

Create Demand and Familiarity- these tours helped the media mogul showcase his latest plays and develop an appetite for his titles.

Keep It Simple & Give the Base What They Want- Tyler was able to leverage the popular plays his base liked and then repackage them as movies or television shows (like with Meet the Browns and all the Madea movies.) He also keeps Madea in movies because that’s what his fans want.

Take Measured Risks- Perry was not satisfied with the network offers he was getting while shopping his House of Payne television series so he personally financed a trial run. After the show’s success he signed a $200 million deal with TBS.

Secure Your Business- The media mogul owns all of his properties. He built a small studios to give himself space to produce his work. Then, he built a massive one. These steps secured his ability to produce content at his own pace.

LAST, Enjoy the Fruits of Your Work- The Atlanta-resident worked hard and took care of business first. Now, nearly 15 years after his first play, there are rumors that he is building a luxurious residence. He also enjoys beautiful homes on both coasts, private plane access, a private Caribbean island and is a generous philanthropist. Delayed gratification is the name of the game. Take care of business, and then take care of yourself.