Martha Inc.: The Incredible Story Of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

"In this spectacular book, Christopher Byron gets all the way to the heart of Martha Stewart." --David McClintick, author, "Indecent Exposure"

The story of Martha Stewart is the story of an incredible woman who had the brains to recognize opportunities when they dropped in her lap and who had the drive, energy, and determination to turn them into unprecedented success by gathering around her, and often ruthlessly exploiting, the talents, and sometimes even the loyalty of many people.

The less visible story is how, and ultimately why, all this happenedathe hidden world of Martha Stewart and her dreams. That is our story athe story of a little girl who never got over what life never gave her and wound up inventing for herself a past she had never knownaa hologram of life so powerful that it not only convinced her personally but mesmerized the world. In time, the quiet little girl from the house on Elm Place became the richest self-made businesswoman in Americaaby selling the world all her missing parts. This is the story of what was missing, why it was missing, and how she turned it into a billion dollars. --from the Prologue

Martha Stewart has generated an enormous following by establishing herself as the leading authority for all things domestic and in the process created a multimillion-dollar enterprise and a personal net worth of nearly $2 billion. As one of the most successful self-made female business owners in American history, Martha Stewart is a topic of interest for fans, business professionals and would-be entrepreneurs alike.
Martha Inc. tells the compelling story of how this complex woman created an empire on domesticity and examines her business inside and out. Through an engaging narrative by popular columnist Christopher Byron, this book chronicles how the business was built, what it took to take it public, and the personal and professional transformation Martha has undergone to make it all work. To get a true portrait of the woman whose work ethic is her personal life, Byron delves into the underreported facets of Martha's past, such as the effects her challenging childhood and years on Wall Street have had on her uncompromising business acumen. From Martha Stewart Living magazine and marthastewart.com to a K-Mart line of houseware products, a line of house paints, and a television show, this book details how a former caterer from Connecticut has created a media and merchandising empire, pulling off what large media corporations with vast resources struggle to accomplish.
Martha Stewart has sold America on good taste and now readers can learn exactly how she did it and what drives her to keep conquering new vistas. A corporate biography as well as a success story worthy of Horatio Alger, Martha Inc. also delves into how a cult of personality is created and how Martha Stewartcapitalized on the zeitgeist that characterized the last half of the twentieth century. This book is a must read for anyone who has been touched by Martha's marketing savvy or who dreams of making it big.