The Life Story of Martha Stewart
Martha Helen Stewart is more than an entrepreneur and businesswoman. She is a best-selling author, television show host, and one of America’s most trusted caterers.
Martha Helen Stewart
Martha Stewart started her first business, a catering company, in her early 30s.
Although this business was not a phenomenal success compared to her other ventures, it opened the door to a successful career.
Her expertise in food preparation led her to write her first cookbook, Entertaining, in 1982, which detailed the recipes she had picked up and perfected over more than ten years.
Early Life
Martha Stewart was born in New Jersey on August 3, 1941, with the maiden name Martha Kostyra.
Her parents, Edward Kostyra and Martha Ruszkowski, were both teachers and strict disciplinarians. They instilled in her and her five siblings the values of hard work and self-sufficiency.
Stewart’s parents wanted the Kostyras to have a strong work ethic. This pushed Martha and her siblings to start earning their own money at a very young age.
Stewart and her siblings trapped muskrats and sold their skins for income. Stewart also began working as a babysitter at only ten years old.
She earned $1 an hour and later became a model, where she got paid $15 an hour.
Education
Martha Stewart studied at Nutley High School and the Barnard College of Columbia University. She majored in art, history, and architectural history.
Stewart kept modeling to pay her way through school. In 1961, Glamour magazine named her one of the top-dressed women in college. Stewart also moved out of her parent’s home to live on Fifth Avenue as a live-in maid.
“I try to do as much as I can, wherever I am. So, at the farm, I’m always thinking of some new project, some new thing I can do.” – Martha Stewart
Martha met Andy Stewart during her college years. The two began an exciting courtship that led to marriage on July 1, 1961.
They started life as newlyweds in New York City, with Andy pursuing law at Yale and Martha taking a study sabbatical. She returned to school a year later and graduated with a double major in architectural history and history.
Career
Upon graduation, Martha Stewart became a stockbroker in a brokerage firm in New York.
Her modeling career had dwindled, leaving her desperate for other job alternatives. Stewart obtained her stockbroker license in 1968 and was registered with the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). She soon began earning a six-figure salary and living a lush lifestyle.
Andy and Martha Stewart left New York City for Westport, Connecticut, where they lived in a refurbished farmhouse on Turkey Hill Road.
Martha liked calling it Turkey Hill Farm. She began her catering business in this house after resigning from the brokerage firm in 1973.
Meanwhile, her husband worked as a corporate attorney in New York.
Going Into Catering
Once again, Martha Stewart had to start over a new career. She remodeled their farmhouse as she figured out what ventures to pursue next.
Her passion for cleaning, home improvement, and cooking led her to partner with Norma Coulier to establish a catering business from her basement. The two named their entity Uncatered Affair.
“If you learn something new every day, you can teach something new every day.” – Martha Stewart
Martha and Norma operated their catering business from the basement. They catered events and parties and taught cooking classes to clients in Westport.
Little did they know their basement catering business would soon become a million-dollar enterprise and later a $200 million empire.
Martha also started catering in a food court at the Westport Common Market but was fired after saying she owned the store during an interview.
Uncatered Affair gave Martha her first taste of public exposure.
She and Andy were featured in People magazine, Country Living, Bon Appetit, Mademoiselle, and Good Housekeeping. House Beautiful also hired Stewart as a freelance food editor, which helped increase her brand’s reputation.
Publishing Her First Cookbook
Stewart occasionally catered for parties hosted by publishers, which enabled her to meet and connect with leaders in the publishing field.
She met Alan Mirken, president of the Crown Publishing Group, during one of these parties. Mirken was so impressed with Stewart’s style and talent for catering that he encouraged her to write a book. He gave Stewart a $35,000 advance, thus motivating her to start her first book.
Martha Stewart finished her first book in 1982. It quickly became a bestseller. She wrote more books on cooking, catering, gardening, weddings, and old house restorations.
Her writing career prospered, but her marriage with Andrew Stewart was on the rocks. The couple finally divorced in 1989.
Appearing on Television
In 1990, a year after her divorce, Martha Stewart started a magazine called Martha Stewart Living. She served as the chief editor and was featured on television programs such as The Early Show (CBS) and The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Her entrance into the television industry occurred in 1993 when she debuted in her half-hour TV program, Martha Stewart Living.
The television program eventually became an hour-long show with half-hour episodes featured on weekends.
“The more you adapt, the more interesting you are.”- Martha Stewart
Martha’s appearances on television propelled her to become a household name. She later started a second magazine, which she called Martha Stewart Weddings.
In 1997, she consolidated her different ventures into one larger company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO). Stewart took MSLO public in 1999 but retained most shares while serving as CEO, president, and chairman.
By 2002, Martha’s magazine, Martha Stewart Living, was distributing over two million copies per issue.
Her television programs had millions of viewers within and outside the United States. In 2001, she was named the third most powerful woman in America.
Setbacks
In 2002, Martha Stewart joined the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) board of directors. However, this achievement quickly turned sour when the United States Securities and Exchange Commission accused her of insider trading.
They pressed charges that caused MSLO’s stock price to drop, and her television programs got canceled.
Martha Stewart claimed her innocence on all charges. She went to trial in the first quarter of 2004, but the case was dismissed.
However, the court found Stewart guilty of misleading investigators and obstructing the investigation. She was fined $30,000 and imprisoned for five months. Martha Stewart served her prison sentence from October 2004 to March 2005.
After her imprisonment, she stayed on supervised release for two years and five months of monitoring.
Upon her release, Martha Stewart opened a new television program, The Martha Stewart Show, and a call-in show hosted on the Sirius satellite radio network.
She also published another book, The Martha Rules, which detailed her process for establishing and managing a business. Stewart wrote more books, including Homekeeping Handbook and The Martha Stewart Baking Handbook.
Fact: In high school, Stewart babysat Mickey Mantle’s and Yogi Berra’s children.
Martha Stewart in Present Day
According to her release terms, Martha Stewart rejoined the MSLO board of directors in 2011. She also took up the chairman role the following year.
Her company today ventures in four areas: internet, publishing, broadcasting, and merchandising.
The publishing section hosts magazines, including Martha Stewart Living, Martha Stewarts Weddings, Everyday Food, and Whole Living. The internet arm supports marthastewart.com and other websites owned by MSLO.
The broadcasting section of MSLO supports the Everyday Food and Martha Stewart Living radio programs.
In 2016, Stewart teamed up with rapper Snoop Dogg to open a new broadcasting venture named Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party. This program aired on cable channel VH1.
Personal Life
Martha Stewart married Andrew Stewart in 1961. They had one child, Alexis Gilbert, in 1965.
Andrew and Martha later separated in 1987 and finalized their divorce in 1990. Stewart currently lives in Katonah, Bedford, New York. She is a voracious animal lover who loves the company of her dogs and cats.
Lessons Learned From the Life Story of Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart has many lessons we can learn from. Here are three that I found noteworthy, along with my thoughts about them.
Continuous Learning
Continuous learning was a core belief and practice of Martha Stewart.
For example, let’s say you have reached the point of retirement.
You can’t just sit around and do nothing. Instead, consider it a new chapter in your life that will allow you to do more of what you want.
Suppose you enjoy gardening. Why not learn more about it? There are different kinds of soil, different kinds of plants, and different types of fertilizers that you can learn about. You are now doing what you enjoy and are knowledgeable in that field.
Getting into the habit of learning new things will stick with you for the rest of your life. In addition, it’s important to remember that you can choose the level of learning that is right for you.
You don’t need a degree in every field you pursue, but just enough that’s right for you.
Don’t Let Problems Hold You Back
It isn’t easy to recover when you lose your credibility and people’s trust, especially those in the public eye. Martha Stewart’s five-month prison sentence was one of her worst experiences.
Martha didn’t let her prison sentence hold her back; she went right back to what she was doing, and despite losing popularity, she kept going and started rebuilding her career, wrote two books, continued hosting her TV shows, and resumed work on her brand.
“I was a very good cook, and I knew I could build a business.” – Martha Stewart
Getting back up after a devastating experience is not easy, and many in the same circumstances would not have snapped back. You can overcome a difficult experience by knowing what you want, focusing on the positive aspects of your life, and taking action.
Pursue Your Passion
Martha Stewart believes in being passionate about what you do. Passion is one of the most important factors in becoming successful.
Whether you’re pursuing a career or running a business when you’re passionate about it, you have that driving force to become successful.
Without passion, you’ll look for a way out whenever you encounter a problem or setback instead of finding a solution. Passion is the driving force that will keep you going, especially in an uphill battle.
An individual’s passion is something that comes from within.
You may develop a passion for something as you get more involved or get into something you’re already passionate about.
It doesn’t matter if you’re already passionate about something or have yet to develop it.
A key success factor is being passionate about what you’re doing so you’re not just working but enjoying every minute of it.
Fact: The young Martha Stewart loved going to the library and reading every book on the shelves.
Martha Stewart Timeline
1941:
Martha Stewart is born in Jersey City, New Jersey.
1961:
Martha marries Andrew Stewart.
1965:
Martha and Andrew Stewart have a daughter, Alexis Gilbert.
1967:
Martha Stewart begins her career as a stockbroker at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) market.
1973:
Stewart stops working as a stockbroker, and she and her husband move to Westport, Connecticut.
1976:
Stewart starts a catering business with her friend, Norma. They name it Uncatered Affair.
1982:
Stewart publishes her first book, Entertaining.
1989:
Martha and Andrew Stewart get divorced.
1990:
Martha Stewart starts her first magazine venture, Martha Stewart Living.
1993:
Stewart launches the television program Martha Stewart Living.
1997:
Stewart consolidates all her ventures into one company and names it Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO).
1999:
MSLO goes public, but Martha retains majority shares.
2001:
Martha Stewart gets named the third most powerful woman in America.
2002:
Stewart joins the NYSE board of directors.
2004:
Stewart gets convicted for obstructing a legal investigation. The court sentences her to five months in prison.
2005:
Martha Stewart completes her five-month prison sentence.
2011:
Stewart rejoins MSLO board.
2012:
Stewart becomes chairman of MSLO.
2016:
Stewart starts a television channel, Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party, with Snoop Dogg.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The information in this post answers many of the questions about Martha Stewart. This section provides a summary and any additional information.
1. How did Martha Stewart become successful?
Stewart’s journey through success began when she established her first magazine, Martha Stewart Living.
She later started more magazine ventures and consolidated them into one company, Magazine Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO). Stewart took MSLO public in 1999 and gradually kept growing it to become a success.
2. Who is Martha Stewart, and why is she famous?
Martha Stewart is an American entrepreneur, businesswoman, bestselling author, and lifestyle expert.
Most people know her from her company (MSLO), books, magazines, and television shows.
3. What is Martha Stewart’s famous saying?
Martha Stewart has many astounding quotes, but her most famous is, “If you learn something new every day, you can teach something new every day.”
Her second most famous saying is, “I invented ‘It’s a good thing’ before you were even born.”
4. What was Martha Stewart’s downfall?
Stewart’s downfall occurred in 2004 when she was accused of insider trading and imprisoned for obstructing a legal investigation. This legal accusation tarnished her and her business’s reputation.
5. Who is richer, Martha Stewart or Oprah Winfrey?
Oprah Winfrey is richer than Martha Stewart. Oprah has a net worth of $2.5 billion, while Stewart has $400 million in total net worth.
6. What is Martha Stewart syndrome?
Coined by D. Lypchuk, Martha Stewart Syndrome is a condition where someone becomes obsessed with decorating their household, planning parties, and performing household tasks as perfectly as Martha Stewart.
7. Why does Martha Stewart not use curtains?
Martha Stewart does not use curtains in her home because she loves having an open window view. She likes to look at the pleasant scenery outside her window and sees curtains as an obstruction.
8. How close are Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg?
Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg are very close friends. Their friendship started in 2008 when rapper Snoop Dogg was a guest on Martha’s show.
It blossomed in 2016 when the two launched a new television program, Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party.
Fact: Martha was once dating Sir Anthony Hopkins but broke up after watching The Silence of the Lambs, as she could not help but associate Hopkins with Hannibal Lecter
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“There are two kinds of people… There are the dreamers who go and buy, and there are the doers who go and make. And I’ve always recognized that. So the dreamers are what support our company because they will buy the product that they could make if they wanted to, had time to, or were so inclined to.” – Martha Stewart
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