Entrepreneurial Survival Stories

Martha Stewart

From gourmet guru to jailhouse queen and back
The brink: Martha Stewart was convicted and sent to prison in 2004 for lying about the reasons she sold her shares of a biotechnology stock two years earlier. Following the verdict, shares of her company鈥檚 stock, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO), fell 22 percent, and photos of Stewart in prison attire blanketed the tabloids.
The gutsy move that brought her back: As soon as she was released, Stewart dove back into work, launching a new daytime talk show and forming partnerships with such companies as Lowe鈥檚, Kodak, KB Homes and Sirius satellite radio. MSLO revenues have steadily increased since her release: For Q3 2006, the company reported $61.1 million in revenues, up 48 percent from the same quarter the prior year.
Lesson learned: Stay poised and focused through a PR nightmare.

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