Career
In 1976, she started her own catering business along with Norma Collier, a friend from her modelling days. The business was a complete success, but differences between her and Collier arose, as a result of which, Martha bought her share of the business.
She worked for a gourmet store from where she was fired. This motivated her to open her own food store. Meanwhile, she met Alan Mirken, head of ‘Crown Publishing Group,’ at a party. Astonished by her knowledge and skills, Mirkenencouraged her to develop a cookbook.
She released her first book ‘Entertaining’ in 1982. The book featured recipes and photos from the parties that she had hosted previously.
In 1983, she came up with the book ‘Martha Stewart's Quick Cook.’ The book targeted people with busy lifestyle;it included 200 recipes that could be put together in less than an hours’ time.
In 1984, she published the book ‘Martha Stewart's Hors D'oeuvres’ which was about finger foods that could be served at various types of parties. The book included 150 recipes.
In the late-1980s, she published many books on cooking and homemaking.By this time, she had also authored many columns on homemaking for magazines and newspapers.
In 1990, she began a quarterly magazine named ‘Martha Stewart Living’ which was published by ‘Time Inc.’ She became the editor-in-chief of the magazine and released its first issue in the winter of 1990.
In September 1993, ‘Martha Stewart Living’ opened on television as a half-hour syndicated show that was broadcasted every week. She was the host for the show.
In September 1997, Martha secured funding to buy the various print, television, and merchandising ventures pertaining to the Martha Stewart brand. She then consolidated them and formed her new company 'Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia' (MSLO).
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Later in 1997, she launched her line of exclusive and affordable collection of bedding sets and bath collection titled, ‘Martha Stewart Everyday bed’. The collection was available at the Kmart, a chain of discount stores.
In 1999, MSLOwent public on the ‘New York Stock Exchange.’ The stock price peaked at $38 per share, making Martha Stewart the first female self-made billionaire in America.
In December 2001, she sold 3,928 ImClone Systems stocks in order to avoid loss and the next day the value of stock fell by 16 per cent. Later in 2003, she was accused of securities fraud and obstruction of justice.
In January 2004, she went on six week jury trial to face the charges put against her and she was declared guilty. She faced charges for conspiracy.
In July 2004, she was given a sentence for a period of five months in a federal correctional facility. Additionally she was also to be on supervised release and electronic monitoring for a period of two years.
In 2005, after her release she launched the, ‘Martha Stewart Living Radio’, which was aired on Sirius Satellite Radio's channel 112. That year, she also hosted ‘The Martha Stewart Show’ on NBC.
In the fall of 2005, she hosted the reality game show, ‘The Apprentice: Martha Stewart’, which was created by Donald Trump. The show was broadcast on the NBC network.
In 2006, she published the book, ‘Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home’. The book was a bestseller.
In 2007, she created a collection of home wares for the departmental store giant, ‘Macy's’. She was also seen in Macy’s commercials in which she claimed to have designed 20,000 items for the department chain.
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In 2008, craft merchandise was released under the labels of ‘Martha Stewart Celebrate’ and ‘Martha Stewart Create’. The collection was sold at all Wal-Mart outlets.
In 2010, she began to air her show, ‘The Martha Stewart Show’ as ‘Martha’ on the Hallmark Channel. The show focused on interior design, cooking, gardening and arts and crafts.
In 2012, a TV series titled, ‘Martha Stewart's Cooking School’, debuted on the PBS network. A weekly 30 min episode, the show highlights information on cooking basics and techniques. Most of its content are based on her eponymous book.
In 2016, alongside her friend Snoop Dogg, she started appearing on VH1’s show ‘Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party’ where they host games and parties for musical guests. They were also featured in a commercial for ‘T-Mobile’the following year.
Martha started appearing as a recurring judge in the American reality cooking show ‘Chopped’ from 2018. In February 2019, she joined the Canadian marijuana company ‘Canopy Growth’ as their advisor.
