A Successful Manager
The success of Martha in the home development, lifestyle and entertainment industry has inarguably made her a success. Her success however stems from the network that she had access to, her business contacts, her personal drive towards success, her keen business traits and skill as well as her orientation towards a powerful type of management. Martha has not been a person who delegates her work to many as she is mostly comfortable working in her space while controlling the situation and the decision making rights.
“Stewart simply refuses to play by the rules, and we’re not just talking about her stint in the slammer. She was a mom, a fashion model, and a Wall Street stockbroker before she quit her day job to start a catering business. Then, at the height of her fame as the avatar of aspiration living, she became a spokeswoman for Kmart. ” (Hammer ; McNichol) This has put many of her employees off who see her as very controlling, dominating and often icy as well due to her clean desk policy and a highly regularized management system.
However this is cannot be disregarded that the way Martha has organized and managed her life and her career ha been impressive as after all these years she has been able to retain her position as the undefeated mogul of house making. The indication of her success as a business manager and entrepreneur can be seen in the way she has developed a large corporate enterprise out of a small basement run business.
She initiated lifestyle based products and service management on consultancy level for the mass public while sharing her views of house keeping and management that have now been adopted by many ardent fans. She also pioneered brand based marketing for house making and lifestyle management in the 80s when the concept as in its emergent stages and few products and reviews were available to cater to the demand of the market in this niche. Her success as a business entrepreneur came through her television show and magazine by the name of Martha Stewart Living.
“She is best known for her recipes, decorating, and entertainment ideas for the home and also created her own line of linens, craft supplies, and decorations. Although she was sent to prison in 2002 for stock fraud, she continues to flourish in both her media and product industries. ” (‘Martha Stewart Biography’) Over the period of years Martha Stewart has successfully managed her career as well as her business pning multiple industries form celebrity based media marketing, endorsement and sponsorships to television based take shows, cooking, home making and DIY shows etc.
The concept of entrepreneurship previously was associated with either International companies in the East or with the local US companies that were mostly driven by men. Martha Stewart however brought about a type of entrepreneurial business that catered to the needs and the demands of the women while simultaneously showed off her excellent business management skills to make her merge as a business leader.
