The Martha Rules: 10 Essentials for Achieving Success as You Start, Grow, or Manage a Business (Hardcover)

by Martha Stewart (Author)
Key Phrases: Big Idea, Martha Stewart Living, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book takes you inside the creative world and genius mind of Martha Stewart, to uncover your own path to business success."—Professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, senior associate dean of executive programs, Yale School of Management

"Martha’s candid look at how to succeed in business is for everyone. Whether you are just starting out or working for a large company, The Martha Rules is an indispensable handbook for business leaders of all levels on how to elevate creativity and maintain a competitive edge." —Quincy Jones, producer and multimedia entrepreneur

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description
Martha Stewart is an undeniable force in the business world. One of the world+s greatest entrepreneurs, she turned her personal passion into Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, a billion dollar business. This Fall she+s breaking new ground with two television shows from NBC-her reality show The Apprentice: Martha Stewart and her daytime syndicated show Martha-as well as a radio program on Sirius satellite radio which will provide daily round-the-clock how-to content. What+s her secret for success?Now, for the first time, Martha Stewart shares her business knowledge and advice in this handbook for success. Tapping into her years of experience in building a thriving business, Martha will help readers identify their own entrepreneurial voice and channel their skills and passions into a successful business venture. Her advice and insight is applicable to anyone who is about to start or expand a venture of any size, whether it is a business or philanthropic endeavor, but also to individuals who want to apply the entrepreneurial spirit to a job or corporation to increase innovation and maintain a competitive edge.Featuring Martha+s top principles for success, as well as stories and anecdotes from her own experiences, The Martha Rules is sure to appeal to business readers, fans, and anyone who admires her for her style, taste, and great advice-and who have great business ideas of their own!

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (October 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594864705
• ISBN-13: 978-1594864704
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #280,399 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insight into the world of Martha and the world of business, November 24, 2005

By	Dr Cathy Goodwin (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

There's nothing amazing or breakthrough about the Martha Rules...except that you won't find this advice put together in just this way. For instance, Martha Stewart emphasizes the importance of identifying a target market that will buy what you offer. She talks about geographic mismatches: pick a location where your product will be welcomed.

Sounds obvious? Maybe. But I've met dozens of wannabe Internet marketers who chose products and services that won't work on the web. And I know many coaches who cheerfully advise their clients, "If you dream it you can do it." Or even, "If you have an idea, there must be a market."

Martha has made a career out of understanding her market. She has astounded publishers and investors who underestimated her broad appeal to women. At least one biographer has disparaged her affiliation with K-Market, but Martha understands those shoppers. Another Barnard College alum, Joan Rivers, wrote in her own biography something to the effect that, "If you appeal to the masses you dine with the classes. And if you reach for the classes you dine with the masses." Martha could say the same.

On page 26, Martha writes, "Out of frustration often comes a good idea." She's echoing ideas from Marsha Sinetar and James Judson - and she's right. Often the best way to create a good business idea is to recognize that you can't find something you'd be happy to pay for.

The section on idea size - too big or too small - makes sense too. It happens all the time. Why not start a pet-sitting business, I'll suggest. And a client begins to dream big. "Maybe an upscale service for wealthy pet owners. In a great neighborhood across town. And boarding services with luxury touches." Never mind that she's renting a studio apartment and needs to start a small business on a tight budget.

And finally you have to recognize that creativity may not always be an asset. You have a juice store, Martha suggests. Employees have to follow a formula, exactly. No room for independence.

You'll find these ideas elsewhere but they're worth hearing again. Sure, she uses examples from her own business. But let's face it: readers buy the book to get glimpses of the author. She doesn't shy away from mention of her prison time at Alderson. I believe she handled the whole messy situation with grace. And for those who dismiss her as a "convicted felon," the label of "felon" and the determination of "convicted" often depend on being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Martha's not warm and fuzzy...but not many billionaires are.

But for Martha Stewart fans, the Martha Rules offers insights into the woman as well as the business.

48 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Guidelines for both the new and the experienced, October 30, 2005

By	Corinne H. Smith (Athol, MA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

No matter what you may think of her personally, you cannot deny that Martha Stewart knows how to succeed in the business world. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia continues to grow and to create new products to meet consumer needs. These days, the format may be a printed magazine, a television show, or a Sirius radio broadcast -- whatever it takes to get the message across. Who else, then, could be better suited for providing tips for budding entrepreneurs than Martha Stewart? In this book, she outlines her 10 business rules -- guidelines for the newbies, reminders for those of us who have been around a while. She says this book grew out of her prison experience, as other inmates approached her with questions about starting their own businesses. Her rules cover the basics of any business venture: being passionate, coming up with the Big Idea, hiring good people to work with you, doing quality work, taking risks and not chances, etc. She uses examples from her own beginnings and from those of other individuals as well. The result is indeed an introduction that could inspire anyone to start a new company and have an inkling of how to go about it. (I wouldn't rely just on this book for all the answers, though; that's why I gave it four stars.)

While "The Martha Rules" is a promotion for entrepreneurialism, the book also includes insights into Martha's past and into her daily life. It's therefore a good autobiographical introduction for anyone wanting to know more about Ms. Stewart and how she got to where she is today. Readers get the impression that spending five months away from the business was simply one more challenge that Martha not only met, but took on and surmounted. How much more inspirational can a person be?

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book as much for men as for women, October 21, 2005

By	JohnJ "JohnJ94591" (Vallejo, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Martha's passion really comes through in this book, and it's a very good read. It's inspiring for those who have ever dreamed of owning their own business or starting something new. The thing that surprised me the most was that I could see myself in her writing, and I could picture myself in a lot of the scenarios Martha chose. I've always been a fan of Martha, but found her in the past to be very woman-oriented and a lot of her shows/books to be primarily for women. This book is unique in that it is for everyone... male and female, young and old alike. If you want to be the best you can be, want to dream about new beginnings and want the inspiration and clues about where to begin, this is a perfect book for you. I couldn't put the book down after I started reading it. Martha's knowledge and ideas have been put to great use here.