Martha Stewart transcript

MICHAEL EISNER:
Martha, thank you very much for coming on the show. And I am particularly delighted because you believe in a lot of things that I believe in. Things like synergy and growing brands. And I have noticed in-- in not only preparing for this the amount of brand extension you have done is awesome. And obviously you are in as they said, as I-- tend to be the weeds… And that you smell one idea and it begets another. And is that part of your strategy or does it just happen?

MARTHA STEWART:
Well, I think-- it's not part of my strategy, it is-- my way. And it has become my strategy. I've always tried to maximize my efforts cause I put a lot of work into every single thing I do. And if you can maximize that effort-- like making a magazine and then, an extension of that is the television program. An extension of that is product. An extension of that is the Internet site. An extension of that are newspaper columns. An extension of that is the (LAUGHTER) radio-- channel. You know, is Sirius. All of that is, just to me, a maximization of an effort.

MICHAEL EISNER:
And I'm studying about-- about your company and whether it's, you know, DVDs or it's books or it's magazines or it's the Kmart deal or products or-- or flowers or-- or furniture or-- the entire world had felt like I was looking through a screened mirror. And while I was looking at the mirror I was always hearing in the background people accusing me of being a micro-manager. Now, I just gave a speech for 2,000 people on the art of micro management. Well, I obviously think it's the right thing to do. So, I have a sense that you are of-- a kin of a kind of a micro management.

MARTHA STEWART:
Oh, I am. I'm-- I'm an incredible micro manager. And-- I feel that I have to understand every part of the business-- to be able to maximize those businesses. I mean, it-- it all goes back-- it's all like very circular. And I think that-- that when-- when I used the work synergy in 19-- 89 when I first started my business-- in 1989 that was a weird word. Synergy. Everybody was shying away from it. And it was not-- it couldn't happen. You couldn't really synergize. And then, I used the word on the media when we went public. And people thought that was a little pretentious, a little strange. But, actually really does work. If it's planned, if it's-- promoted, if it is-- well done and trusted-- and all those things-- I-- I think that-- that you and I actually really do think alike that way.

MICHAEL EISNER:
A lot of people who will take a pejorative like micro manage, which is really a positive thing--

MARTHA STEWART:
Yeah.

MICHAEL EISNER:
--they'll take a word like politics, which is really the greatest positive thing they turn negative… for instance, a Hillary Clinton, her 33 percent negative ratings? I think, she's gonna-- I think she's very-- clearly could be a candidate to be the next President. And who knows what happens after that. But, here is a 33 percent negativity from lots of women. It must--

MARTHA STEWART:
Surprisingly a large number of women, which really bothers me a lot.

MICHAEL EISNER:
But, isn't that out of envy and jealousy and--

MARTHA STEWART:
I think, it-- I think, with Hillary it's a lot of misunderstanding, really misunderstanding. I think, women-- in this time-- at this time in politics in America I think, women should really pay attention to what women are doing.

MICHAEL EISNER:
But, don't you …

MARTHA STEWART:
That's a-- that's-- I'm just going to say that out load.

MICHAEL EISNER:
But, your negatives, which is less than Hillary that I think comes out of, here's a woman who has done extremely well, has a reputation of striving for excellence, and some women are sitting home saying, some men too, ) why she? It could be me? I could make a cake.

MARTHA STEWART:
Yeah.

MICHAEL EISNER:
they-- they don't realize--

MARTHA STEWART:
How much work goes into making a cake.

MICHAEL EISNER:
And everything around it.

MARTHA STEWART:
Right.

MICHAEL EISNER:
And the market.

MARTHA STEWART:
As I say it’s a misunderstanding. I really think they misunderstand Hillary and her good work. And her stability. Hillary has been a very stable factor in American politics. She could've just left Mr. President Clinton-- when all the trouble started. She stood by him. She helped keep the-- she helped keep the American government stable by her persistence and her-- and her stability. She was great. And-

MICHAEL EISNER:
Do you think if you were a man or she were a man that the-- the envy and the jealousy would be less? I mean, the obsession… the obsession with a woman CEO being so good would be less?

MARTHA STEWART:
Probably.

MICHAEL EISNER
Now, you've written a lot of books. One of the books you wrote is the Martha Rules. I want to ask you about the title. But, I also want to ask you about the book. I read the book. And I was interested in how you were mentoring— at the prison in-- near the Greenbriar. And you really took these people under your wing and you gave them very practical advice to do a hair salon--

MARTHA STEWART:
Yeah.

MICHAEL EISNER:
--everything together. A hair salon. Things like--

MARTHA STEWART:
And that-- that was just one of many examples, by the way. And--I was interested in people's projects. There were some writers there that were very prolific published writers.

MICHAEL EISNER:
Is this part of your own… to-- deal with the-- with where you were or what your actual— or…

MARTHA STEWART:
Well, it's--

MICHAEL EISNER:
Hey, that's a good idea. Let's make that.

MARTHA STEWART:
That's-- that's my personality.

MICHAEL EISNER:
Let's put on a show.

MARTHA STEWART:
Yeah, that's right. We are-- I am very interested in entrepreneurial initiative. In-- wherever I find it, I'm always encouraging it and trying to-- help people with it. And try to give them good advice, sound advice.

MICHAEL EISNER:
Yeah, but you're giving sound advice to Connecticut or Westchester or Newark. They have a little privacy. They can go back and think it over. They're not--

MICHAEL EISNER:
They're not showing with 12 other people.

MARTHA STEWART:
Oh, no, no. But, there is privacy.

MICHAEL EISNER:
Oh, they do.

MARTHA STEWART:
Oh, sure. Sure. I mean, you're mind….Your mind is your mind. And you can do that anywhere. You can think anywhere. And--

MICHAEL EISNER:
I can't think when somebody else is in the… no-- no-- no divider, (LAUGHTER) I'm sorry.

MARTHA STEWART:
Oh, no, no. This is a very ladylike place.

MICHAEL EISNER:
Okay.

MARTHA STEWART:
Oh, yeah. This is ladylike--

MARTHA STEWART:
There were-- there were bathrooms.

MICHAEL EISNER:
So, any of the women … I know you haven’t been able to speak because of some sort of…

MARTHA STEWART:
Oh, no, no. Never-- I'm never-- I'm not allowed for a long time to speak to anybody.

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