What Martha Stewart Says Today's Influencers Can Learn From Her 40-Plus Years in Business

Before there were influencers, there was Martha Stewart. In a new podcast interview, she explained how she built a business that has lasted more than 40 years and shared advice for influencers trying to make it today.

Martha Stewart is keeping it real. In an interview on MasterClass’ new podcast, “Other People’s Business,” the OG influencer opened up about building her empire, the mistakes she made along the way, and what today’s influencers can learn from her journey.

Own Your Content

Stewart’s business is first and foremost built on original content, which she described as “the strength of my business.” Since writing her first book in 1982, she has amassed 44 years of original material, spread across magazines, TV, books, and merchandise. This multimedia approach, she said, allows her to reach different audiences in different places.

Today, she’s using the same content to build a home-management app called HINT, and she’s also using the same approach with her skincare line.

Stewart’s advice to newer influencers is to own their content, arguing, "the authentic content out of their own heads has to be part of their business.”

Learn From Her Kmart Deal

Another thing influencers can learn from Stewart is how she earned from a partnership with Kmart. In the 1980s, she landed a deal with the retailer, where she earned a royalty on every product she designed, and Kmart paid for the original advertising budget, shelling out $20 million in the first year.

Her line sold hundreds of millions of dollars in its first year. "I was clearing $65 million a year in royalties," Stewart said, with close to $2 billion in merchandise.

According to Stewart, today’s royalties are much smaller, around 3% of wholesale, and platforms like Amazon now charge sellers fees. With these royalties, she said she would likely open her own shop if she were just starting now.

Sell Only What You Use

For Stewart, it’s important to really like the product you’re selling. "I'm not going to slap my name on things that I don't like," she said. She also said she “never faked it” and never made stuff that isn’t good because she really cares about the product and the consumers.

Likewise, she said she doesn’t promote a product or brand unless she really believes in it. She makes sure to try every product in a product line to see if she likes it before agreeing to sign a deal.

Asked how she has stayed relevant for so long, she credited "that authentic self."

Get Paid, and Don't “Water Down” Your Brand

When it comes to making money, Stewart is clear about one thing: "If I'm going to work hard, I'm going to get paid.” She also explained that to achieve full potential, your product has to be a "need and want," that is, something people actually need and will really want.

On where people make money from these days, she said the trend has shifted from TV to social media, with advertisers paying influencers who amass big audiences. She said these deals can run in the millions and multi-millions. She acknowledges that she still does TV commercials, including those for the Super Bowl.

Another thing Stewart advised is, “Don’t water down yourself.” She said some influencers try to bring in their spouses to their posts when it isn’t necessary, and it only dilutes their brand. “If you’re trying to make a name for yourself, why rely on somebody else?” she said. Stewart added that she had nothing against husbands, but as far as husbands go, she suggested simply introducing them and letting them wave, but that’s it.

What About the Private Jet?

During the interview, Stewart also talked about why she doesn’t have a private jet, noting Kim Kardashian flies in one. She said she didn’t have a G5 because, “I fell in a hole," referring to her legal troubles.

Stewart served five months in prison beginning in 2004 after being convicted of conspiracy, obstruction and lying to federal investigators in a case tied to an insider trading probe.

Stewart said she lost about a billion dollars, adding, "The lawyers took me to the cleaners, and they were horrible.” Then she said, "But I'm back. I mean, I’m pretty good."

Stewart will go down in history as an iconic entrepreneur, but more importantly, she said, “I think that one of my legacies will be that I was a good teacher.” She knows she has something to teach, adding, “I can’t be a good teacher unless I have done it myself.”

Influencers can learn a lot from Stewart’s journey, with decades of experience under the lifestyle mogul’s belt.