Martha Stewart

Entrepreneur, media mogul, stockbroker, lifestyle maven, pop-culture icon, convicted felon. This indomitable businesswoman wears many hats, not all of which fit comfortably. Stewart grew up cooking, sewing, gardening and home-keeping, activities she would soon parlay into an empire. During college she worked as a model but became a stockbroker after graduating. In the early '70s, she and her family moved from New York City to the suburbs and she launched a successful catering business that spawned her first book, Entertaining, in 1982. From 1991 to 2004 she produced and hosted her own eponymous how-to show as she continued to write books, start magazines, launch lines at Kmart and appear as herself in countless TV shows and movies. In 2004, Stewart's luster was tarnished when she was convicted of four counts of obstructing justice related to insider trading and spent several months in prison. Yet the style maven remained undaunted and launched two TV shows upon her 2005 release: Martha and The Apprentice: Martha Stewart.