Time's Up From prison bars to brownie bars, what's next for Martha Stewart?
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If all goes to plan, on March 6, Martha Stewart will be releasedfrom the big house to her own big house.
What will Martha do? It's been well publicized thatStewart will star in a TV show produced by reality whiz Mark"Survivor" Burnett. She has also indicated plansto write a book about her prison time, and while she hasn'tpublicly discussed a speaking tour, consultant Robert Smith thinksthat's likely.
"If you thought she was in demand in her pre-prison life,she'll be even more so now," says Smith, 31, who shouldknow--he was in prison for six months and a halfway house forthree, for stealing credit cards. He turned his life around in thelast couple of years, forming Rockford, Illinois-based Robert Smith& Associates PR, which expects 2005 revenues of$500,000.
What should Martha do? "The guillotinehanging over her head is her image and how she handles it,"says Lonnie Pacelli, author of The Project Management Advisor. One way tomake amends is to "inspire others on how to conduct businessethically," says Pacelli. "She should spend her timegiving speeches and educating business owners, managers andCEOs."
What should you do if you're a newly freed jailbirdentrepreneur with fewer prospects than Martha? If your businessis still running, your prison time may not matter. "Whenpeople walk into a grocery store, for instance, they usuallydon't know the history of the owner," says Peter Cervieri,a partner at New York City-based strategic advisory firm LionStrategy Advisors. "But they might care, if they knew."Cervieri recommends adopting a low profile, at least for a fewmonths after returning.
Can prison actually help an entrepreneur? Smithdoesn't recommend trying to find out, but he thinks Stewartwill return to society a more adept entrepreneur than ever."Some of the most innovative people in the world are inprison," observes Smith, referring to some great escapes."You cannot hang around in that environment and not become abetter and more strategic thinker."
