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She became a household name by mastering the arts of style and entertaining, but Martha Stewart didn’t stop there. She took Martha Stewart Living magazine and parlayed it into the multifaceted media and merchandising business that is Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. (NYSE: MSO), a one-stop shop for lifestyle content and products via television, radio, magazines, books, retail channels, and the Web. Looking back on a career spent expanding into every aspect of the American home, Stewart spoke to us about why she’s a true entrepreneur.

EM: Why did you decide to make the transition from being a stockbroker to a homemaker?

Stewart: I dropped the stockbroker business because I was commuting to New York from Connecticut, and at the time commissions were being renegotiated, so I would have been making probably a third less for the same amount of work. I also had a young child and decided that the home life was more appealing at the time. I wanted to reorganize my priorities. So I retired from Wall Street and it was a great decision—it allowed me to discover my real passions, such as cooking, entertaining, writing, and entrepreneurial initiatives.

EM: You’ve built an empire of television and radio shows, magazines, and books. What has been your recipe for success?

Stewart: A lot of hard work. I really am an entrepreneur in the highest sense of the word. I’m willing to take an idea and run with it. I’m also very practical, so I can make it work.

EM: How did you create your brand? Tell us about the evolution from a single magazine to the Omnimedia brand with multiple platforms.

Stewart: After creating a successful catering business, I wrote my first book in 1982. Entertaining went on to become a best-seller. I initially envisioned writing one book per year but quickly realized that I had more ideas than could be contained.

So I created a prototype for the magazine that would become Martha Stewart Living, our company’s flagship magazine and the core of the Martha Stewart brand. After the magazine debuted, I was on television more and more, so we decided to make our own show.

I definitely recognized the huge potential of multiple platforms—publishing, television, Internet, and merchandising. Each platform has value on its own, but together the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The Internet was part of our business model from the beginning, and our goal is the same today as it was then: to provide our consumers with consistent, high-quality information wherever and however they want it.

EM: MSO has partnerships with names like Macy’s, Wal-Mart, and Costco. What are some things that you look for in your partnerships? How do you use their strengths to help you?

Stewart: Our licensing agreements are with carefully selected companies. We work with licensees and manufacturers who have extensive, robust distribution channels and share our brand’s commitment to quality and design.

EM: You’ve become an icon for the American home. What kind of reception has MSO experienced from its international expansion?

Stewart: I travel often and am always exploring new markets that I think would be receptive to our brand. We’ve only just begun to tap the surface of international expansion. Our television shows are broadcast in 71 countries, and we’ve just started introducing our publications abroad with Martha Stewart Living in Poland and Turkey, Martha Stewart Weddings in the Philippines, and Everyday Food in Mexico. We see great opportunity ahead for our merchandising business.

EM: What made you decide to create the Omnimedia brand? Retrospectively, did it work out as you expected?

Stewart: The media business has changed dramatically in the years since I founded the company. Our website, which was originally conceived of as an e-commerce site, is now a popular advertiser-supported content site. A decade ago, I would never have imagined that I would be keeping a daily blog that averages 250,000 daily unique visitors each month. Blogging wasn’t even a word back in 1999. But despite the changes, the basic Omnimedia model remains as strong and effective today as it was then.

EM: How do you keep The Martha Stewart Show fresh and interesting every day?

Stewart: I believe it’s important to learn something new every day, and through the television show, I’m always meeting new and interesting people with compelling ideas and projects to share. For instance, one of the guests scheduled to appear on The Martha Stewart Show this season is celebrity blogger and personality Perez Hilton. The content from our magazines, books, and special issues are also helpful as a starting point for segments on the show.

EM: How does Emeril Lagasse fit into MSO?

Stewart: Emeril is a great fit for our company. I first met him more than 20 years ago, before he opened his first restaurant, and I’ve been an admirer ever since. He brings talent, energy, and legions of fans to the Martha Stewart family, along with a powerful brand and business franchise. His food-related content and product lines complement our own and bring with it multiplatform expansion opportunities. He’s already very much a member of the MSLO family.

EM: What in the coming year are you most excited about?

Stewart: There are a lot of things coming up that we’re excited about. First, there’s the launch of the fourth season of The Martha Stewart Show, with the first show set to take place at my farm in Bedford, New York. It’s going to be a lot of fun. In October, my book with Clarkson Potter, Martha Stewart’s Cooking School, will go on sale. I’m enormously proud of it. It’s a complete course for the home cook, both novice and expert. To coincide with the book’s publication, I’ll introduce “Cooking School,” a new weekly segment on The Martha Stewart Show.

EM: MSO has been very active in the retail sector. How are consumers responding to recent initiatives such as Macy’s and “Martha Stewart Crafts”?

Stewart: They’ve been very well received by consumers. Some popular items in our collection include textiles such as towels and bedding as well as our whiteware and kitchen gadgets.

Another exciting partnership is “Martha Stewart Crafts” with EK Success. The line has been very popular with consumers and just recently expanded into Wal-Mart stores across the U.S. and Canada. The line at Wal-Mart includes 250 crafting essentials and 120 ready-made, paper-based wedding essentials.

Also, we recently announced the “Martha Stewart for 1-800-Flowers.com” program, which offers an assortment of floral arrangements that showcase all my favorite flowers in containers inspired by my personal vase collections. We have some wonderful gift assortments and flower arrangements planned for the holidays that we’ll be introducing in October.

EM: How important is the digital space in helping you promote your brand? What are your aspirations for marthastewart.com?

Stewart: The Internet is an important channel for us to reach our audience. A popular feature is our online workshops led by our in-house experts featuring recipes, crafting, and entertaining ideas from our magazine. Our Easter Workshop—the first of its kind—drew approximately 18,000 participants, and we’re very excited about our Halloween workshop, which is now underway at marthastewart.com.

We’ve also been focused on growing our core franchises online—weddings, food, holidays, and whole living. Earlier this year, we acquired 40% of the equity in an online wedding technology platform called WeddingWire. Along with our magazine, Martha Stewart Weddings, we’re marrying the content and the planning tools to give brides everything they need to plan and manage their weddings.

Another example is our recent launch of wholeliving.com, a stand-alone website and online home of MSO’s Body+Soul magazine, which features extensive content for those seeking a healthier, more balanced and sustainable lifestyle. The site incorporates more than 1,000 content items including easy, healthy recipes, interactive photo galleries, ideas for stylish eco-décor, green cleaning tips, life-coach advice, exercise videos, natural stress-busters, and more.