MARTHA STEWART – EST. $800 MILLION

Turning yourself into a brand is certainly a hard-won process, and this is something that Martha Stewart knows pretty well. She has investments in different areas of lifestyle content, from publishing, merchandising, broadcasting, and e-commerce. The success of her first book helped her start her own business. She also wrote several newspaper columns and magazine articles and appeared on TV shows such as “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and “Larry King Live”. Stewart signed a deal with Time Publishing Ventures in 1990 to develop a new magazine under her name.

It isn’t all smooth sailing for the prolific businesswoman, however. It was in March of 2004 when she was found sentenced to serve a 5-month prison term for charges of conspiracy, making false statements to investigators, and obstruction of an agency proceeding. Though it will remain a stain on her legacy, Martha did manage to overcome all those difficulties. In fact, she went right back into business after her release.