MANILA, Philippines — “Fill a void.” This is what Martha Stewart tells the full house of students and entrepreneurs during ANC’s Leadership Series at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza on Thursday, August 20.
Filling the void is not a deep-gutted philosophy but a piece of advice to look for something that does not exist yet, and being the one to create a solution that addresses this. Years of being on television and publishing books on lifestyle subjects, Martha Stewart has become a household name on all things home and living, but she admits that when she started her business, lifestyle was not even an established industry yet, and that venturing in something that barely existed was what enabled her to achieve a certain level of success.
Today, Martha is known as the first American woman self-made billionaire. From being a stockbroker, she is now an award-winning publisher, businesswoman, best-selling author, television host and a lifestyle icon.
At the Leadership Forum, Martha walked the audience through the different facets of her brand—homemaking, baby and kids, gardening and cooking—sharing that these facets have made her reach limitless. “Living is such a vast subject,” she adds.
And from the vast subject of life, she has built an empire called Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, which offers consumers thousands of retail products, television and video programming, award-winning magazines, best-selling books, innovative websites and apps. “That’s the way to do it, you have to embrace technology.”
Not ashamed of being called a neat freak, Martha believes that such a trait, or perfectionism as she prefers to call it, is something to embrace and love. Most notable on her elegant presentation and recipes for her catering business, perfectionism is something she practices everyday without fail and without getting sloppy.
“Perseverance is very important and believing in what you are creating,” Martha said when asked about the principle that paved her way to success.
Moderated by news anchor Karen Davila, the session paved way for Filipino fans to express their gratitude to Martha, and for Martha to inspire them to turn their passions into a money-making venture.
On that note, she ended with the lesson that ideas are plentiful but one would rarely stumble upon a idea big enough to appeal to people. “What doesn’t exist that you love that you have in your mind that can fill that void that everybody wants?”
