Entrepreneur: Martha Stewart
Company: Martha Stewart Omnimedia

Yes, she lied to a prosecutor and refused the sensible plea bargain, and yes, she has a reputation as a nightmare manager. Still, give Martha Stewart some props: Agreeing to serve time without delay was a sacrifice. The payoff? Stewart's company landed a top-notch CEO, ABC's Susan Lyne, just as the Kmart-Sears merger provided both a windfall for Stewart personally and the prospect of wider distribution for her home collection. Analysts, like those at Standard and Poor's, may think that her stock, which has tripled since the 63-year-old entrepreneur went to jail, is overvalued, but who would have thought we'd be debating that back on the day she was convicted?

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