The positives and perils of sole-identity company branding July 2004. Media magnate and the first female, self-made billionaire in U.S. history, Martha Stewart, begins a five-month prison sentence for insider trading and is forced to relinquish her title as CEO of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSO). Shares of stock in the company immediately plummet more than 8% and continue to freefall. By year’s end, MSO’s value is approximately half of its 2001 valuation. While the scale of this fabled...
