"Come over, being private is great," enthuses Susan Lyne, chairman of Gilt Groupe Inc., when asked to give advice to media maverick Martha Stewart about taking Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. private. "I am a fan of private companies," says Lyne, who served as CEO of MSLO and is widely credited with rescuing the company while Stewart was in jail for insider trading. "Gilt is a private company, and you have a lot more flexibility and freedom to really act on what you think is right long term for the company than you do when you're in the public markets." Interestingly, fast-growing Gilt is considered a candidate for an initial public offering. It's a move Lyne says the flash-sale startup won't make in the next 18 months but is likely "down the road." But she isn't ruling out an acquisition either. "Anything can happen," says Lyne in this video interview with Katie Roof for The Deal magazine. For more on MSLO, see "Martha redo." - Mary Kathleen Flynn