How Skinny Girl and Reality TV Made Bethenny Frankel PHAT

Bethenny Frankel has come a long way since her appearance on "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart.”

Something about Frankel’s in-your-face natural approach struck a chord with audiences and Bravo producers, and today Frankel is sitting on top of a $120 million empire.

Frankel is one of a growing but small list of reality stars who have turned their 15-minutes of fame into ventures worth millions, as the Hollywood Reporter notes in their chronicle of Frankel’s rise to the top.

The natural chef explained, "I went on the show (Real Housewives) single-handedly and exclusively for business ... When I went on the show, no one was going on for business, no one had done anything."

But the gossip and glam wasn’t for her.

"I'm not running around buying diamonds and getting facials," Frankel added. "I just decided to be totally honest and own it. You can't do something you don't stand for just to make money. It's a smart audience, people will realize it."

Frankel insist that she creates products that are solutions that just make sense

“I don't like to wear lingerie, but my husband loves it. So I created lazy lingerie. You wear it under a blazer or sweater during the day, but when you pull it off, you have on lingerie. It solves a problem," she explained.

Frankel’s best business idea, Skinnygirl Margarita has brought a phat offering into the reality star’s life. After working on the pitch and promotion, Frankel’s drink has taken off thanks to a $120 million deal from Fortune Brand’s Beam Global – the world’s fourth-largest spirits company.

"Now, every company I pitched this idea to has either tried to buy Skinnygirl or has copied it," Frankel explained. "I created a sub-category that never existed. I wasn't an expert -- I was just another person bothered by a 700-calorie margarita."

Frankel’s newest fortune is almost twice that of the $65 million made by Kardashian family in 2010.