Beauty by Mary Kay

HER PURPOSE AND PASSION

Mary Kay is a well known American business woman. Her company, Mary Kay Cosmetics Inc., is a very successful company which sells cosmetics and employs people all over the world. Mary Kay Cosmetics is one of the foremost names in color cosmetics, from the house of the legendary Mary Kay, a highly regarded beauty care expert.She became successful through hard work and believing in herself. Her full name is Mary Kay Ash(May 12, 1918 – November 22, 2001).

After seeing several male employees that she had trained be promoted above her, she resigned from her job in protest. She decided to write a book that would teach other women to enjoy career and sales success. As she drafted the book, she realized that she had developed a plan to empower women, rather than simply give them advice.

She decided to start a direct sales company, which would allow her saleswomen to enjoy flexible schedules that could accommodate family responsibilities. She would base her business around sales of a skin care product that she had used herself for over a decade. It was created by a leather worker who noticed that the materials he used to soften leather also kept his hands soft and young-looking.Mary Kay bought the patent for the skin care line and invested her life savings in inventory and a small Dallas office. She hired nine saleswomen to sell her product, and got ready to launch her company. With assistance from her 20 year old son and $5000 of her own life savings to buy products, Beauty by Mary Kay was launched in September 13, 1963.The premise of her company was fairly simple. She would coordinate production of a small line of skin care products. Her sales representatives could buy the products at 50 percent off the retail price. They were trained to hold skin care classes in friend's homes, teaching women about skin care and Mary Kay products. Sales reps were compensated based on sales, and also earned money for recruiting other women to sell for the company.

Mary Kay wanted to create a company that would make a real difference in women's lives. This company would give women unlimited opportunity for personal and financial success. Some people thought that the company was too idealistic to work. Just like a bumblebee's body is too big for its wings, so it shouldn't be able to fly, but it could! She says the symbol of her success is the bumblebee. She always wears a bumblebee pin. She says "It's just like our women, who didn't know they could fly to the top, but they did." Mary Kay says that her objective in life is "to help women know how great they really are". Many Mary Kay Cosmetics women have made millions of dollars selling her cosmetics.

Mary Kay believes strongly in free enterprise and feels that with a little hard work, anyone can achieve economic success in a free market economy. Her philosophy is "If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't, you're right." Mary Kay is a good example to both men and women. She is successful herself and Mary Kay Cosmetics Inc. has given others the opportunity to be successful.