Mary Kay Ash was a true pioneer among women entrepreneurs. This success story is about the original "Pink Lady" and about what led her to create Mary Kay Cosmetics, which inspires women around the world to create their own business projects.

“I was not interested in dollars and cents. My interest in starting Mary Kay Inc. was to offer women opportunities that weren't there before." ~ Mary Kay Ash

Where did it all begin? Life of Mary Kay Ash before Mary Kay Cosmetics

 Mary Kay's real name is Mary Kathleen Wagner. She was born in 1918 in the small town of Hot Wells, Texas. At that time, the role of women in society was still firmly established in households and not at work. Only two years later did women gain the right to vote in the United States. Mary Kay, as her family called her, was no ordinary child. By the age of six, with other little girls playing with dolls, she had to take care of her ailing father while her mother worked 14-hour days in a restaurant to provide for the family. She rode the bus alone to the grocery store to buy groceries for the family and cook her father's favorite meals, all while receiving instructions over the phone from her mother. Her mother's stubborn spirit and constant faith in Mary Kay had a huge impact on the young girl's life. No matter what problem she faced, her mother always told her: "You can do it!" Mary Kay's pride and self-confidence pervaded everything in her life. Mary Kay's serious difficulties began at the age of 17, when she got married. Soon she had three children. When her marriage fell apart a few years later, she stayed single mother with three young children, with no income and no skills to work. Mary Kay moved to Dallas and began selling household items to pay her bills. She liked taking care of others. Mary Kay turned out to be so adept at sales that she was able to build a good career over the next few years… working her way up to a sales director position at a gift products company and expanding her territory into 43 states. Despite this, at council meetings, her opinions and suggestions were ignored, rejected, or even ridiculed. Members of the men's council did not explain their judgments, they only accused her of being "thinks like a woman" A remark that always made her angry. Mary Kay was hurt by the fact that many times she was not allowed to move up the career ladder, despite her proven abilities. The final straw was in 1963, when the man hired by her assistant was put on double pay. After 25 years of work in direct sales Mary Kay quit her job.
“Then I realized that as long as men don’t believe that women can do anything, women will never have a chance.” ~ Mary Kay Ash

Creation of Mary Kay Cosmetics

 Mary Kay decided to write a book to help women survive in a male-dominated business. Sitting at the kitchen table, she took out a yellow notebook and made two lists. One of them contained good things she saw in the companies she worked for; in another, she listed things she thought could be improved. When she looked at both lists, she realized that she had created your own dream project. A job where women can determine their own level of advancement and reward, be their own bosses, and set their own work schedule to still leave time for their children. In just four weeks, her "book" became business plan.
“I envisioned a company where any woman could be as successful as she wants to be. Doors will be open wide for women who are willing to pay the price and have the courage to dream.” ~ Mary Kay Ash
But first she needed find a product. It had to be something that women could trust, that they could wholeheartedly recommend, and most importantly, a product that could be used and ordered over and over again. She knew that when people look good, they feel good because their self-confidence increases. And this idea made her start her way to success. Thanks to her savings of $5,000 and help from her 20-year-old son, Richard Mary Kay bought a skin softener recipe, set up a small storefront in Dallas, and hired a local manufacturer to create a line of skin care products. On September 13, 1963, with nine salespeople recruited from among her friends, Beauty by Mary Kay opened for business. From the very beginning, this mini-company was unique among direct selling companies. Instead of using high-pressure selling tactics, Ash instructed her salespeople (whom she called "consultants") show women how they can improve their appearance with Mary Kay products. Mary Kay knew that if women saw results, the products would sell. Its core value was simple - to live by the golden rule. She insisted that her consultants keep their priorities in in this order: "God, family, business".

The success of Mary Kay Ash and her company

 By the end of its first year of sales, Mary Kay and her team had reached nearly $200,000 in revenue. A year later, she quadrupled her workforce and her sales force grew. from the original 9 to over 3000! The company entered the market in 1968 and began to grow rapidly in the 1970s, resulting in $100 million in product sales by 1979. The company's growth was fueled by a unique sales promotion system that rewarded women directly. The rewards included luxury items like mink coats, diamond rings and... of course... those crazy pink cadillacs that lead to the pinnacle of success. The giant annual sales conference or Seminar attracted thousands of consultants, each of whom listened and supported Mary Kay's motivational presentations. They have become legendary examples of corporate recognition and team spirit. Through the hard work of her consultants, she told them that any one of them could reach the prestigious position of National Sales Director while salary will be almost 1 million dollars. “I want you to become the highest paid women in America,” she said.
“If you imagine that every person you meet has a sign around their neck that says, “Make me feel important,” you will not only succeed in business but also in life.” ~ Mary Kay Ash
This is the strategy she called "praise people to success"… remains a core value for the company to this day. Mary Kay was the leader of the five levels - she ignited the spirit and imagination of people to create a powerful corporation. As of 2007, Mary Kay, which started at the kitchen table, has sold products for US$2.5 billion. And more importantly, over 1,700,000 women in 37 different countries gained financial independence, chasing your dreams thanks to the beliefs and visions of one incredible woman.
Mary Kay herself retired as chairman in 1987 and rarely appeared in public after 1996. But she watched the annual videos and followed her company. Mary Kay Ash died on November 6, 2001.

Confession

Throughout her life, Mary Kay, as a talented entrepreneur, has achieved recognition not only among women whose lives have changed, but also in the general world of business. She has opened doors for millions of women around the world to succeed on their own terms. Her accomplishments have left an indelible mark on American business and the many communities to which the company has donated endless time and money.

Mary Kay Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Mary Kay wrote three books, all of which became bestsellers. Her business model is taught at Harvard Business School. She has received numerous awards, including the Horatio Alger Award. Fortune magazine named Mary Kay Cosmetics one of the top ten companies for women and one of the top 100 companies to work for in America. When asked to name her greatest achievement, Mary Kay proudly replied:

"I think the biggest legacy we're going to leave is this whole community of kids who believe they can do anything in this world...because they watched their moms" ~ Mary Kay Ash

Success story of a woman working for Mary Kay

During her lifetime, American Mary Kay Ash was honored to be called one of the most successful women of the past century. Almost from scratch, she created a huge company, which today has offices around the world and continues to glorify her name.

Briefly about the biography

Since childhood, Mary Kay knew what poverty, lack of money and hard work are. Since the girl's father was seriously ill and could not support the family, her mother was engaged in this. For 14 hours a day, she worked in a restaurant, but still there was barely enough money for living. Housekeeping fell on the shoulders of the girl. As Mary later recalled, many of the household chores were too much for a small child. But no one focused on this, so she meekly did the work.
She received a dose of approval from her mother in the form of a short phrase: "Mary Kay, you can do it." And indeed, she could, especially when she became an adult woman.

Mary got married early. In marriage, she gave birth to three children, sent her husband to the front, and when he returned in 1945, he demanded a divorce. Left alone with the children, the woman stopped relying on anyone and got a job at Stanley Home Products. Working for a direct sales company with flexible hours allowed her to both earn a living and devote enough time to her children.

However, in 1963 there was a conflict at work. After she was promised a promotion, her student was appointed to this position, and even with a salary twice as much. The management argued this decision by the fact that a man would be better able to cope with the tasks. It was difficult for Mary to agree with this and she quit.

The birth of an idea

A break in work prompted the woman to the idea that her 20-year work experience should not be a dead weight. It can be very useful for women who want to build a career in direct sales. Therefore, she wrote the book Dreams Come True, in which she described all the difficulties that she had to face in the business field just because she was a woman.

In the course of writing the book, she did an interesting experiment. She divided a sheet of paper in two and wrote in one column that she had learned something useful while working in the company. The second part was devoted to the changes that need to be made to the company so that a woman can work comfortably in it. At the end of this work, Mary herself really wanted to work in such a company, it remains only to find it or wait for someone to create it. But soon another thought dawned on her - why not create it yourself? The concept of the company is already ready, it remains to decide what a woman can sell with pleasure? Of all the possible options, cosmetics were chosen.

Business Background

In the same year, she had the opportunity to get original recipes for creating cosmetics. By that time, she was using the skin care products of a girl whose father was a leather tanner. At one time, he noticed that the skin of his hands looks surprisingly young for his age. Especially when compared with the skin of the face. The man made the assumption that the whole thing is in the solutions with which he constantly works. He made some changes to the formulas of these solutions and began to use them for the face. The result really turned out to be on the face. And although others laughed at his desire to look younger than his age, his daughter took this idea into service.

She also carried out some modification of the formulas and began to make various lotions and creams. They were used by Mrs. Kay. She liked them so much that she bought their recipe from the tanner's daughter. After all, having such an effective tool, placing it in a spectacular package and using new marketing schemes, a great future opened up before her!

Starting a business

By the time the company was officially launched, the woman was already married for the second time. According to the plan, her husband was to completely take over the accounting issues. But just a month before the opening, he suddenly dies of a heart attack. However, the woman's dream was so strong that it did not stop her. Yes, and it is easier to recover from grief if you leave it for work.

At that time, she had only 4.5 thousand dollars and the support of loved ones. The latter meant a lot. So, the duties of the untimely departed husband were taken over by son Richard. At that time he was only 20 years old, but he already worked in a successful insurance company as a sales representative and earned twice as much as his mother could offer him. But he agreed to leave a reliable and promising place for her.

Kay turned out to be a completely non-superstitious woman and opened the doors of her company for the first time on the 13th on Friday. It was September 1963. At that time, the staff, in addition to her and her son, consisted of nine beauty consultants. Mary's second son soon joined the company and became a warehouse manager. As the entrepreneur later recalled, at first they worked at least 14 hours a day. This has been the key to the success of the company.

Business development

Since the main recipes bought by Mary Kay were related to skin care, the first line of cosmetics consisted of several basic products and was called "Basic". Over time, the range of products has expanded with decorative cosmetics. All goods were manufactured in Dallas at the factory of a private company. She was led by a person with excellent authority in the field of cosmetology. Over time, when the business expanded, Mary Kay opened her own factory in the same Dallas, and invited the son of a former partner to lead the production.

The company from the first days began to gain high momentum. So, for the first three months, the profit was 34 thousand dollars, for the year it managed to reach 198 thousand dollars. And after another year of operation of the company, Mary Kay was able to earn 800 thousand dollars. .

The first entry into the international market dates back to 1971, when a representative office was opened in Australia. It was followed by Europe, Asia, North and then South America. Today the list of subsidiaries is huge and covers 35 countries of the world. The number of consultants involved reaches two million people, and the annual turnover exceeds $2.6 billion in terms of wholesale prices.

And even after Mary Kay herself left this world in 2001, the company continues to praise her name. However, now under the leadership of her son Richard.

Secret of success

It is easy to guess that the secret of the company's success is not only in the unique recipe and high-quality cosmetics. The entrepreneur has developed an excellent scheme for selling products, as well as encouraging consultants for good work. For example, in the early stages of development, successful consultants who became top sellers were given tailor-made suits and pink Cadillacs. By the way, since then, pink has become a branded color for the company.

Today, a set of incentive gifts in the company is called "Gifts for Cinderella". The basic principle of the formation of this fund is that it should include items that not every woman can afford, but for sure everyone dreams of them. These are vouchers for a prestigious vacation, jewelry made of precious metals with precious stones and much more.

In addition, consultants are constantly improving their skills through their participation in a huge number of master classes.

Some sources give a different date of birth, for example, due to the erroneous identification of Mary Kay Ash with Mary Kay Letourneau, daughter of American Independent Party presidential candidate John G. Schmitz.

In her autobiography, Mary Kay writes that as a child she had to do a lot of housework, because her father was sick, and her mother worked fourteen hours a day to support her family. In addition, she had a strong competitive spirit and constantly strived to be better than herself and her more financially secure friends: she received straight A's, became the best typist in her class, and in the ninth grade she won second place in competitions among state schools in impromptu speeches, later winning several more awards with his team in a public debate. She finished school a year early.

However, after that, she met with a feeling of envy when her friends began to study at institutes, for which her family did not have money. To continue her competition with her friends, she decided to do something extraordinary. At the age of 17, Mary Kay married Ben Rogers, a Houston radio star. “For the first time, my competitive spirit created a serious problem, as it forced me to do something that I would later regret. ... By the time we moved to Dallas thanks to my husband's work, our young family was already very unhappy.” They had three children. During World War II, her husband went to fight at the front, and she sold books on psychology from hand to hand. Returning from the war in 1945, her husband demanded a divorce.

“I have never fallen so low. ... Nothing has ever hit me so hard. But I didn’t have time to sit and feel sorry for myself - I had three children. To raise them, it was necessary to find a well-paid job with flexible hours. Direct selling has become a natural solution.

Mary Kay took a job at Stanley Home Products.

As she writes in her autobiography, during the year following the divorce, she felt she had failed as a woman, as a wife, and as a person. This emotional state led to physical symptoms, which the doctors diagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis and informed her that her condition was deteriorating so rapidly that in a few months she would be completely paralyzed. She could not bear the thought of returning to her parents' house and that her mother would support her and her three children. And she realized that in order to become successful, personal problems must be left at home, so she decided - “no matter how I feel, I will smile.” Her career progressed and her health improved, until finally all the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis disappeared. Doctors insisted that this was a remission and that the arthritis would one day return, but these predictions did not come true. The disease receded when she began to control her attitude to life. “You see, when you put on a smile again and again, it soon stays with you forever. It becomes an integral part of you." Reading good motivational books helped her generate enthusiasm, as well as listening to motivational tapes on the way to the office and back home, which allowed her not to waste precious time.

The most exhausting time in her life was when she raised three children, worked as a Stanley salesman and went to college, as she always dreamed of becoming a doctor. This happened at a time when college education for a married woman was considered a waste of time. Professors could say to their face that "you are taking the place of some young man." Therefore, in college, she tried to hide the fact of her marriage and motherhood by dressing like a student and wearing a wedding ring on a chain. To do everything, she had to get up at three in the morning. It's weird how things always work out for the best. One day, they were given a three-day aptitude test, after which the dean called her to her office and said that although she scored good points, it turned out that she had much more ability to become a sales agent or a purchasing specialist. She recommended that she change her major to marketing, as this would have allowed her to complete her training in four years (the dean did not know that Mary Kay Ash had already worked in this specialty), while training as a doctor could take another ten years in total. After thinking about it, Mary Kay dropped out of college.

In 1963, she quit Stanley because she was upset that the man she was teaching got a promotion that bypassed her, becoming her boss and earning twice her salary. She was angry when she was told that men earn more because they need to support their families - despite the fact that she supported three children alone. It was offensive to her to often disrespect the ideas that women offered: "Mary Kay, you think like a woman." Despite a successful 25-year experience, she was deprived of the opportunity for further promotion in the companies of that time. She planned to write a book that would help women in business. In the process of writing, the book turned into a business plan for her ideal company, in which women would have equal rights and opportunities with men.

The products of choice were skin care products she had encountered in the early 1950s at a "Stanley Home Products" party. This evening was attended by about twenty women aged nineteen to seventy. Mary Kay was amazed that each of them had the perfect complexion. After the presentation, the hostess gave them jars of homemade cream, calling them her guinea pigs. As it turned out, the UN received the formulas for the compositions from her father, a leather tanner. He found that the skin of his hands looked much younger than the skin on his face, and found the only explanation for this: his hands were constantly immersed in the solutions with which he worked. He decided that if these tanning solutions could soften hard leathers, then they probably affected his skin in the same way. He began to experiment, applying modified tanning solutions to the skin of his face. This made his skin look younger than his age until his death at the age of 73. But the solutions were not suitable for use by women, as they smelled bad. His daughter moved to Dallas to study cosmetology and over time modified her father's formulas into creams and lotions gentle enough for women's skin. They became the predecessors of the "Osnova" system from Mary Kay.

In the first years, the company also sold wigs, which were fashionable in those days, but then abandoned this because of the very high effort and time spent on them. Also, at first, Mary Kay Ash herself conducted consultations, but the clients did not like it: they believed that if the owner of the company herself conducts master classes, then this is a small company, which means that her products are not up to par. Therefore, Mary Kay Ash had to stop giving master classes herself. In addition, at first, consultants sold funds separately, which sometimes led to a lack of effect from them. In the end, Mary Kay decided that the system should only be used in its entirety and that the anger of a client who wanted to buy only part of the system was better than the lack of effectiveness.

In the summer of 1963, Mary Kay Ash and her new husband, George Arthur Hallenbeck, founded Mary Kay Cosmetics with a $5,000 start-up capital. But even before the company began its activities, her second husband died, and her son Richard Rogers took his place. The store opened on Friday, September 13 and has grown rapidly. Mary Kay did not want to involve people from other companies, so the first consultants were her relatives and friends, some of whom had to work 14-18 hours a day. For the first three and a half months, the business will take a small profit on total sales of $34,000. The first year ended with sales of $198,000 at wholesale prices. On September 13, 1964, the first meeting of the company and the annual awards evening - "Seminar" - were held - such events are still the most important for the company. By the end of its second year, the company had reached $800,000 in sales. A year later, she needed new office space. The company received a new powerful impetus to growth after an interview that Mary Kay gave for the program 60 minutes on CBS in 1979.

Mary Kay has received widespread recognition. She considered the golden rule of morality to be the founding principle of Mary Kay Cosmetics. The company's marketing plan was designed to enable women to advance in their careers by helping other people succeed. She argued that people should be praised for their success. Her motto "First God, then family, then career" reflected her belief that women working in her company should be able to maintain balance in their lives.

She has been a longtime philanthropist and founded the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation to fund the fight against domestic violence and cancer that women suffer from.

Mary Kay remained chairman of the board of Mary Kay Cosmetics until 1987, when she was named honorary chairman. In 1994, she had 16 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. Mary Kay remained active in the company until 1996, when she suffered a stroke. In 2001, Richard Rogers became CEO of Mary Kay Inc. At the time of Mary Kay's death in 2001, the company employed more than 800,000 sales assistants in 37 countries, with total retail sales in excess of $2 billion. In 2008, the company already employed 1.7 million consultants and generated over $2.2 billion in revenue.

Fortune magazine included Mary Kay Inc. among America's Top 100 Companies to Work For. The company was also named as one of the top 10 companies to work for women.

Awards

Both during her life and posthumously, Mary Kay Ash received numerous awards from the business community, including the Horatio Alger Award " Distinguished American Citizen in 1978. In 1985, she became one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in America. The Direct Selling Education Foundation awarded her the title of " living legend» in 1992. The National Association of Women Entrepreneurs awarded her the title of " Pioneer» in 1995. Mary Kay took honorary a place in the first American Hall of Fame in the field of entrepreneurship. She was named " Woman of the century" in 1999. Also among the Mary Kay Ash awards are " equal justice from North Texas Lawyers in 2001. Mary Kay Ash was recognized by the Wharton School of Business in 2004 as one of the The 25 Most Influential Business Personalities in History. The story of Mary Kay Ash was included in the top twenty published in the book " The most famous stories of the business world» Forbes magazine. One of the largest television channels in the United States filmed film dedicated to Mary Kay Ash.

Lifetime Television in 1999 awarded her the title of " The most influential business woman of the 20th century».

Mary Kay Inc.

The company's headquarters is located in north Dallas in a 13-story building covering an area of ​​54,000 square meters. m, where more than 1200 employees work. The company's product range includes more than 200 items in the categories: facial skin care, body care, decorative cosmetics, perfumery. At the end of 2006, the company took first place in sales in the United States in the category that combines skin care and color cosmetics. In 2010, Mary Kay had worldwide sales of over $2.5 billion at retail prices. The company's products are represented in 35 countries around the world, including the UK, Germany, China, Russia, India, etc. The Mary Kay brand enjoys great confidence among consumers: in 2011, the company was recognized as the absolute leader in loyalty in the United States in the category " Cosmetics and skin care.

Books

Mary Kay Ash has written three books; they all became bestsellers. Her autobiography Mary Kay(Mary Kay) has sold millions of copies worldwide and has been translated into several languages. Third book You can get it all(You Can Have It All) was released in August 1995 and became a bestseller within the first few days of sales.

Quotes

Quotes from the autobiographical book Dreams Come True.

  • Expect great events and they will surely happen.
  • Dedicated to the thousands of women who DARE to leave their “comfort and habitual living zone” and USE the talents and abilities given to them by the Lord, realizing that the Lord does not have time to create nonentities - he creates ONLY PERSONALITIES.
  • It hasn't even been a week since I started my retirement life, and I already understand why so many obituaries contain the phrase: "He retired last year." ... Building a career and caring for a family meant everything to me. I never liked what other people did when they rested. For example, I never had time to learn how to play sports like tennis, and I hated buffets and cocktail parties. ... I realized that without work I see no reason to get out of bed every morning.
  • As the founder of the company... I do a lot of public speaking. ... It's not that I started talking about something else - I've been talking about this all my life. However, when a person achieves success, what he says becomes "important".
  • Grandma Moses started painting at the age of seventy-eight. When asked why, she replied that she had simply never tried it. Four years later, her work was exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I can't help but think about how much more of her wonderful work the world would have seen if she had started painting earlier!
  • Richard and I had high hopes for the location of the office... Our office was in a mall that served the five thousand women who worked in the building. We were sure that this market would inevitably bring us income, because women would pass us every morning on their way to work, and then every evening they would walk past us again. And for a long time after our discovery, we were absolutely right in our assumptions - they passed by! In the morning they were in a hurry so as not to be late for work, and in the evening they were in a hurry to get home as soon as possible. Our only advantage was breaks in the working day - there were two of them. Soon we were able to offer the fastest skin care you have ever seen.
  • For some reason, singing tends to bring people together. ... Therefore, having created Mary Kay Cosmetics, I decided that it was necessary to hold a competition for the best Mary Kay song. ... The secret of a good song is simple: you need to write your own words to a popular tune. The company's favorite song was born when someone wrote "I'm full of this Mary Kay enthusiasm" to the tune of everyone's favorite anthem [referring to the national anthem of her US family].
  • If you put faith first, your family second, and your career third, you'll be fine. If these priorities are violated, nothing works. At the very end of life, it doesn't matter how much money you make, how big your house is, or how many cars you own. ... Each of us will come to this day - and we must ask ourselves if there was any meaning in the life we ​​lived.
  • We got married on Thursday ... Every Thursday, all fourteen years of our life together, Mel gave me gifts. ... Every morning he told me that I was beautiful - and you know that this is not true. Like many women, I often went to bed looking like Elizabeth Taylor and woke up looking like Charles de Gaulle! Of course, I wanted to match his compliments, so every morning I got up earlier than Mel to become a beauty for him. ... He liked to call himself "Chairman of the Chairman of the Board of Directors."

In culture

Death

She died on November 22, 2001 and is buried at the Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery in Dallas, Texas, USA.

Notes

Additional reading (in English)

  • Stefoff, Rebecca (1992) Mary Kay Ash: Mary Kay, a Beautiful Business Garrett Educational Corp., Ada, Okla., ISBN 1-56074-012-4, for young adult audience
  • Rozakis, Laurie (1993) Mary Kay Cosmetics Queen Rourke Enterprises, Vero Beach, Fla., ISBN 0-86592-040-0 , for young adult audience
  • Ash, Mary Kay (1994) Mary Kay Harper Collins Publishers, New York, ISBN 0-06-092601-5 ; autobiography
  • Ash, Mary Kay (2003) Miracles happen: the life and timeless principles of the founder of Mary Kay, Inc. Quill, New York, ISBN

The largest entrepreneur Mary Kathleen Wagner (married Ash) was born on May 12, 1918 in the town of Hot Wells, Texas. Ash, who built a sizable cosmetics empire, was a pioneer in the world of female entrepreneurs. In 1939, Ash became a sales representative for Stanley Home Products, and she arranged product launches to increase sales of household items. This brings such amazing results that in 1952 she was lured to another company, World Gift.

Ash will work for this firm for more than ten years, but will leave in protest after learning that another of her male students yesterday received a promotion and a salary an order of magnitude higher than hers.

risky venture

After a bad experience as an ordinary employee, at the age of 45, Ash begins to build his own business. Her firm opens in 1963 with a start-up capital of US$5,000. She acquires a recipe for skin care lotions from a tanner who, working with animal skin, has invented a line of cosmetics for humans. Together with his son, Richard Rogers, Ash opens a store in Dallas with an initial staff of only nine people. To date, the company “Mary Key Inc.” employs 1.6 million sales representatives worldwide.

Thanks to Ash's entrepreneurial acumen and business philosophy, the company ends the first year of operation with a profit, and in the second year it already sells products for at least 1 million US dollars. And it all started the same way as before, when she sold the products of other firms. Ash sells her cosmetics at friendly parties and other social events where she happens to be. Only Ash strives to make his business special, using the methodology of labor motivation and not limiting his representatives to the space of the store. She firmly believes in the golden rule: "Treat others the way you want them to treat you" and lives by the motto: "First God, then family, and only after that - career."

Ash sincerely wishes that everyone in her organization could profit from their own success. Sales representatives - Ash calls them consultants - purchase products from Mary Key at wholesale prices and sell them to consumers at retail prices. They also receive a commission for the newcomers they refer.

Commercial success

Ash's marketing skills and her understanding of human psychology make Mary Key Cosmetics a highly profitable business. In 1968, the company becomes a joint-stock company, but in 1985, when its appraised value drops sharply, the Ash family redeems all the shares. Its business is thriving to this day, selling products annually, according to the company's official website, for 2.2 billion US dollars.

And Ash's energetic nature has always been at the heart of this successful organization. She was famous for her love of pink, which is found in everything from product packaging to the Cadillac, which she awarded to the most successful consultants every year. Ash sincerely appreciated her employees and once said: "The main asset of any company is people."

This approach to business aroused keen interest in society. She was admired for her business strategy and the results she delivered. Ash has described her experience in several books: Mary Kay: The Success Story of the Most Entrepreneurial American in Business (1981), Mary Kay on People Management (1984) and Mary Kay: It's All in Your Hands (1995).

Personal life

After leaving the post of CEO of the company in 1987, Ash, however, continues to take an active part in the activities of the company. In 1996, she founded the Mary Kay Charitable Foundation. The foundation is committed to supporting cancer research and combating domestic violence. In 2000, Lifetime Television named Ash the Most Outstanding Business Woman of the 20th Century.

Cosmetics queen Ash died on November 22, 2001 in Dallas, Texas. By this time, the company had already entered the world market, having its offices in 30 countries. In the memory of the public, Ash will forever remain a man who built a profitable business from scratch, enabling millions of women to achieve financial success.

Ash was married three times, and from her first marriage to J. Ben Rogers she had three children - Richard, Ben and Marilyn. After the return of Rogers from the army, in which he served in World War II, he and Ash divorce. The second marriage, with a chemist, was short-lived: the husband died in 1963, just a month after the wedding. In 1966, she marries Mel Ash, and family life lasts until Mel's death in 1980.

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😉 Hello! Are you a leader? Or maybe a housewife? Who cares! Any person will be useful in their personal lives or in business quotes from Mary Kay Ash, a famous business woman.

Biography of Mary Kay Ash

Born Mary Kathleen Wagner. Years of life 1918-2001, place of birth: Hot Wells, Texas, USA.

Mary Kay Ash is one of the most successful women entrepreneurs in the world, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc., business philosophy developer. The first woman to enter the men's business.

In 1996, she founded the Mary Kay Charitable Foundation to support cancer research and fight domestic violence.

She wrote three books that became bestsellers: "The Way to Success", "On the ability to work with people", "Everything can be yours."

She was married three times. Children from first marriage: Ben, Marilyn and Richard. Zodiac sign is Taurus.

Some of her awards:

  • 1999 - awarded the title "The Most Influential Business Woman of the 20th Century";
  • 2003 - included in the list of "America's Greatest Women Entrepreneurs";
  • 2004 - included in the list of "25 most influential people of the last 25 years";
  • 2008 - was included in the list of the hundred greatest women of the century.

All of the above could be done by a former unemployed woman who, at the age of 27, became a single mother with three children. At that difficult time, she could not even buy books for children ...

It seemed that everything was over and you could be at the bottom of life. But this woman built a successful business from scratch, which now continues to provide new opportunities for women to achieve financial success.

Mary Kay Quotes

Here are a selection of Mary Kay Ash's best quotes, in which you will find the secrets of her brilliant success in world business:

“Whatever you vividly imagine, passionately desire, sincerely believe in and enthusiastically implement, will inevitably come true.”

is an ordinary man with extraordinary determination. You cannot keep him from succeeding. If you place obstacles in his path, he will use them as steps to climb to new heights. The one who has a goal and a dream carries out his plans and follows them.

“There is nothing to be ashamed of in failure. I call real losers those who decide to give up and not fight.

“When you reach the top, you should not rejoice. An even more difficult stage has come, you have to stay there.”

“The great quality of any person is to promise only what you can actually deliver.”

“In this world, you can get whatever you want, if you only want it badly enough and are willing to pay the right price.”

“Don't set any limits for yourself. Many have limited themselves to what they think they are capable of. Your abilities are limited only by your ideas. Remember, if you believe you can achieve something, you can achieve it.”

"Real success will be achieved only by those who can complete all the things they have started, both small and large."

“A smart leader will never belittle his employees, because this will bring destructiveness to your company.”

"Never criticize people without giving them praise first."

"Put every tiny piece of criticism between two thick layers of praise."

“Those who are most gifted with talents do not always excel the rest. Excellence is achieved by those who get things done."

“It is very important to have a goal. You can't achieve anything if you don't know which way to go. Start by creating a dream in your head. Then write it down and set a realistic goal. Always strive to achieve more."

Mary Kay's Eight Principles of Leadership

  1. Praise people for their success;
  2. Don't build a wall between yourself and people;
  3. Don't be afraid to take risks;
  4. Focus on sales;
  5. Know how to solve problems;
  6. Create a stress-free work environment;
  7. Develop and promote people within the company;
  8. Don't let work play too big a role in your life.

Friends, leave your feedback in the comments. 😉 Which two Mary Kay Ash quotes did you like more?