Mary Kay Ash years of life. Mary Kay Ash: the incredible life story of the founder of Mary Kay

American during her lifetime 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 all over 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 meant. Since the girl’s father was seriously ill and could not support his family, her mother took care of it. She worked 14 hours a day in a restaurant, but still had barely enough money to live. Maintaining household fell on the girl's shoulders. As Mary later recalled, many of the household responsibilities were too heavy for a small child. But no one focused on this, so she did the job without complaint.
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 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 a flexible schedule allowed her to 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 with a salary twice as much. The management justified this decision by the fact that a man would be better able to cope with the assigned tasks. It was difficult for Mary to agree with this and she quit.

The birth of an idea

The break from work gave the woman the idea that her 20 years of work experience should not lie as a dead weight. It can be very helpful for women who want to build a career in direct sales. So she wrote a book, “Dreams Come True,” in which she described all the difficulties she had to face in business simply because she was a woman.

While writing the book, she did an interesting experiment. She divided a sheet of paper in two and wrote in one column what useful things she learned while working at the company. The second part was devoted to the changes that need to be made to the company in order for a woman to work there comfortably. After completing this work, Mary herself really wanted to work in such a company, all that was left was to find it or wait for someone to create one. But soon another thought struck her - why not create it yourself? The concept of the company is already ready, all that remains is to decide what kind of thing a woman can sell with pleasure? Of all possible options cosmetics were chosen.

Business background

In the same year, she had the opportunity to obtain original recipes for creating cosmetics. By that time, she was using the skin care products of one girl whose father was a leather tanner. At one time, he noticed that the skin of his hands looked surprisingly young for his age. Especially when compared with facial skin. The man made the assumption that it was all about the solutions with which he constantly works. He made some changes to the formulas of these solutions and began using them on the face. The result was really obvious. And although those around him laughed at his desire to look younger than his age, his daughter adopted this idea.

She also made some modifications to the formulas and began making various lotions and creams. It was these that Mrs. Kay used. She liked them so much that she bought their recipe from the tanner’s daughter. After all, having such effective remedy, putting it in eye-catching packaging and using new marketing schemes, a great future opened up for it!

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 supposed to take full responsibility for accounting. But literally a month before the opening, he suddenly dies of a heart attack. However, the woman’s dream was so strong that this did not stop her. And it’s easier to recover from grief if you get away from it and go to work.

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

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

Business development

Since the main recipes purchased by Mary Kay were related to facial skin care, the first line of cosmetics consisted of several basic products and was called “Foundation”. Over time, the product range expanded to include decorative cosmetics. All products were manufactured in Dallas at the factory private company. It was led by a man with excellent authority in the field of cosmetology. Over time, when the business expanded, Mary Kay opened her own factory in Dallas, and invited the son of her former partner to manage production.

From the very first days the company began to gain high momentum. So, in the first three months the profit was 34 thousand dollars, in a 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. Accordingly, the staff and product range began to increase .

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. 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 glorify her name. True, now under the leadership of her son Richard.

Secret of success

It’s easy to guess that the secret of the company’s success is not only a unique recipe and high-quality cosmetics. The entrepreneur has developed an excellent scheme for selling products, as well as rewarding consultants for Good work. For example, in the early stages of development, successful consultants who became sales leaders were given suits made according to special models, as well as pink Cadillacs. By the way, it was since then that pink became the brand color for the company.

Today, the company calls a set of incentive gifts “Gifts for Cinderella.” The basic principle of forming this fund is that it should include items that not every woman can afford, but certainly everyone dreams of. These are vouchers for prestigious holidays, jewelry made of precious metals with precious stones and much more.

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

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

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, the founder of the cosmetics company Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc., and the developer of the business philosophy. The first woman to enter a man's business.

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

She wrote three books that became bestsellers: “The Path 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 - 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 over the past 25 years";
• 2008 - was included in the number of hundred greatest women century.

A formerly unemployed woman who, at the age of 27, became a single mother with three children, was able to do all of the above. At that difficult time, she could not even buy books for her children...

It seemed that everything was over and you could find yourself at the bottom of your 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 the chosen ones best quotes Mary Kay Ash, in which you will find the secrets of her brilliant success in global business:

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

is an ordinary man with extraordinary determination. You can't keep him from succeeding. If you place obstacles in his way, he will use them as stepping stones to rise to new heights. He who has a goal and a dream carries out his plans and follows them.”

“There is no shame in failure. I call the real losers those who decide to give up and not fight.”

“When you reach the top you should not be happy. An even more difficult stage has come, you must stay there.”

“It is an excellent quality in anyone to promise only what you can actually deliver.”

“You can get anything you want in this world if you 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 can do. Your abilities are limited only by your plans. Remember: if you believe you can achieve something, you can achieve it.”

“Real success will only be achieved by those who can complete all the projects they start, both small and large.”

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

“Never criticize people without first giving them praise.”

“Insert every tiny bit of criticism between two thick layers of praise.”

“Those who are most gifted with talents are not always superior to others. Excellence is achieved by those who follow through.”

“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 so that they achieve success;
2. Don't put up 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 best?

She, already retired, invented cosmetics and created a company named after her, which is now written about in all American economics textbooks, and future American managers cram at night the success story and development strategy of the Mary Kay company.

Any fairy tale with a good ending main character Before you become a handsome prince and receive half a kingdom, you must go through fire, water, copper pipes and something else so as not to relax. So, in fact, the whole life of Mary Kay, starting from the very early childhood, which she spent in Hot Wells, Texas, was one big cauldron of fire and boiling water in it. But no one promised a good ending. She herself decided that everything would definitely be wonderful, like in the fairy tale that her mother read to her before bed... twice during her entire childhood. Not because her mother didn’t love her, but because her mother worked. I worked in a restaurant from 6 am to 9 pm. Their communication with their daughter took place over the phone, and the mother’s most frequently uttered phrase was: “You can do it, honey!” Mom said so, explaining how to cook potato soup for dad, how to sew a button on a jacket, and how to talk to a saleswoman in a store, who probably wouldn’t believe that a seven-year-old girl was tasked with buying a dress for him. children's party At school.

I had to explain to the strict supermarket workers that my father became disabled after tuberculosis, and my mother works; she must work all the time to feed the family. “If you don’t believe me, call her, here’s the phone number,” said little Mary and left the store happy with her victory. Then she had lunch in a cafe, catching the questioning glances of adults who do not allow their seven-year-old children to even go to the toilet unattended, and then went to the cinema. Such Saturday evenings cost her only 30 cents, but the children's happiness was worth a million. After all, on weekdays she went to school, then studied and looked after her father all the time. And she had to study not just with an A, but with an A plus - she had a competition with herself. She had to get more A's this week than last, she had to sell more charity tickets than last year, she had to live up to her mother's words: "You can do it, honey!"

LOVE DOES NOT LOVE...

As for schools, they have one feature, good and bad at the same time: they all end. For Mary Kay it was terrible, because she didn’t have money for college, and she somehow had to compete with herself, so she got used to it and couldn’t do it any other way. And so, without thinking twice, at the age of 17, she married the famous rock musician Ben Rogers in her city. In terms of his degree of fame, he can only be compared with Elvis Presley (of local significance, of course), so she, of course, wiped the nose with her girlfriends, although she claims that she did it solely for herself and categorically out of love. They had children: two boys and a girl, and there could have been a happy ending, and then there would have been no cosmetics named after her, but a second one happened World War, then it ended, and with it Mary’s family happiness: Ben, returning, declared that he no longer loved her, wanted a divorce, immediately and irrevocably! How? Divorce? She - the best student in school, smart, beautiful, mother of three children, after all? Why? This was a blow below the belt for her, who did not tolerate failure. She thought that in her early twenties and with three children, her life was over, at least personally.

BUMBEE RULE

But there was nothing to do, the children were growing, their needs too, it was necessary to meet. As you might guess, employers were not waiting with open arms for a young woman with children, without education and with a flexible work schedule. Mary took on any job that would allow her to take care of the children and manage the housework. She got up at 6 in the morning and went to bed late at night, and she still didn’t have enough time and money. She tried not to sleep at all: alas, she failed. Something had to be invented, something had to happen, Mary felt and lived in anticipation of some miracle. And a miracle happened, literally appeared on the threshold of her own home. But, unfortunately, this was not a handsome millionaire prince ready to adopt her children, but just a female traveling salesman. She offered to buy Mary a book. “A book? Are you kidding me, my children don’t have enough to eat, and you say a book!” "OK then, - the woman did not give up, “Let’s take the book for free, but in exchange you promise to sell me 10 more such books in a week.” — "Yes Easy!" Mary Kay, who was number one in charity ticket sales at school, sold the books in a day and a half and asked for more. Gave her. So she began to engage in direct sales, which became a real miracle for her. She had a flexible schedule, decent income and the opportunity career growth. She first worked for Stanley Home Products, then moved to World Gift in 1959. True, it seemed to her that she did not receive enough money, especially compared to men, for her work. This means that we had to work even better, sell even more goods than last week. This is impossible? Who said that? She kept thinking about the bumblebee, which, according to the laws of aerodynamics, cannot fly. But he flies! It's just that the bumblebee doesn't care about the laws of aerodynamics. He needs to fly, and he flies, Mary Kay had to work harder and better than anyone else, and she worked!

DREAM COMPANY

She worked in direct sales for twenty years, rising to the position of director of personnel training. Meanwhile, the children somehow grew up imperceptibly, she had a second wonderful husband, and retirement was already winking at her on the not-too-distant horizon. But it wasn't retirement that she was afraid of. She was afraid that again, like after graduating from school, she would have no one else to compete with and absolutely nothing to do. And if after last call She had her whole life ahead of her, so now what? Knit socks for your grandchildren and cook oatmeal for your husband? And in general - she deserves more! Something needs to be done about this.

She sat down and wrote down all her wishes for an imaginary dream company that would accommodate flexible work hours, children, and allow her to earn big money without leaving her family. And then, instead of waiting for someone to open such a company, she decided to open one herself. She even came up with a sales item. The fact is that shortly before this, at a party, she met an old friend who looked like a 20-year-old girl. She, of course, would not tell anyone the secret of her beauty, dismissing it with a phrase like: “What are you talking about! I just had a good rest.”. But inquisitive Mary, using her powers of persuasion and suggestion, found out that she was using a homemade cream according to the recipe of her father, a leather tanner. After that, such a cream also settled in Mary’s cosmetic bag, and she suddenly realized that this would be the best product for women that the dream company could offer them. In 1963, Mary collected her savings, bought a recipe for making a cream for five thousand dollars, rented 550 feet of store space and, together with her husband, began sticking Mary Kay Cosmetics labels on beautiful jars of creams.

"I wanted to create a company that would give women - every woman with a family and children - the opportunity to be in charge of their own careers. Their world should not be about quotas or rigid rules; consultants should be free and able to manage their time "This employment structure will allow a woman to put her family first, which is essential. How many women are concerned about the fact that they cannot work if they have problems at home!"("Savvy", June 1985)

There was a month left before the grand opening of the company. Mary and her husband had breakfast at home. She was looking at documents while her husband was on the phone, discussing the latest financial details with a lawyer. And then, apparently, fate decided that Mary had not suffered enough and had not gone through all the circles of hell to be absolutely happy: her husband, her friend and like-minded person, died in a matter of moments. “Heart attack,” stated the doctors who arrived by ambulance. Alas, this was the only thing they could do. What about her?

“I realized: if you don’t work, then there’s no need to get out of bed in the morning,”- she recalled. And she decided that she would not give up. Children came to her, leaving their thriving businesses, they agreed to work for $200 a month. Everyone had hopes that the company would succeed, except the lawyers, financial directors and Mary’s colleagues from her old job. “You’ll go broke, nothing will work out for you!”- everyone around shouted. “But the bumblebee flies!”- Mary answered on the verge of a breakdown, giving those around her the complete impression of a madwoman. Lawyers sighed, financial directors shrugged, and Mary and her three children worked. They developed new strategies for American, and for business in general. For example: "Try first, then buy" which meant that female consultants allowed clients to try cosmetics for free, in addition to providing free consultations on their use. In addition, Mary always gave her employees the opportunity to compete. She awarded the best female sellers with a gold brooch in the shape of a bumblebee. Why do you think?

Further events developed as if they had been specially prepared for a happy ending: in 1966, Mary Kay married businessman Mel Ash, whom she met, by the way, not by chance, but through a dating service. “Why wait for mercy from fate when you can achieve everything yourself?”- Mary thought. Then, after four years of the company’s existence, annual income exceeded a million dollars, and the number of employees exceeded several hundred. It was a resounding success, branches opened all over the world. In 1984, annual sales were already $300 million, and a year later Mary Kay was included in the "100" list. best companies to work in America."

Currently, this charismatic woman is a charming grandmother who still preaches the Great American Dream to anyone who wants to listen. She is a marketing marvel and a brilliant, energetic mind. Mary Kay is the owner of the titles "Entrepreneur of the Year", "Outstanding Woman" and "Super Achiever" awarded to her by various organizations. She even received the title "Outstanding Woman of the Year", awarded to her by the French magazine "Les Femmes du Monde". Ash is also represented in the annual carnival procession as the "Queen of Queens". This sounds like a refrain in the chorus of her subordinates, who look up to her as their Queen, the queen bee.

Ash’s main inspirational character and the metaphorical mascot of her company has long been the bumblebee. She elevated the bumblebee to paramount importance as a general symbol of success. “Because of its tiny wings and heavy body, according to all the laws of aerodynamics, a bumblebee should not fly. But the bumblebee does not know this and somehow manages to fly.”(“The Entrepreneurs”, 1986).

Gold and diamond bumblebee pins, each with twenty-one diamonds and valued at approximately four thousand dollars, are awarded to the "Sales Queen" at the end of each fiscal year. This is the main symbol of success for consultants working at Mary Kay. Ash says about bumblebee: “He is surprisingly similar to our woman, who does not know that she should not rise to the top, but successfully does so.” And this is just inherent in Ash herself, who did not know how to do business, but became the honorary head of one of the largest cosmetics companies in the United States. She is a creative genius who renounces big titles, but the results of her work speak for themselves.

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

Ash will work for this company 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 much higher than hers.

Risky venture

After an unsuccessful experience as an ordinary hired worker, at the age of 45, Ash begins to build own business. Her company opened in 1963 with a starting capital of $5,000. From a tanner who, working with animal skin, invented a series of cosmetics for people, she acquires a recipe for skin care lotions. Together with his son, Richard Rogers, Ash opens a store in Dallas with an initial staff of just nine people. Today, the company “Mary Key Inc.” employs 1.6 million sales representatives worldwide.

Thanks to Ash's entrepreneurial acumen and business philosophy, the company ends its first year of operation with a profit, and in the second year it already sells products worth at least $1 million. And it all started the same way as before, when she sold products from other companies. Ash sells her cosmetics at friendly parties and other social events where she happens to attend. Ash strives to make his own business special, using the methodology of labor motivation and not limiting his representatives to the store space. She firmly believes in 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 truly wants everyone in her organization to be able to profit from their own successes. 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 new recruits they refer.

Commercial success

Ash's marketing skills and understanding of human psychology make Mary Key Cosmetics a highly profitable business. The company goes public in 1968, but in 1985, when its valuation plummets, the Ash family buys out all shares. Her business is thriving to this day, annually selling products worth $2.2 billion, according to the company's official website.

And the heart of this successful organization has always been the energetic nature of Ashe herself. She was famous for her love of the color pink, which was found in everything from product packaging to the Cadillac that she awarded each year to the most successful consultants. Ash truly valued her employees and once said: “The greatest asset of any company is its people.”

This approach to business aroused keen interest in society. She was admired for her business strategy and the results it produced. Ash described her experience in several books: “Mary Kay: The Success Story of America’s Most Entrepreneurial Woman in Business” (1981), “Mary Kay on Working with People” (1984) and “Mary Kay: It’s All in Your Hands” (1995).

Personal life

Having left the post of CEO of the company in 1987, Ash, however, continues to take an active part in the company's activities. In 1996, she founded the Mary Kay Charitable Foundation. The foundation supports cancer research and the fight against domestic violence. In 2000, the cable channel Lifetime Television named Ash the most outstanding woman in business of the 20th century.

The queen of the cosmetics world, Ash, died on November 22, 2001 in Dallas, Texas. By this time, the company had already entered the world market, having its representative offices in 30 countries. In the public's memory, 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 had three children from her first marriage to J. Ben Rogers - Richard, Ben and Marilyn. After Rogers returned from the army, in which he took part in World War II, he and Ash divorced. The second marriage, to a chemist, turned out to be short-lived: the husband died in 1963, just a month after the wedding. In 1966 she marries Mel Ash, and family life would last until Mel's death in 1980.

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