The
minute I stepped off the plane, I had that feeling again, like a whole new world was
opening up for me. Of course, I've had that feeling ever since I decided to go into business
for myself. And now, two years later, here I am, a new director with Mary Kay Cosmetics,
in Dallas for a week of orientation. My mother came to visit just after I'd signed my agreement.
I couldn't wait to tell her about the new Mary Kay opportunity, and she was so excited
for me. I remember saying, go for it, Betty, it seems like a great career move. You know,
when she was my age, most women were homemakers. And those who wanted to work or needed to
work had very few choices when it came to jobs and careers. There were women role models
in sports, entertainment, of course, but not in business. Well, in 1963, if you had walked
into a bank and asked for a loan as a woman, they would laugh you right out the front door.
So I had to use my own entire life savings, $5,000, to start the company. But I was willing
to do that because I wanted so much to help women. In 63, you didn't have an opportunity.
There was no chance at all. It was scary, but it was something I wanted to do so much
that I was willing to risk it all. So starting this company gave me the opportunity to let
other women make their dreams come true and to find out how smart and how great they really
were. 30 years later, women have more career choices than ever before, but they often come
with limitations. Long hours, inflexible schedules, inequities in pay, limited chances to advance,
and uncertain future. No wonder women are asking themselves, is there really a career
that lets me have it all? Well, believe it or not, there is. And for more than 200,000
independent beauty consultants and sales directors, Mary Kay Cosmetics is that career. I wanted
to be able to be my own boss. I love that freedom and independence to call the shots.
Working for yourself. Owning, being the sole proprietor. Being independent. Make your own
hours when you need to work. Being able to advance at my own pace. And not having to
punch a clock. Write my own check. Have the time I wanted with my family. And get paid
what I was worth, rather than what a job was worth. Why are so many women attracted to
a Mary Kay career? Because it's a chance to make the career move that's right for you
at any given time in your life. A chance to advance on your own terms. At your own pace.
Manage your own hours. Balance your priorities. Maximize your earning potential. And take
charge of your life. Mary Kay can take you wherever you want to go. And you control every
career move you make. Well, I'm a former nurse. And I had worked all for about eight years
in that field. And I was working holidays and weekends and shifts. And discovered that
after four children, I was really having to compromise my family for my job. And so I
resigned my position at the hospital and became a full-time housewife. After a while at home,
I decided there must be something more. And that I really needed something for myself.
And so that's where I was when Mary Kay walked into my life. Before I was involved with Mary
Kay, I was riding around town on a 350 Honda as a secretary and freelance model. Very unhappy
with all of the above. And my music teacher at City College came to class one day. Her
skin looked so great, I asked her what she used. And she told me these two words, Mary
Kay. She came to my home about three days later and shared this wonderful facial with
me. I decided that I could not separate with the product and I wanted to be a part of it
and it a part of me. So immediately I decided to become a beauty consultant. I was a student
for a year in college at TCU and didn't have a job and was looking for something. It was
proposed to me that this would be a good line of work for me because of my personality.
It was wonderful. I was very impressed with the marketing plan and with the product. And
decided that very day that that was what I should do. As an independent beauty consultant,
you learn very quickly that a Mary Kay career is a journey of self-discovery. It's a process
of becoming more professional, more self-assured, becoming more independent. And I teach full
time. I've been teaching 22 years and two years ago I was introduced to the Mary Kay
opportunity. Being a single parent, I've always had to have an additional source of income
besides my teaching. And when Mary Kay came into my life, well this has definitely provided
me the additional source of income. I was working for the district government from nine
to five and at that time I was really doing Mary Kay part time. I say part time but I
was doing it everywhere I went. But what happened was two years ago the district government
had early out retirement and I took advantage of that and came out. So now I'm a full time
Mary Kay beauty consultant. As a school teacher of three years, I had been thinking anyway
about getting a summer part time job. And so that looked easy. It looked fun. And so
I went into it not seriously at all. I was going to do it for three months and quit at
the end of the three months. But at the end of that time I didn't want to quit. I was
having too much fun and making too much money. And so I went full time with my business.
Now 12 years later, I make in a month what I made in an entire year of teaching school.
Actually I was a registered dietician before I started my Mary Kay business and had worked
in that career for a number of years. Had earned the master's degree. Had really felt
like I had done everything there was to do in that career. When I came into Mary Kay,
what I enjoyed so much was the variety of women that I met from all backgrounds and
all situations who were making a successful life through Mary Kay. And that really appealed
to me. They were positive women who were always excited about what they were doing. They were
women that I could learn from, that I could look up to. One of the reasons the Mary Kay
opportunity is so attractive is the company's marketing plan. A plan that incorporates a
number of important concepts. First, there are no assigned territories to limit where
we can sell or recruit. So we can take our business with us wherever we go. It's great
because you can travel anywhere and still keep your customers. I can share my product
with my aunt in California and I can share my opportunity with anybody in the United
States. So that it really is an unlimited opportunity. Another feature of the marketing
plan is that everyone has the same opportunity to advance. And it's not a situation where
you buy into a position like a distributorship might be. It's based on your demonstrated
sales ability and leadership ability in teaching other women to be successful in your career.
Every consultant, from the newest recruit to the most experienced director, has the
same income opportunity in retail sales because we buy our products directly from the company
and sell directly to customers based on the same discount schedule. So we all make the
same profit from our efforts. And that gives such a spirit. I think that contributes to
that camaraderie and team spirit we have because nobody has an extra edge. It's also great
because you don't have to be pushy with your product. There are no quotas in this business
which is wonderful to me because I am not a pushy person and it's important to me to
be able to let the clients make their own decisions and not have to push because I have
to produce a certain amount. One of the most important success factors in any retail business
is this, the product itself. And when it comes to product quality, safety and performance,
Mary Kay Cosmetics sets the industry standard. Unlike some companies, Mary Kay formulates
its own products and with very few exceptions, manufactures those products. I love sharing
this product. I feel I personally perform a miracle before the mirror every morning.
We can serve as a person no matter what type skin they have. I am totally impressed with
the extensive line, glamour line that she has. And it's an old cliché that the product
sells itself but it truly does. But I think also the fact today that we are a leader.
We're not just following, we are setting the trends in the makeup industry. For Mary Kay
Cosmetics, direct selling really means direct service. Meeting each and every customer's
needs personally, professionally, face to face. That's an area where traditional retailers
have really fallen short. But it's one of our greatest strengths. People are looking
for that personalized service that they don't receive elsewhere. When you go to the retail
store for cosmetics, you are seldom helped twice in a row by the same person. They love
the fact that when they talk to me every few months that I am always asking them about
how is their skin care and as the seasons change as they do in this part of the country
that I can personalize their skin care program and make changes because I know what their
individual skin type is. So I'm not just someone that they purchase products from. I'm their
personal beauty consultant. As Mary Kay Consultants, our focus isn't selling. It's teaching skin
care. Our market is usually the home, and our customer base starts with members of our
own family, neighbors, and friends. We actually show women how to find their best skin care
routine and best look by conducting skin care classes and giving complimentary facials.
I love doing skin care classes and sharing this product. I really do. And to share this
product and see the transformation of other women is so fun and so exciting. With Mary
Kay, we take a teaching approach, a helping approach. We actually teach and guide the
customer to be able to apply the cosmetics, giving them personalized tips for their specific
needs. My major concern when I became a consultant was could I find customers. Terrified that
if I asked somebody that they would turn around and stick their tongue out at me. And it was
not a problem at all because I started with a few people that I knew and they told people
and the people that came to the classes were so excited about the product and what it had
to offer them that they told all their friends and wanted them to get involved. When you
become a Mary Kay Consultant, you're going into business for yourself, but not by yourself.
There's someone to guide you every step of the way. One of my concerns when I became
a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant was that I didn't have any beauty expertise. I had worked well
with people previous to my experience in Mary Kay, but had not worked in a business sense
with keeping books and things like that. And so I thought, wow, where will I learn all
of this? It is so easy because you're trained so well. Well, the company in the training
that I've received, it has helped me. It has increased my confidence level 130%. I always
share with new people, you know, the workbooks have every word in them, what to say on the
phone, what to say going in her front door, what to say while you're there and what to
say while you're leaving. You could take the information in that showcase and teach
yourself how to be a professional beauty consultant right there. The support that the staff gives
us is through seminars and workshops, glamour workshops. We have management conferences
and career conferences and ongoing events throughout the year so that we are always
kept abreast of the latest innovations in the cosmetic industry. And it's ongoing training.
It's there all of the time and that support is there all of the time. I've always thought
of Mary Kay as sort of going to modeling school, getting your Masters of Business Administration
and going to Dale Carnegie all at the same time. At Mary Kay, the learning never stops,
but it's not just a matter of doing things right. It's a matter of doing the right things.
When I started Mary Kay Cosmetics, I wanted a company where everyone was treated fairly
and equally and with honesty and integrity. I wanted it to be a company where everyone
applied the golden rule because that's the greatest rule in the whole world. It's the
golden rule, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. And believe me, if you will
do that in your personal life and in your business life, you will be successful and
you will help others to become successful too. When you join Mary Kay, you become part
of a wonderfully supportive network. People who want to help you be the best you can be.
They'll willingly share their experience, enthusiasm and energy with any Mary Kay consultant
who wants and needs their help. Great camaraderie. One of the highlights of the business is attending
your Monday night sales meetings or whatever night you go out, but we call ours Monday
Night Live. The ladies come in from their jobs and very often they're tired, a little
worn out, but by the time that they leave, they're up on the ceiling.
When was the last time your boss thanked you for doing a good job? Not any time lately,
right? At Mary Kay, no achievement is insignificant. No success goes unrecognized. The rewards
are tangible and can take many forms, but they all go out of product sales and from
sharing the Mary Kay opportunity. Well, you know, the first thing that impressed me was
the winning of prizes because as I think about it, I stopped winning when I left school.
It's like Christmas all the time in Mary Kay because you're always receiving the rewards.
Every quarter we receive prizes according to your production. Clocks, luggage, china,
diamond rings, typewriter, answering machine, gorgeous pink Cadillacs. My first pink Cadillac
was earned in 1978 and I've had a total of seven to this point. I received a 1991 red
Grand Am. An Elanti, do you know what kind of a price tag an Elanti has? Over $60,000.
That's more than our first three homes cost. And it has afforded me the additional income
so that we can take little trips to the shopping mall and get, you know, whatever little extras
they would like. It has enabled us to be able to go out to eat more often. Enjoying world
class trips, providing college educations for our children, and enjoying financial security
and independence that most people just dare to dream about. Most of us will tell you that
one of the biggest rewards of a Mary Kay career is Seminar, a yearly extravaganza and business
meeting that celebrates success. It is a celebration of life. It truly is. I get goosebumps when
I think about it. I do. It truly is exciting. It's like a Broadway show, a Miss America
pageant, and the Academy Awards all wrapped into one. It gives you the big picture of
how big our company is. Walk across the stage and thousands of people clapping for you and
all the fun is beautiful. And there was something about putting on a long sequined gown and
waltzing across that stage at Seminar and being presented a one carat diamond ring. But it
was not nearly as exciting as getting on the stage and waving at my husband. Beyond all
the wonderful prizes, beyond the spotlight of Seminar, it's the intangible rewards. Feeling
good about yourself, making the most of your abilities. That's what makes this business
so worthwhile. It's great to have a career that you can work around the family. Now I
see so many things that I've learned in Mary Kay that have such a giant payoff in the way
I raise my children. I know that I am so much better of a mother because of my Mary Kay
training. I'm able to be really an executive woman or an executive income, but yet I'm
also able to be there in the morning and fix my children's breakfast and put them on the
bus in the morning and then be home when they get home and hear about all their school day
and their school papers. And again, over the years, I've been able to make my business
flexible around where my family was at. Our marriage was not worn out. It was just a little
uneventful. But Mary Kay walked in and it was a whole new dimension that we could share
together and enrich our marriage even more. Mary Kay has been really a family affair.
We, as a family, have set goals together. We've worked together. It's been a very
tremendous, meaningful experience, Mary Kay, for us, for the family. A career that with
it, of course, has all of the financial and monetary rewards, but there's so much more
than that. I don't know that there can be a greater joy than in helping other women
discover and develop their God-given potential and abilities. So where do you go from here?
What's the next step in becoming a Mary Kay success? It's simple. You sign your agreement,
purchase your Mary Kay showcase, and you're on your way. It will change your life for
the better. It will make you feel better about yourself. It will make you feel better about
what you have to offer other people. If you're a single person and you have other
things in your life, if you're a mother with young children, if you're a grown woman who
has parents to take care of, I mean, we as women wear so many different hats. And the
fact that you actually can design your life the way you want it, rather than the way it
is for most women, where the priorities are job, job, job. Mary Kay is more than just
a way to make a living. Mary Kay is a way to make a life. Why not take the first step
toward becoming all that you want to be and make your next career move, Mary Kay.
Why not take the first step toward becoming all that you want to be and make your next