Mary Kay Ash

A hardworking businesswoman, a mentor, a leader, a visionary, who wanted to do everything within her power to help other women get ahead, Mary Kay Ash is an awe inspiring story of an achiever who defied the odds, fought setbacks and prejudices to eventually emerge heads and shoulders above many others.

Life in the Fast Lane

Life for Mary Kay Ash ( born Mary Kathlyn Wagner in Texas in 1918 ) unfolded rather quickly. Mary got married  at the age of 17, had three children and then the World War II broke out. Her husband went to fight the war and Mary Kay Ash took up door to door selling of books to raise her children. Door to door selling is hardcore and one of the most difficult ways of selling a product and to my understanding this early exposure to door to door sales not only made Mary Kay Ash an uninhibited saleswoman but also made her tough as nails. Her confident demeanour and exposure to sales  eventually  getting  her a job in the marketing department of a Home Appliances company.

Not done yet

With the end of the war in 1945, her marriage ended too as  Mary Kay Ash divorced and then focussed wholeheartedly on her career. She worked hard on her own skills and trained people along the way thus helping the company prosper. However, there was a setback lurking and Mary Kay Ash was bypassed for a promotion in favour of a man whom she had trained. She was hurt and her self respect bruised. Mary Kay Ash decided to quit and after giving her sweat and blood to the company for more than two decades she retired in the year 1963. Many felt that Mary Kay Ash was done, but they didn’t know that she was just starting.

Launch of Mary Kay Cosmetics

Mary wanted to pen down a book with the host of knowledge on sales and marketing which she had acquired being in the field for so many years, but then decided to use this knowledge for  her own good and with the help of her sons and a meagre investment, Mary Kay Cosmetics, the company was born, with a small 500 sqft  store ‘ Beauty by Mary Kay ‘ in Dallas with  a workforce of 9 sales women. Her knowledge and selling skills  coupled with her exemplary training expertise began to show results and sooner than later sales began to rise and so did the profits. The company witnessed double digit growth year on year. On a minute assessment of the reasons of the initial success of the company, I found that more than her sharp business acumen and selling skills, it was her mentoring and leadership  that did wonders which need to be understood and replicated.

The Leadership Mantra

“ Sandwich every bit of criticism between two layers of praise “ is what Mary Kay Ash always said which clearly denotes the type of man management she brought in her company. Every bit of achievement was celebrated as she ensured  to put the individual success of each member of her  sales teams first. She made every staff member feel important, created a transparent environment, promoted people  strictly on merit and developed a strong leadership mindset in her company. She loved mentoring her team and referred to her saleswomen as her daughters. Mary Kay Ash made her company a happy place to work, which brought about the best in people,  is a lesson learnt.

The Journey pauses

From selling books to a successful business woman, Mary Kay Ash, the battle hardened , immaculately groomed, self respecting , fiercely feminine and hugely adored role model breathed her last on 22nd November 2001, leaving behind a business employing a huge workforce across 36 countries, $1.2 billion in sales and a massive fortune. A journey so eventful, so enterprising, so enriching.

From the imprints of Mary Kay Ash’s life it would be fair to say that It is never too late to start afresh, it is never too late to change your path and most importantly you  are never done…till your last breath.