Mary Kay Ash free essay sample

Mary Kay Ash Mary Kay products have been available for nearly 50 years. Using her total life savings of $5,000 the founder Mary Kay Ash started her business, a single mother of three trying to support her children. Putting god first, family second and career third she managed to create a multibillion-dollar international company that would reflect her values along with a fulfilling life (Ash, 1995). Early Years One of Mary Kays believes was that one should not reveal her age. The exact birth year of Mary Kay is unknown but thought to have been around 1916. She was the youngest of four children of Edward and Lula Wagner of Hot Wells, TX. With her father being ill with tuberculosis it was her responsibility to cook, clean and care for her father while her mother was working. School years for Mary Kay were great but the circumstances her parents were unable to send her to college. We will write a custom essay sample on Mary Kay Ash or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page By the time Mary Kay was seventeen she was married and went on to have three children of her own (www. notablebiographies. com). She began studying to become a doctor and selling part time for Stanley Home Products in Houston, TX, but soon learned that selling was her trait. In 1952, Mary Kay began working for a company in Dallas, TX by the name of World Gift Company in sales. After 25 years of corporate sales she decided to call it quits (Ash, 1995). Change For Mary Kay she was upset for the way she had been treated in the male-dominated business world. Mary Kay turned her attention to writing which turned out to be the business plan for her operation. In 1963, Mary Kay took her savings of $5,000 and the help of her son Richard Rogers and opened her first store in Dallas, TX. With only nine beauty consultants that she called her team, she began what today is Mary Kay Inc. The first year of operation the team made nearly $200,000 (Stefoff, 1992). Known for the Pink Cadillacs that were given as incentives for top sales directors, Mary Kay thought the most effective strategies would be incentives. Diamond bee pins were also another incentive that kept her team to doing their very best. With such incentives her team made her company a great success. As the companys growth continued, new products were added with sales the first two years nearly a $1 million (Allen, n. d). Later Years In 1981, Mary Kay published her life story selling over a million copies. She called it quits with the company in 1987 and retired becoming chairman of the company. Mary Kays PL, not profit and loss but People and Love (Ash, 1995). With thirty-seven markets world wide, and well over 350,000 consultants, Mary Kay Inc. now makes over $1 billion in sales in nineteen different countries (Allen, n. d). The company went public in 1968, but went private again in 1985. To this day, it remains one of the largest firms in the US (Stefoff, 1992). Fortune Magazine has listed Mary Kay as one of the five hundred largest companies since 1992. Also listed in the book The 100 Best Companies to Work for in America, which now employs over 475 thousand people (www. notablebiographies. com). Conclusion Despite her conservative views, conventional approach to combining family and job responsibilities, and ultra feminine appearance, Mary Kay was a tough business woman with a large knowledge of marketing and sales. She helped innumerable women to careers and to the financial security that derives from earning ones own money. Though her personal views may not be typical of other women who have strived for their civil rights, Mary Kay nevertheless encouraged and empowered legions of women. Through her belief in womens abilities and her willingness to give them a chance, she made the dream of self-sufficiency a reality for hundreds of thousands of women worldwide. She was a tough businesswomen with a huge knowledge of marketing and sales. For women Mary Kay was one of top 10 places to work. She gave many women worldwide a chance for success and living a dream that for many may have never happened. Mark Kay had the determination to make the business a huge success and change the lives of women all across the world. References Ash, M (1995). Mary Kay: You Can have It All. Rocklin, CA: Prima Stefoff, R (1992).