The Mary Kay
Ash Story...
If someone were to ask me to pick one word to best
describe any success I've had in my life... I wouldn't hesitate; the word would
be PERSEVERE.
There have been a lot of potholes, detours and
roadblocks along the way. I can only wish that I had BJ Gallagher's book to
provide inspiration as I fought through my times of adversity.
It is terrific! The table of contents will give you a little "snapshot" of what
it's all about:
Persist no matter what.
Endure discomfort.
Request help.
Steadfastly hold on to your beliefs and values.
Envision triumph.
Very consistently keep at it.
Embrace adversity as your teacher.
Refuse to give up.
Enjoy and celebrate every tiny bit of progress!
Today, I'd like to share a chapter in The Best Way Out
is Always Through. Enjoy!
Excerpt from:
The Best Way Out is Always Through, by BJ Gallagher
Mary Kay Ash banged her head on the corporate glass ceiling one too many times.
Working for several direct sales companies from the 1930's until the early
1960's, she achieved considerable success. She climbed the corporate ladder to
become the sole woman on the board of directors of the World Gift Company -
quite an accomplishment for a woman in the 1950's.
But life wasn't rosy at the top. Even though Mary Kay
had the title and the track record, she was not taken seriously by her male
peers. In board meetings, her opinions and suggestions were ignored, dismissed,
or even ridiculed. Male board members minced no words in their judgment -
pronouncing her guilty of "thinking like a woman."
Since the sales force was almost entirely female, Mary
Kay thought that thinking like a woman was an asset. But her fellow board
members disagreed. Finally, in frustration, she retired in 1963, intending to
write a book to assist women in the male-dominated business.
Sitting at her kitchen table, she made two lists: one
list was all the good things she had seen in the companies where she'd worked,
and the other list was all the things she thought could be improved. As she
re-read her lists, she realized that what she had in front of her was a
marketing plan for her ideal company. In just four weeks, her "book" had become
a business plan, and her retirement was over.
Both her accountant and her attorney did their best to discourage her, warning
that she would be throwing her money away on this venture. But Mary Kay had
heard enough male nay-saying in her corporate years - she ignored her advisors.
Her husband, unlike her accountant and attorney, was
very supportive. With his help, Mary Kay developed the cosmetic products,
designed packaging, wrote promotional materials and recruited and trained her
female sales force.
Then the unthinkable happened; her husband of twenty-one
years died of a heart attack. Another woman might have dropped her plans, or at
least delayed them, but Mary Kay was a strong Texas woman. She stayed on track
with the help of her twenty-year-old son, Richard Rogers and rolled out her new
business in September of 1963.
Beginning with a storefront in Dallas and an investment
of $5,000, Mary Kay Cosmetics earned close to $200,000 in its first year -
quadrupling that amount in its second year. When Mary Kay took her company
public in 1968, sales had climbed to more than $10 million.
Mary Kay's unusual corporate motto, "God first,
family second, career third," was unconventional, to say the least. But she
understood the need for women to have balance in their lives, and she was
committed to providing unlimited opportunity for women's financial AND personal
success.
Mary Kay authored three books, all of which became best-sellers. Her business
model is taught at the Harvard Business School. She received many honors,
including the Horatio Alger Award. Fortune magazine has named Mary Kay Cosmetics
as one of the Ten Best Companies for Women, as well as one of The 100 Best
Companies to Work for in America.
At the time of her death in 2001, Mary Kay Cosmetics had
800,000 independent beauty consultants in 37 countries, with total annual sales
of over two billion dollars.
Never underestimate the power of a woman with a
mission!

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers!
And Grandma's too...
While we honor all our mothers with words of love and praise.
While we tell about their goodness and their kind and loving ways.
We should also think of Grandma, she's a mother too, you see....
For she mothered my dear mother as my mother mothers me.
Author Unknown