Mary Kay Ash

Mary Kay Ash

On the beautiful day of May 12, 1915 in Hot Wells Texas one of America’s greatest entrepreneurs and businesspeople was born. Her name: Mary Kay Wagner Ash.Mary Kay Ash even as a little girl had worked with sales. Her first experience in sales occurred when she sold books to earn a set for herself.

Mary Kay’s first husbands name was Ben Rogers. He was a popular singer on a local radio station. After that was done he became a gas station attendant. When he lost his job there he and his wife Mary Kay sold home products. Mary Kay joined Stanley Home Products in 1938. She attended a work convention and saw a woman named “Queen of Sales”. This inspired Mary Kay to sell more so she could win the award. At the next convention she won the Queen of Sales award. She was thrilled until she found out her prize was an underwater flashlight. While at Stanley Home Products she often trained young men. She became successful at SHP but sexism eventually drove her to being put in a lesser job. She later retired. During her retirement she wrote a how-to book for women. But she decided that retirement didn’t suit her.

After her brief retirement she started her plans for her company Beauty by Mary Kay. Before her first store opening her second husband George Hallenbeck died of a massive heart attack. This was her second marriage (Ben Rogers filed for divorce in 1945). Some people just told her to cut her losses and move on but her children offered up their savings and helped her out with her company. With their help her store was successfully opened in Dallas, Texas. Her company was first open with 9 workers who gave facials to show what the products did. Her philosophy for sales was “Each customer be treated individually in a relaxed environment”. At the end Of her company’s first year it’s total sales was at Her company went public in 1965 and by then her workforce was 3,000 . By 1976 Mary Kay Cosmetics was listed in the New York Stock Exchange.

At her company conventions she gave away prizes to her top sellers. Some of the significant prizes given out were pink Cadillac’s and trips to tropical locales. She was remarried again to Mellville J. Ash. Melville was diagnosed with cancer in 1979 and he died in 1980. She stayed husband-less for the remainder of her life.

In 1984 Fortune Magazine named her as one of the “Ten Best Women” and recognized her company as one of the best in the country. Mary Kay Cosmetics signature color was pink. Ash opened a pink mansion in Dallas, Texas for her workers and held celebrations for them.

While she was alive she opened a foundation to support cancer research and prevent domestic violence. In 1996 Mary Kay suffered a stroke and remained in bad health ever since it happened. Sadly Ash died in 2001, she was 83 years old. America will never forget Mary Kay Wagner Ash and the great things she accomplished.