Mary Kay Ash
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (January 2008) |
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. (May 2008) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
| Mary Kay Ash | |
| Born | May 12, 1918 Hot Wells, Harris County, Texas, USA |
|---|---|
| Died | November 22, 2001 (aged 83) Dallas, Texas, USA |
| Occupation | Founder of Mary Kay |
| Children | Richard Rogers, Marilyn Rogers, and Ben Rogers |
| Website http://www.marykay.com/ |
|
Mary Kay Ash (May 12, 1918–November 22, 2001) was a U.S. businesswoman and the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc.. Born Mary Kathlyn Wagner in Hot Wells, Texas, Ash worked for several direct sales companies from the 1930s until the early 1960s, achieving considerable success as a salesperson and trainer.[citation needed] She attended the University of Houston until 1943 when she married. Frustrated, however, at being passed over for a promotion in favor of a man that she trained, she retired in 1963, intending to write a book to assist women in business. The book turned into a business plan for her ideal company, and in September 1963, Ash and her son, Richard Rogers, began Mary Kay Cosmetics with a $5,000 investment. The company originally operated from a storefront in Dallas but grew rapidly, particularly after Ash was interviewed for CBS's 60 Minutes in 1979. The pink Cadillacs awarded to top sales people were the most visible sign of the company's success.
Ash was widely respected, if not always understood, for her unconventional approach to business.[citation needed] She considered the Golden Rule the founding principle of Mary Kay Cosmetics, and the company's marketing plan was designed to allow women to advance by helping others to succeed. She advocated "praising people to success"[citation needed] and her slogan "God first, family second, career third" expressed her insistence that the women in her company keep their lives in balance.
Both during her life and posthumously, Ash received numerous honors from business groups, including the Horatio Alger Award. Ash was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1996. A long-time fundraiser for charities, she founded the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation to raise money to combat domestic violence and cancers affecting women. Ash served as Mary Kay Cosmetics' chairman until 1987, when she was named Chairman Emeritus. She remained active in the company until suffering a stroke in 1996. Richard Rogers was named CEO of Mary Kay Inc. in 2001. At the time of Ash's death, Mary Kay Cosmetics had over 800,000 representatives in 37 countries, with total annual sales over $2 billion at retail.
Mary Kay authored three books, all of which became best-sellers. Her autobiography, Mary Kay, has sold more than one million copies and appears in several languages. Her business philosophy, Mary Kay on People Management has been included in business courses at the Harvard Business School.[citation needed] Mary Kay Ash's third book, You Can Have It All, was launched in August 1995 and achieved "best-seller" status within days of its introduction.[citation needed]
She died November 22, 2001.[1] Mary Kay Ash is interred in the Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery in Dallas, Texas.
