Mary Kay Ash

1) You read about an entrepreneur:

What surprised you the most?

What surprised me most, similarly to Barlow, was that her company was created after retirement. The Mary Kay brand is so huge and matured that it seemed like it would take a lifetime to build.

What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?

In a time when women usually stayed home Mary Kay pursued her dreams, even as a single mother, then continued to do the impossible as a grandmother, post-retirement.

What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?

Her first jobs included selling parties, a major component of the Mary Kay selling process even today. Although this used to be a very popular way to sell things, she didn’t come up with her own method, but she adapted using the one she already knew.

Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?

What I admired about her was the most was her ability to overcome the adversity that she faced. As a woman in rural Texas at the end of the 1910s it was unheard of for women to work outside the home in a job that didn’t contribute to the war effort, she still did what she wanted to do and was an amazing sales person.

2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? 

No matter what she faced, even the death of her husband, she always did what she needed to do to succeed. She was dedicated and knew her own worth, even went as far as quitting her job in protest of unfair pay.

3) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

Much like the book I read about Ray Kroc the book was bounced around the timeline a bit making it hard to follow sometimes.

4) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?

Did it hurt to leave your children going to work as a single mother?

I would ask this because I know a lot of single mothers feel guilt going to work instead of staying home with the children.

Do you think you would have started Mary Kay earlier if you never went to work at World Gifts?

I would ask this because it seems as though she was inspired by her obstacles but did mention that it was her “dream company”.

5) For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?

            I think Mary Kay definitely valued hard work and knew it was going to pay off, otherwise she wouldn’t have clawed her to the top and then left to create her own company from scratch and I completely agree.