All about Her

Mary Kay Ash, she was an American businesswoman and founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc. Mary Kay Ash, born Mary Kathlyn Wagner in Texas & was the daughter of Edward Alexander and Lula Vember Hastings Wagner. 

Ash served as Mary Kay Cosmetics' chairman until 1987, when she was named Chairman Emeritus. Fortune magazine recognized Mary Kay Inc. with inclusion in “The 100 best companies to work for in America.” The company was also named one of the best 10 companies for women to work. Her most recent acknowledgments were the “Equal Justice Award” from Legal Services of North Texas in 2001, and “Most Outstanding Woman in Business in the 20th Century” from Lifetime Television in 1999.

Ash remained active in Mary Kay Inc. until suffering a stroke in 1996. Richard Rogers (her son) 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. As of 2008, Mary Kay Cosmetics has more than 1.7 million consultants worldwide and wholesale volume in excess of 2.2 billion. Mary Kay herself was honored as leading female entrepreneur in American history. 

Mary Kay Cosmetics Inc.

Mary Kay Ash authored three books, all of which became best-sellers. Her autobiography, Mary Kay (which I had a copy), has sold more than a million copies and appears in several languages. 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.

Let me share some of her quotations:

"You can have anything in this world you want, if you want it badly enough and you're willing to pay the price."

"The speed of the leader is the speed of the gang.

Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, "Make me feel important." Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life."

"Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn't know it so it goes on flying anyway." 

"Don't limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve."  

"Everyone has an invisible sign hanging from their neck saying, 'Make me feel important.' Never forget this message when working with people. 

"No matter how busy you are, you must take time to make the other person feel important."

"People are definitely a company's greatest asset. It doesn't make any difference whether the product is cars or cosmetics. A company is only as good as the people it keeps."

"People fall forward to success."

"Most people live and die with their music still unplayed. They never dare to try."

"Criticize the act, not the person."

"Dare to risk public criticism."

"A company is only as good as the people it keeps."

"A mediocre idea that generates enthusiasm will go further than a great idea that inspires no one."

"Sandwich every bit of criticism between two layers of praise."

"You can have anything in this world you want, if you want it badly enough and you're willing to pay the price."

"We treat our people like royalty. If you honor and serve the people who work for you, they will honor and serve you."

"Those who are blessed with the most talent don't necessarily outperform everyone else. It's the people with follow-through who excel."

 "There are two things people want than sex and money... recognition and praise."

"If you think you can and if you think you can't, you're right."

Take it from her..


"God Bless You Beautiful Hand-Made of GOD!" ^_^