13A Reading Reflection No. 1

MIRACLES HAPPEN: THE LIFE AND TIMELESS PRINCIPLES OF THE FOUNDER OF MARY KAY INC.

     I chose to read about Mary Kay because of my interest in the business behind Mary Kay Inc. and admiration for the Mary Kay herself. Throughout my childhood I would occasionally see one of the pink Cadillacs driven by Mary Kay sales women and I was always fascinated by the concept that the company rewards sales women for their performance. It was not until I read the book about Mary Kay that I realized her company was more than just a pyramid scheme. 

What surprised you the most?

     By far the most surprising thing that I learned about Mary Kay from reading the book was that Mary faced many setbacks before she was able to successfully start Mary Kay Inc. Additionally, Mary Kay reminded me somewhat of Clara Barton. Nearly a century after Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross, Mary Kay was still facing gender discrimination while trying to start her company. 

What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?

     I particularly admired the entrepreneurial mindset of Mary Kay, and her stick-to-itiveness regarding her business. She persevered during the death of her husband, and build her business from the ground up. One major part of Mary Kay's personality that I admire most is the fact that she stuck to her principles even when people disliked her for it. 

What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?

     Upon reading this book, there is not much to dislike about Mary Kay. I have always found the main theme that is at the core of Mary Kay Inc. to be flawed. Essentially a pyramid scheme, the Mary Kay hierarchy depends on sales and recruitment. While the concept that each Mary Kay seller has the opportunity to make their own profits is fair, without recruiting more sellers one would have to work tremendously hard to make a living. In the end, Mary Kay Inc. always makes profit, but this is not always the case for each and every seller. 

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

     Mary Kay certainly faced adversity and failure in the years before her business was fully up and running. The most obvious difficulty was entering the business world as a female in the 1960's. At the time it was uncommon for women to play major roles in business, much less to start a business. This led Mary Kay to develop her business from the ground up, employing mostly women. Not only was it easier for her to hire women due to their appeal for makeup products, but the door-to-door sales style proved to be much more successful than with male salesman because the product was on display the instant people opened the door. 

What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? 

     Primarily, Mary Kay displayed a powerful entrepreneurial drive. That coupled with her determination guaranteed Mary Kay success in her business. Additionally, she proved to be a driving force for change in the US regarding the role of women in business. 

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

     The most confusing part of the book for me was regarding her opinion towards housekeeper. She claimed that it was a waste of time to clean her house or do chores herself because the time could be spent making more money than it would cost to pay a housekeeper. I find this confusing because it directly conflicts with the concept Mary Kay uses in her business. She said that in order for employees to be highly motivated to do work, the employer must also be highly motivated to do work. If she claims that it is not worth her time to do "penny" grade work, why would she expect her employees to do the same. 

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

      Could she do it all over again with a different product, and still be as successful? 

     Does she think that she could have started Mary Kay Inc. in 2019?

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

     Mary Kay clearly exhibited a strong work ethic. I would say that Mary Kay considers nothing hard work. Although I'm sure that she thought she was working hard in the early days of her career, by the end she would not consider anything hard work because of what she had been through. I think that she would regard the saleswomen that earn a pink Cadillac as hard workers.