Assignment 13A - Reading Reflection No.1

I read Mary Kay Ash’s Miracles Happen.

What surprised you the most?

What surprised me the most about Mary Kay was the values she held. She transferred these values into her company’s values, and they are values her company still holds to this day. Ash realized that the success of her company would depend on the type of principles it was founded on, and they would distinguish Mary Kay Cosmetics from their competition. Being a woman who enjoys wearing makeup, I know how overpriced and vain certain brands tend to be portrayed, I appreciated to read that she realized the impact her moral foundations would have in the future.

What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?

I truly admire her commitment to her religion.  Mary Kay Ash’s personal motto was “God first, family second, career third” and it rang true in her personal and company values. Social responsibility has become more important over the past couple of decades, but back in her time, there wasn’t much pressure for a company to have strong moral values.

What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?

I didn’t necessarily like that the book was written by Mary Kay herself. I tend to think people who write about themselves are vain and self-centered, which at times, I got that vibe during the book. At times when she was praising herself, it felt a little exaggerated and pushy. I tend to believe stories about influential people when they are written by others.

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

Mary Kay Ash definitely faced adversity during her lifetime. Being a woman in the 60s must have been hard, but attempting to make it as a business woman must have been the biggest uphill battle she had ever faced. The men she trained were promoted before she ever was promoted. She was not recognized for her extreme dedication and success and was stuck with her entry level position. All of these struggles resulted in her starting her own company, so there was a happy outcome to her adversities.

What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?

Mary Kay Ash was an entrepreneur for over two decades, and developed incredible sales and communication skills. She also had exceptional people skills - her business started off by throwing house parties (which is still a practice that continues today) and she relied on these skills to connect with others which resulted in them buying her products.

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

I was intrigued to find out that Mary Kay Ash did not originally decide to sell make up as her product, but rather was trying to fill in the gap of women in the business market. Her intention was to change the world of business and allow women to enter that world, and the result of this change was her creating a make up line that would allow her to do so. 

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

First, I would first like to ask her for her truthful opinion of how she was treated in the 1960s as a women trying to enter the business world. Second, I would like to ask her if at anytime she felt like giving up or quitting this dream she had. I know it is very challenging to make it in the entrepreneurship world, and she made it look so easy.

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

Mary Kay Ash had a personal motto to constantly improve and strive to reach her goals. Her need to be successful didn't disappear after she proved herself, but rather she created new goals and accomplished those as well. She encouraged personal and professional growth in herself and others. I definitely share these opinions with her.