Assignment 13A- Reading Reflection No. 1

Miracles Happen

What surprised you the most?

·      I was surprised to find out about how many hardships that Mary Kay Ash had to go through just to start her business. I don’t know if I could continue to persevere after the death of a husband, who was supposed to be a main component of the business. I was also surprised to find out that this was not her original career, and that she really did not have any connections or promotions to kick start her brand name. I couldn’t believe that she was already in retirement when she had this idea. Also, since she had lived a modest lifestyle before retirement, she did not have any brand endorsements or advertisements to get her name out. I was surprised by how a small direct sales make up company could spread so vastly from the word of mouth and recommendations. 

What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?

·      I admired the fact that Mary Kay Ash was able to be so successful in a male-dominated career. She dedicated a whole chapter and many sentences in her book to continually point out the fact that women were considered as less than their male counterparts. Women were supposed to stay home and take care of the house and their children. Even if they did work, they were expected to have “realistic goals” of being assistants to men or professions that were predominantly male. She realized that this was not right immediately, and took it in her own hands to make her own salary and to empower women into doing the same. It seemed like it was never truly about the money, but rather the principle and the morale she wanted to teach other women. I admire this because it showed that she had advanced ideas in a time where women were still not looked at as the same as men, and this can still be seen as a common issue today. 

What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?

·      I didn’t like how perfect she made everything seem. It almost seemed fake how everything happened from her explanations. She would use phrases like “it just worked” or “I knew it would” which gives off a false premise that every startup can be successful merely from hard work. I also do not like how the company as a whole is set up. It puts pressure on the sellers because they are expected to keep products in stock, but are risking their own money to do so. It seems like a typical pyramid scheme, where only a few make a lot of money and the rest are struggling to cut even with the inventory they had invested in.

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

·      Mary Kay Ash experienced many challenges in establishing her cosmetic direct selling brand. As a child, her mother had to work fourteen hours a day and her father was ill. As a seven-year-old, she had to run errands downtown, clean the house, make dinner, and take care of her father. Instead of looking at this in a “why me” sense, Mary Kay grew from these experiences and knew she had to do what she had to do to survive. It made her have a “can do” attitude and gave her great confidence. Also, when her first husband came back from the war, he divorced her and left her to support her children. This also built her character and her perseverance. Finally, when she remarried, the day before she was supposed to launch the business, her second husband had a fatal heart attack, and he was supposed to be the financial manager. Everyone advised her to sell off her stocks and regain whatever money she can. All of these obstacles and red flags did not stop her from still going. Overall, Mary Kay Ash faced many hurdles while growing up and later kickstarting her very successful business. She used the skills she had to learn from growing up and her career to build the brand to what it is today.

What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? 

·      I think that Mary Kay Ash exhibited many skills as an entrepreneur. The main aspect that I noticed was risk-taking. She had to put up all of her savings and go against the opinions of her financial advisors in order for her business to start. Also, her family’s careers were also at stake during this process. I also noticed the fact that she was not willing to give up when hardships faced her. She was able to overcome deaths, money issues, and being in a male-dominated industry. She showed the skills of a good leader by wanting to motivate her employees and eliminate a competitive sense in her business. All of these competencies allowed Mary Kay Ash to be a good entrepreneur.

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

·      One part of the book that I found confusing was parts in Chapter 3, “My Dream Company.” This chapter explained the layout of the company and attempted to explain how one grows in the chain of business. On page 30, it tries to explain how customers want the products immediately. It then goes on to explain how the sellers are not required to carry the products, but that it is recommended to keep a stockpile of a few of each item. I thought this was unfair to the seller because they have to buy products in hopes they will eventually sell them in time. The really confusing part to me was how the company actually made money. Obviously, they got money from the sellers initially buy the product. However, it continued to explain how there is also money to be made from the actual sale and how sellers can still make money off of sellers that they recruit. It was unclear how they could keep track of which seller made profits on the recruited sellers, and how the newest sellers make any money at all. These explanations were unclear, and because of this, it made the company seem like almost a pyramid scheme.

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

·      If you could go back, would you change your upbringing?

I know this is a weird question to ask someone, but due to her circumstances, I wonder if she has ever thought about it. She brought up two of her childhood friends and made sure to point out that they were way more affluent than her family. This makes me wonder if at any point she had wished things are different, and if so, if she thinks this would have changed her or her career in any way.

·      Do you think Mary Kay’s success was more based on luck or was the business plan better than advisors thought?

I can’t help but wonder how the business actually succeeded when all the professional advisors and the people around her were so adamant that it would fail. Realistically, most people would not give up a job making triple the salary so willingly merely based on hope. It seems to me that everything fell into place seamlessly, which is not always the case. This is what makes me wonder if it truly was the perfect lucky alignment of decisions or is the business plan was truly good, to begin with.

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

·      I think that Mary Kay Ash loved hard work. Based on her book, she made it seem like she loved a challenge and got bored when she had nothing to occupy herself. This is supported by the fact that after 25 years of direct sales, she retired and then felt the need more to do. She wanted to create her business to keep her drive and perseverance going. Not many people enter retirement, just to open up a whole new business venture that required as much time, effort, and risk as hers did. Mary Kay loved hard work and lived by it. It was one of her defining characteristics since it is all she has ever known to do. I also enjoy hard work. I have noticed that over summers or breaks from school, I find myself missing having a schedule and goals to complete daily. I find that hard work leads to satisfaction with my life and accomplishments.