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The Making of an Icon: Mary Kay Ash’s Rise to Success

Thinking Like a Woman: The Life and Times of Mary Kay Ash portrays our founder’s legendary story of success in the 1994 docudrama.

“You can do it.” These four powerful words instilled in Mary Kay Ash as a young child fueled her unshakable confidence and belief in limitless possibilities. Her legendary story from humble beginnings to one of the greatest female entrepreneurs in history is portrayed in the 1994 docudrama, Thinking Like a Woman: The Life and Times of Mary Kay Ash.

After overcoming childhood challenges, Mary Kay began to blaze her own trail in the direct sales industry. Working in a male-dominated business world, she was often dismissed and overlooked for “thinking like a woman.” It was then that she decided to write a book that would help women overcome the obstacles she encountered.

“I read the whole thing and discovered that I had put on paper a marketing plan that would give women an open-ended opportunity where they can accomplish anything in this world they wanted to do – if they wanted it bad enough and they were willing to pay the price,” said Mary Kay in Thinking Like a Woman: The Life and Times of Mary Kay Ash.

And with that, her company was born. With the support of her family, Mary Kay opened the doors to ‘Beauty by Mary Kay’ on Sept. 13, 1963. The rest as they say, is history. Not only did she shatter glass ceilings, but she built a ladder for others to climb to success and reach their highest potential. Today, Mary Kay’s legendary story of success continues to be a source of inspiration for millions of people around the world.

Mary Kay Ash’s Rise to Success
Mary Kay Ash’s Rise to Success