Mary Kay: The Success Story of America's Most Dynamic Businesswoman

by Mary Kay Ash

The Story of America's Most Dynamic Businesswoman

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Biography, Memoir, Biography Memoir, Autobiography, Christian

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Mary Kay Ash was an American businesswoman and founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc.

Reviews

[Antoinette]

Let me just say that it is incredibly difficult for me to pass up a bargain. So, when I found this gem of an autobiography in a 25 cent bin, I was helpless to stop myself. Settling in with some tea and a blanket, I prepared myself for a huge dose of propaganda. What I found was actually a sensitive, complete, inspirational autobiography of an amazing woman. Though there were a few irritatingly shallow parts, I walked away feeling positive about my purchase.

Ok...I get that Mary Kay Ash is all about making women feel better. I also get that she believes a well groomed appearance says a lot about a person. Still...COME ON! Do you really listen to self help tapes EVERY chance you get? Do you really believe a little bit of makeup can save the whole world? "I recently heard a very good definition of a woman's needs. From birth to age fourteen, she needs good parents and good health. From fourteen to forty, she needs good looks. From forty to sixty she needs personality, and from sixty on, she needs cash." Really...is that really all she needs? Never mind that this excerpt is from the chapter on How to Succeed in a Man's World. I find it offensive and unhelpful! It simplifies women, and intensifies gender roles...it isn't even worth analyzing. It was a silly, old fashioned comment that slanted the otherwise positive content of the chapter. A few more uncomfortable passages made me gag, but they are not worth mentioning. If you can read this for a quarter, by all means read away. If the price is anything higher, you would be wise to save your change for something more modern!

[Tina]

Returning from a Mary Kay career conference, I determined to read Mary Kay's autobiography. She's not a writer, but many of her philosophies on life and business are insightful. I found myself quoting her to people more than I wanted to while I was reading the book. Regardless of what one thinks of Mary Kay Ash, you can't deny that she has a remarkable personal story and built a billion dollar company from scratch. Perhaps she knew a little of what she was doing?!

[Kate ☕ (semi-hiatus)]

Had to stop when MK judged her doctor, who wasn't wearing any make-up.

I realize this was written 50 years ago, and women no doubt needed a bit of encouragement back then (in terms of independence especially), but looking at it nowadays it's very superficial and shallow.

[Sassy Sarah Reads]

Miracles Happen by Mary Kay Ash

DNF

Mary Kay is a very prolific woman. She's one of the most successful business women in the world and her rise to fame in a world dominated by men set her apart from a lot of women. Mary Kay is the type of woman who always reached for the stars and wanted to do more than what was possible. She's a real inspiration and many women have careers due to her brilliant platform and marketing plan. She's an amazing woman, but she is not a writer. She is a time hopper-which isn't a good thing to be as a memoir writer. One second she's chronicling her childhood and the next she's talking about the start of her business. It's not smart formatting and it really made me uninterested. I didn't finish reading MK's memoir mainly due the poor writing as well as my complete lack of interest. I just don't find myself interested in learning more about MK than what I can find from her Wikipedia page. Maybe memoirs just aren't for me, but I don't think that's true because I absolutely love Night by Elie Wiesel. I know many people are motivated by MK and her brilliant ideas, but these ideas are probably best watched in a documentary than in a memoir. I'll be donating this to a used bookstore in hopes of this impacting a woman who needs it.

Cover Thoughts: This book is very pink. Incredibly pink. As Mary Kay liked to say, "Think pink," and boy did she love pink.

[Sharon]

This is more autobiographical than how-to. It clarified misinformation I had supposed was true about her, but wasn't. Interesting life story, not the least of which is the coincidence that the company from which she retired in 1960s, before she started MK Cosmetics, had its headquarters in my MA town! She offers a compassion and respect for body image starkly missing in mainstream media. She passed away 8 years ago after a long and passionate family, business, community and church-filled life.

[Herb]

This is a good "personal" manual on how to build a successful business and how to run it with a strong sense of morality and ethics. I think I would have liked Mary Kay Ash as a person, and you don't have to be interested in the cosmetics industry to enjoy this good story.

[Dawn]

Love it! I can hear Mary Kay Ash's voice as I read it.

[Grace Hudnall]

Great book for any sales person starting out. Very enthusiastic and inspiring.
Many useful tips for a career and time management.

[Beverly Reidy]

I know this is a dated book (1980s) but I was appalled my the misogynistic viewpoints even as Mary Kay had a mission to support women.

[Alyssa Koskinen]

I had to read this book for a class on leadership! I’m so glad I chose it because it was so interesting to learn how Mary Kay really founded this whole brand on female empowerment during a time in which women were still expected to be the sole household provider

[Bryn Sanders]

No rating because I don’t know how to rate non fiction.

[Dajana]

Easy read. Some really valid business points, some not so much. Mary Kay definitely sounds like she was an interesting individual though.

[Debbie Brown]

I signed up to be a Mary Kay consultant and this book was in my starter kit. It was an inspiring read! I learned some great principles and was reminded of many others. I’m actually motivated to sell some product rather than just buying for myself!

[Yoonmee]

I initially picked up this book because I'm new to Texas and wanted to read about a Texas legend. Well, let's just say that Mary Kay is a most certainly a hoot in every sense of the word. I'm torn between giving this 2 and 3 stars. While reading it, I had to set aside my more feminist-y ideas and just accept Mary Kay for who she is -- she's from a completely different generation than I am and, hey, she's a Southern lady who believes one of the things women need to succeed in life is lipstick.

She obviously wrote this less as a biography and more as a way to promote Mary Kay Cosmetics. She's a salesperson through and through. You have to give her credit for changing the way America thinks about business strategies and for believing that women can make great business women in a time when it wasn't such a popular thing to do. I really enjoyed her section on praising people to success.

I did get sick of her overuse of exclamation points and her slightly annoying energetic attitude. Sure, she's trying to be enthusiastic because, as she mentions, enthusiastic sales women will sell more products, but, good grief, there's only so much I can handle. Then again, you don't become rich and famous like her w/o having an incredible amount of energy.

She makes some excellent points in the book about business, finding out what your talents are, organization, etc. but she's still coming from a very conservative, traditional background. Sigh. I guess you just have to take it for what it is; embrace what you can and leave the rest behind.

In the end, I'm giving this two stars because she annoyed me most of the book with her slightly maniacal tone.

[Aaron]

2.5. Well, there you go. I read this for my book club as one of our "Dare Reads". And I turned it into a "every day that I feel too haggard to read or focus, I'll hit this book" read. Says a lot about my mental state most days. Also good for when I was taking my Melatonin.

Anyway, I was sort of surprised. I couldn't help but admire what Mary Kay did and what her project meant to so many women in the mid 20th century onward. Better yet was the more proto-feminist viewpoint this book had. Mary Kay sponsored a brand of feminism that was a step in the evolution. She valued highly the economic development and emancipation of women in addition to gender equality in the business/work world. However, her business was built largely on endorsing a gender stereotype to its very core. She even looks down on women she talks to who don't look feminine enough. I remember one quote went something along the lines of; "we all know a woman who looks pretty on the outside is pretty on the inside". BRUUUUUTALLL.

However, you can see her unwavering belief in her business, her business model, her dedication and belief are all major ingredients to success.

The writing leaves a bit to be desired and its best to remember that this is a book about business insights and not really her life story. Even though she claims it is. I didn't find myself to be absolutely riveted by anything going on, but there were some interesting moments and insights.

[Janel]

This book was originally written in 1981 and reprinted two more times after that. Because of that fact, it was hard to really appreciate the statistics referenced because of how old they were. I felt like the book read more like a self help book than a memoir. I'm not a big makeup person and therefore had a hard time relating to Mary Kay. I do admire her drive, ambition and leadership. I think if I would have read this book at a different time in my career, I could have applied some of her tips.


Two quotes from the book that I liked:

* p. 105 - A very good definition of a woman's needs. From birth to age 14, she needs good parents & good health. From age 14 to age 40, she needs good looks. From age 40 to age 60, she needs personality. From age 60 on, she needs cash.
* p. 109 - When a woman behaves like a lady, she sets the stage, and as a result, men will conduct themselves as a gentlemen.

[Kat]

Basic Plot: The autobiography of Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay cosmetics.

I don't read a lot of biographies. A person has to be REALLY interesting for me to even think about picking up a bio. When I first became a Mary Kay consultant, my director insisted I read this book to pick up the philosophy of the company and find out something about its "founding mother." Never one to turn down something to read, I picked it up and began to read. Rarely have I been so moved by a person's life story. This woman was a business pioneer unlike any other; she took huge risks and reaped sizable rewards, with heartache and joy fueling the whole of her experience. A fantastic read, and very inspirational to any woman who wants to be a success on her own terms.

[Kristi]

I have a new hero! I absolutely loved this book. I am not a big fan of Mary Kay Cosmetics products, but I am now a big fan of Mary Kay Ash. What an inspirational woman. I found myself energized and motivated after reading this book. I’ve adopted her motto of God first, Family second, Career third. I feel like she truly lived by that creed and ended up successful in every aspect of her life and kept things in proper balance. I loved her no nonsense approach to competition and hard work. I loved how she embraced her femininity and encouraged others to do so. She wasn’t afraid to spend time and resources to look and feel good because she knew it’d help her perform better. She was unapologetically a woman.

[Liz]

So I basically read this book out of necessity since it came in my Mary Kay consultant starter kit and I felt a responsibility to read it.

Obviously Mary Kay wasn't a writer, and it does show in her little book. There were parts I did enjoy and some good ideas and snippets here or there. I did find myself pushing to get through it, which is why I had to downgrade it from a 3 to a 2.

Plus I know if I didn't get it for free and wasn't working for the company I probably wouldn't have read it.

It was interesting to hear about the women behind the myth. She was definitely a pretty awesome person for her time and she did amazing things. While progressive at the time, nowadays the book seems dated. So there is that...

Alright I think that is enough. Onto the next.

[Christopher]

You have to read it charitably, and if you do, it’s a decent (if scatterbrained) mix of autobiography, history, and advice. My advice: if you’re married to a Mary Kay consultant, or otherwise invested in the company, read it. It will really help you understand why the business operates the way it does. Mary Kay really was a remarkable woman and this details her life and business story in an illuminating way.

[DeBora Rachelle]

Was hoping to learn something from such an inspirational woman like Mary Kay, but instead was disappointed by what seemed to be a little chest pounding for herself. Not all that inspirational from someone who has inspired so many women and had such a dramatic effect and sincere following. She should have left behind something more motivational which is where she obviously excels.

[Erin]

I have no idea what caused me to read this book...I'm sure I was in one of my "yay successful women in business" moods, which quickly turned surly once Mary Kay started in on "hey, my optimism cured my terrible illness". Sigh.

[Deb]

I read this book when I started my Mary Kay business a few years ago. Mary Kay Ash was an amazing woman. I no longer sell Mary Kay but I value everything I've learned from my time as a consultant and the life lessons Mary Kay's story taught me.

[Eliza]

Not even going to finish.
Not what I expected at all.
I was hoping for more an inspiring, strong female in business, theme...not a poor me raising my kids as a single mom in sales, thank you Jesus, and Jesus and Jesus and make-up.
Bleh!

[Chica114]

It's interesting and clearly she was very successful but I found most of her ideas dated and based in a world that had less opportunities for women. Her story is an amazing one and clearly she was part of enabling women to be career women. A notable life to be sure.

[Jane]

Was a re-hash of some of her other books.

[Jes]

A lot of good takeaway ideas.

[Nancy]

amazing lady. a complete inspiration of hard work and faith.

[Sharon Richardson]

Interesting to hear how she started the company, but I found this to be basically a sales pitch to potential consultants. I didn’t really find this to be a business education book by any means.

[Jorgina]

MAG-NI-FI-CO!!!!! Recomendable 100%