Mary Kay Ash

Founded Mary Kay Cosmetics in 1963 with $5,000 and nine consultants and operated it for decades, scaling it into one of the largest direct-selling companies in the world (800,000+ consultants in roughly three dozen countries) on a recognition-driven culture.

Mary Kay Ash (1918 to 2001) founded Mary Kay Cosmetics in 1963 with $5,000 in savings and nine consultants, one month after her husband died and against the advice of bankers, ministers, and relatives who called the venture too risky. The decision followed her retirement from a sales career in which she had repeatedly been passed over for promotions given to men she had trained. She built the company into one of the largest direct-selling firms in the world on a recognition-driven culture (pink Cadillacs, prizes, public praise) and a people-first management philosophy she codified in three bestselling books. Her credo "God first, family second, career third" and her rule to treat everyone as if they wear an invisible sign reading "Make Me Feel Important" became widely cited management principles. At her death the company had more than 800,000 consultants in roughly three dozen countries.