Julia's "I" Story

Being very shy and insecure, I was looking for a way to "grow past myself." I found that "not liking being shy" was not enough to change my behavior, plus I found myself with extra time on my hands during the evenings. I was also contemplating my future, that is if I ever had children, I wanted to be able to CHOOSE if I wanted to work, instead of "having to" because we needed both incomes. My thought was that if I started a small business NOW, when life changed, we might have more choices, plus, I was hoping that focusing on others might help me overcome my insecurities as well. Although I wore minimal make-up, I felt I was very teachable, and I was excited about building a potential "future" for me and my family.

Getting off to a solid beginning, I booked my Perfect Start, and my first double facial was a stunning $0 in sales! Although I wanted to burn my beauty case and pretend I'd never tried, I had given my word to be there for eight other hostesses, so I pressed on, knowing the only place I could go was up! There is a lot to be said for pressing on; my next class was $300 in sales, and by the end of my two weeks of Perfect Start, my sales were over $2000! From that beginning, I had enough referrals and bookings to keep me going strong for the next nine months. My confidence grew as I continued to work on my sales ability and customer service, and after almost 12 months I began recruiting - very slowly, but steady. After 18 months, I quit my secretarial job, having replaced my income. About six months later, I went into qualifications to earn the use of a free Mary Kay car...a Pontiac Grand Am. Directorship was next, and we debuted as a unit on May 1, 1995.