True or False: You earn 50% of everything you sell in Mary Kay
FALSE
Mary Kay Directors are fond of telling potential recruits that in Mary Kay, you make 50% of everything you sell.
While it’s true that the suggested retail of MK products is double what the Consultant buys the product for from the Company, before you get too excited about that 50% “profit,” you need to be aware of a few things:
- Many times you will not be selling the products for the full suggested retail. You will be discounting for various reasons: to get discontinued products off your shelf; to offer incentives to your Hostesses; to rid your inventory of limited-edition items; to encourage customers to purchase more.
- If you choose to participate in the Preferred Customer program, which most Consultants do, one benefit of the program is giving your customers a gift with purchase. YOU have to pay for these gifts, and they’ll cost you $4.00 each.
- There are many expenses that come out of that 50% profit: shipping charges to get the product to you; meeting costs; samples and business supplies, like catalogs; costs of training, workshops and Seminar. And don’t forget one important expense: TIME.
Some of these expenses can be managed or avoided, but some are just part of the Mary Kay “opportunity.”
Lipstick on 
Ann on 
Brooke on 
Tam on 
Plus the rising cost of GAS – two (2) round trips per class, 1 for the class and 1 for delivery!
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You’re right, it is not 50%.
What is calculated at the front of the room for a meeting is not the full story.
But, a lot of what you hear at the front of the room for a meeting is not the full story.
Suzie Z sold $400 for the week. She did a scc.
She worked 5 hours. “Ooh, Suzie made $40.00 an hour!!!”
Before the rest of her expenses…
(If Suzie worked 40 hours a week, that might be great money. But she didn’t-she worked 5. It’s not a living.)
Yes, the math is fuzzy.
Keep your J.O.B.
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What’s most interesting is that any business has it’s business costs. Mary Kay is no different and as a consultant you have tax deductions because of having an in-home business. If the consultants attend new consultant training and business money management whether at a meeting or online, all of that information is shared. There is nothing hidden. The math is not fuzzy. Whether MK, an in-home daycare, lawn business, pool cleaning, etc., it just doesn’t matter…, it’s the cost of being an entrepreneur. Consultants are not employees and if you can’t handle the reality of owning your own business, don’t.
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Mary Kay consultants work their business on a 60/40 or a 70/30 basis – they choose how much they reinvest back into their business. There is no such thing as earning 50% for every product you sell. The recommendation is to sell a product for 100% retail value and use 60% of that money to rebuy it back so you have that item on your shelf again ready for the next customer. 10% goes towards expenses and 30% is clear profit. If you run your business smartly, then there is always money in your business account and you always have what your customers need.
As Mim says, it’s a business and it always has its costs, but it depends how serious you are about your earnings. Tax deductions will always be there no matter what kind of work you do.
To clear up the issue of money earned: Suzie sells $400 of product. 60% of that ($240) is reinvested back in her business. 10% ($40) is invested in expenses (i.e. travelling, postage, fuel etc) and then 30% ($120) is clear profit. Just imagine taking home $120 in one week for 5 hours work! And yes, there is tax, but when you can consistently bring home that amount of money or more, you don’t even notice the tax you pay. Plus, you get tax breaks so you actually pay less tax than you would do being an employee in a company in the city.
So, If Suzie worked 5 hours, then her earnings are $24 per hour. That is a reasonable expectation for a consultant and it’s not unheard of to earn more than that.
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“and then 30% ($120) is clear profit. Just imagine taking home $120 in one week for 5 hours work”
FALSE.
She does not have $120 “clear profit.” Many expenses still have to be deducted from that $120: hostess incentives, time and cost of travel, to name just a few.
Your math is over-simplified. This is typical of the examples presented by the Company as well. Leaves out a lot of important details.
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Ok… so you don’t make 50% profit all the time… What’s the big deal? Who makes $300 PROFIT , yes ACTUAL profit AFTER buying inventory, taking the stuff to the customers, etc…
In just 2 HOURS! and its FUN, unlike my “job” right now….
Because of Mary Kay I can quit my job, and have fun selling stuff that I love… Skincare and makeup… have awesome friends, and people who really and truly care about you and want to help you succeed.
And where else can you make 4, 9, 13 and MORE % commission just for having someone signup under you?
Where else if you have so much inventory… you get AWESOME prizes!!!
Mary Kay has worked… there are more than 200 people who made more than 1 million dollars… I don’t see ANY other company who has that many millionaires, do you????
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Sabrina….Sabrina….Sabrina. That fuzzy MK math and those inflated million dollar checks have blinded you to the FACTS! 200 people who have earned a million dollars + (OVER THEIR LIFETIME IN MARY KAY AND BEFORE DEDUCTIONS, EXPENSES, ETC.) out of 1.6 million actual consultants, directors and NSD’s….You do the math, girlfriend!!!
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Amore: “Suzie sells $400 of product. 60% of that ($240) is reinvested back in her business. 10% ($40) is invested in expenses (i.e. travelling, postage, fuel etc) and then 30% ($120) is clear profit.”
Where’s the $ 224 that Suzie used to purchase the $ 400 in product? + shipping + tax on shipping?
Where’s the cost of “sales meeting” and gift that Suzie has to take, if a guest night?
$ 40 for expenses? I hope these people live close with $ 4 a gal for gas, because unless she took her entire inventory with her, she’ll have to make 2 trips, 1 for the class + 1 for delivery - plus did Suzie leave any books or pass out any choices cd’s? What about business cards, website, PCP gifts, hostess credit, cost of product used at the SCC, samples used at SCC or given to customers? All for $ 40?
And only 2 hours? They must have lived close – traveling to/from house to SCC location, and doing a SCC. Did Suzie have all of her stuff packed and ready to go to a SCC? What about time for preparing the orders, placing an order to the company, delivering the orders? Then you have to clean all your mirrors, re-stock your “ready to do a SCC” luggage, replenish your samples and applicators, all in 2 hours?
$ 120 clear profit – ugh, again, where did the $ 224 that Suzie used to purchase the $ 400 in product? + shipping + tax on shipping come from and who’s paying that?
And Sabrina, “Where else if you have so much inventory… you get AWESOME prizes!!!”
Google those “awesome” prizes and you’ll find out that you can purchase them yourself for a HECK of a lot less than purchasing inventory out the ying-yang! Our SD offered a prize for ordering $ 600 – I googled it and found it for $10 online. Heck yeah, you give me $ 154 and I’ll buy or give you $ 10 back – every day of the week!
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Oops, forgot about pre-profiling and calling all of the people invited to the SCC – Of course, Suzie would have done that and follow-up calls as well! Tick-tock, …
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Tam, you are telling it like it is! Don’t forget to add in Preferred Customer mailings, samples, class supplies, recruiting literature, Hostess gifts, the cost of unit dues and all those extra MK events that cost the IBC, but not her guests!
All of the above line the pockets of MKC or help your SD offset the costs of her unit.
You’ll be lucky to make 10% when you add up everything!
New IBC’s or those who are comsidering a career, ask your recruiter or her SD to show you their Schedule C so you can see how much money their business is costing them in comparison to what they are selling. I will bet you that 95% are showing a loss ( a tax write off) year after year!
Then after 3 years you are between a rock and a hard place. The IRS says if you don’t make a profit in 3 years you can consider MK a hobby , not a business. So do you continue to file your taxes and claim a write off, risking an audit? Or do you not claim your MK at all and risk the IRS auditing you because you bought enough or earned enough in prizes for MK to turn in a 1099 and you didn’t claim anything on your taxes!
That my friends is a double edged sword and believe me the IRS always wins! You lose!!!
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WOW
This company has been around for 45 years & I truly believe it does enrich women’s lives.I am 19 years old & have been in the company for 7 mos.i quit my job & working MK full time-whats full time?4-6hrs a day with an average of $200-$300 dollars a day(includes scc,facials,website orders & catalog sales.I f u are not motivated & don’t do the work then u can’t accomlish anything.nobody said u wouldn’t have to work but what could be more motvating than working for yourself?
also I forgot to mention those $200-$300 a day don’t include my 9 percent commission
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Are you selling $200 – $300 a day, J.E.T, or MAKING that much?
I’m betting that it’s the former. Which means your GROSS profit is $100 – $150 a day.
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Wow, MK math at it again. Poor poor folks. You have no clue.
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In response to:
Mim Says:
May 21st, 2008 at 5:45 pm
What’s most interesting is that any business has it’s business costs. Mary Kay is no different and as a consultant you have tax deductions because of having an in-home business. If the consultants attend new consultant training and business money management whether at a meeting or online, all of that information is shared. There is nothing hidden. The math is not fuzzy. Whether MK, an in-home daycare, lawn business, pool cleaning, etc., it just doesn’t matter…, it’s the cost of being an entrepreneur. Consultants are not employees and if you can’t handle the reality of owning your own business, don’t.
The “reality of owning your own business” is not shared to new consultants in black and white and isn’t fully understood until a person takes the plunge and begins consulting. Keep in mind that most entrepreneurs have education/degrees and necessary capital to start a business . MaryKay consultants are women picked up off the street who get glitter thrown in their eyes that they too can have a home business and be a salesman and it’s easy. Yes, the directors mention it takes work. Well duh, job’s do that. But what do you do when you don’t know anybody to sell to or the people you do know aren’t interested in buying and you are too honest a person to be pushy with your friends by telling them “please support me as your friend, this is my business.” Well, real businesses don’t rely on the pity of family members. It’s not just about can-do attitudes and credit-cards to buy inventory. Not everyone is cut out for this kind of work. Warm chatter and procuring new team members just gets people to “buy it before they try it” and when it doesn’t work they get accused of not working hard enough or knowing what they got into. Not fair!
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Bravo Amanda! Yes, Yes, Yes! When that happens, and YES, I said when, not if, then you are accused of not working your business, being lazy, negative, etc., by those “in the fog”. Oh, and all those wonderful friends you made, Buh-bye! They can’t / won’t be around a ‘negative’ person!
But I wonder how many of those who comment here, were told BEFORE they signed their agreement that they would make 50%? I was.
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I spent about two weeks reading everything I could find on the internet before I signed on to Mary Kay. I’m hoping to succeed for a few reasons:
1- I am not in this to make money. I just want to play with makeup and not loose my shirt. I’m hoping if I’m careful, I might get some of my product free, and hopefully most of it for a discount. All I really want is to make enough money to pay for my make-up and skin care products.
2- It took a lot of prying, but I did finally find out the truth. Yes, you have to pay sales tax! No, you can’t return most of the stuff (once you’ve been in business for a year you really can’t return anything.) You have to buy $400 worth of inventory every three months to keep your discount active (yes, it only costs $200 plus sales tax on everything, but still….) No, the prizes aren’t worth it. It’s true that if you buy enough stuff, you get 50% off (plus shipping and sales tax) and that you only have to order once in a 12-month period to stay as a consultant, BUT- if you only place orders a few times a year, and if you have a few friends who are willing to throw in with you, and if you really don’t care if you make money or not… I think it’s do-able.
3- It really doesn’t pay to recruit someone. Your clock immediately starts ticking. You have to make inventory minimums that get larger and larger to keep your team. As the pressure starts to build, it can be easy to buy more inventory than you really want or need in the hopes that next month will pay off. Worse, if you buy on credit, the interest rates begin gobbling your profit. I spoke to several EX-consultants who fell into this trap.
Why does Mary Kay work so hard to keep the real numbers out of our hands? What kind of business person would EVER invest in a business without a detailed cost analysis, debt structure, budget, advertising costs, overhead, etc… If a man were doing this he would think it was crazy. As I pushed for details about financial things, I kept hitting a pink marshmallow fluff wall that sounded like, “Mary Kay is FUN, Mary Kay is EASY, Thousands of women have SUCCEEDED and You Can Too!” Where are the numbers? Where are the hard facts? Before you order it, you can’t even get a detailed list of what is in the $100 starter pack!!! It’s crazy.
Now I’ve been spending time on the Mary Kay consultant’s web site, and some of it is incredible. There’s a whole section pressuring people to buy a special Mary Kay Director’s suit to wear to the seminars! Talk about hidden costs…. Yes, I know it’s not required, but the pressure to conform must be huge for a lot of women.
Sign me a slightly frustrated and bemused new MK consultant who will NOT be buying a suit or trying to earn a car.
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Why does Mary Kay work so hard to keep the real numbers out of our hands? What kind of business person would EVER invest in a business without a detailed cost analysis, debt structure, budget, advertising costs, overhead, etc… If a man were doing this he would think it was crazy. As I pushed for details about financial things, I kept hitting a pink marshmallow fluff wall that sounded like, “Mary Kay is FUN, Mary Kay is EASY, Thousands of women have SUCCEEDED and You Can Too!” Where are the numbers? Where are the hard facts? Before you order it, you can’t even get a detailed list of what is in the $100 starter pack!!! It’s crazy.
Bravo, Angela! You got past all the glitter and glamour and have it all figured out. MK does not sell or offer an opportunity. They SELL dreams and they certainly don’t teach the ladies how to achieve those dreams. WHY? Because their business model is designed to make THEM money, not the women they sell the dreams to.
My advice to you is to get out while you can, return your product to Mk and at least recoup 90% of what you have invested in the past year!
Another huge problem with MK is that they do not teach the IBC’s to PAY for what they use as personal use, demos, hostess gifts, door prizes, gift with purchase. Then they see what they are selling, but they haven’t paid for the toools they used to make those sales. That’s how the debt grows larger every month!
MK is a money pit, pure and simple!
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Hey Angela, it sounds like you’ve got it all worked out, which is awesome. I’m sure you’ll do well, you were smart enough to investigate what you were told and have a plan of action.
Why does Mary Kay work so hard to keep the real numbers out of our hands? – Angela
If consultants realized how little profit is out there no one would sign up top sell (or try to) the stuff. If you can’t recruit you can’t get promoted to higher commission levels and you’re stuck at a MAX 50% profit before expenses. Recruiters like to leave the expenses part out of the pitch.
Also, the 12 month return policy is not limited to your first year. Lots of people in MK don’t realize that.
You should join us in the forum, link above. There’s a section for active consultants and alot of great women both in & out of MK. They’ll be able to answer any questions you have that others won’t, we have very knowledgeable women here.
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Argh! Lipstick beat me again!
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I think some of you are just bitter. Some women join Mary Kay not just for the money, but for the opportunity and the ability to meet so many amazing women.
And you can get a list of what’s in the starter kit before you purchase it, you just didn’t bother looking.
Some of you must just want a job that everything will be handed to you, if that’s the case Mary Kay obviously isn’t for you in the first place. Mary Kay has blessed my life in so many ways, and Ive met amazing women along the way. It’s just a matter of having the drive and determination to get out there and get what you want.
The numbers, that’s all up to you. It shouldn’t be your business what another woman makes. You can make as much as you’re willing to try to make. It’s all on you.
Now I’m only 20, and I’ve been selling Mary Kay since I turned 18, and it’s been amazing. I make anywhere from 4,000 to 8,000 a month. And Im not even a director.
Personally I think that’s pretty good considering I only work about 10 hours a week. So say what you want, you are just bitter and uneducated about the real Mary Kay.
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Yep. I’m looking for a business to be handed to me.
Which is why, as a 25 year old single mom I own & run a business from my house that allows me to stay home with my kids.
PLEASE, hand something to me!!
Trolls like YOU make stupid, unbelievable claims about your income. And make no mistake: nobody believes you. Not even your SD, sweetie. When called on your BS, suddenly it’s none of anyone’s business how much you make. Yet you’re the one who brought it up.
I’m gonna use a big word here, so you may want to grab a dictionary.
HYPOCRITE.
Go troll somewhere else.
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And BTW, is it Gods way or MKs to come on a site to judge and insult a bunch of women you’ve never met??
Do you have to pay extra for that training on top of the fee for you unit meetings, or is it something you actually read in the bible?
Though I’ve gotta say, I doubt your ability to read anything more complicated than your MK scripts.
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BC, You Rock..keep on telling it like it is!
Marykaylady, send LJ your schedule C with your name, SS# and personal identification info blacked out to prove your exhorbitant claims of income and show us how your are spending your 10 hours a week or don’t bother posting such crap!
I bet we’ll never hear from you again, when challenged to prove your lies, most of you go away never to return…Hmmmmm the ball’s in your court!
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alright, I think everyone has made a point honestly. MaryKayLady, you have no business getting on here saying things like that. I understand how you feel that you must stand up for yourself and your business, but please, there’s no nonsense in some of the things you have said.
as far as everyone else, it really is the woman’s business how much she makes, if they want that private then so be it. It shouldn’t matter. Either you want to work for it or not, that’s my stand on it.
I have been with Mary Kay for 4 years now, and there are things about it I love, and things about it I hate. It really is totally possible to make good money once you have several recruits underneath you, and if you run into the right people. So I’m not so sure Id judge how much she makes either, cause she may very well be telling the truth. On the other hand she could just be making it up, but so be it ya know?
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and this is just mine!
God bless.
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it really is the woman’s business how much she makes
Hey pinklady46! Ordinarily I’d agree. We’re not the ones who bring up income. The issue that started this was wheter or not consultants clear the 50% commission advertised.
Then we get people like markkaylady making outrageous income claims, and when proof is requested/demanded, suddenly it’s “none of our business.”
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BC makes a good point and that is exactly why we ask proof. Most of us were “burned” by a lot of false claims and now that we know better, we have yet to have ONE , just ONE offer proof of the claimed income. To us this is just more MK bull crappola, not worth the time it takes to type a reply.
That’s why I say, back it up and prove it or don’t claim it! It’s really very simple! If Marykaylady really makes that kind of money after expenses, then she should be “proud” to prove it, if she is just blowing “pink smoke”, we’ll; never hear from her again.
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So, Marykaylady, where are you? Will you be the ONE who is telling the truth and not afraid to prove it? We are waiting……..
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Lipstick,
She may be back but suddenly her sales will have doubled and she`ll have grown 2 years younger! Though, if I were BSing I`d be more likely to take off 20lbs.
I`d love to see the ISPs, I have no doubt some of these trolls are the same poster over & over again with different screen names.
Or multiple personalities.
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Lipstick if I came on here and made 4000-8000 a month and was not a director I would not show a schedule c (or maybe I would) but I would darn sure be proud to tell you how i did it and break the hours down. If she is telling the truth that is something to brag about. As I said a week ago they dont come back and you know IM pro MK ..comeon PRO MK Ladies come back and prove it at least give a breakdown.
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Yeah, I’d sure like to hear how she did it too Colleen.
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Colleen, I agree with you, partially. Anyone who is MAKING (a profit) of $4000-8000
a month should be proud to present proof, at least lay out how many classes she had, how many hours she spent on the phone, preprofiling, setting up for classes, filling and delivering orders, what her class sales were, what her hostess gifts totalled, number of people in those classes, discounts given, total breakdown of everything to show that she made a PROFIT of those amounts in ANY month.
Even in MK math of making a profit at 40% of sales that would put her at retailing anywhere from $10,000-20,000 each month. I honestly don’t know anyone who can total their class supplies, samples, demos, PCP, Unit Dues, recruiting literature (these things are minimal) and only spend 10% of their total retail sales on these items alone. This doesn’t cover, MK events, product giveaways to get guests to come to events/meetings, hostess credit or gifts.
Even if she had 8 team members who were active each month and ordering $600 whoelsale, her commissions would only be $624 (at MAX 13%).
Anyone who has ever been in MK knows that even a SD who has 20% of her team ordering each month is rare. There are not that many consultants who consistently order each month.
She said she was not a SD so she isn’t making any more than 13% commission on her personal recruits wholesale orders and that means she is not making any commission on her own wholesale orders. Even at 50% profit which allows ZERO for any expenses, I say she is lying. She MAY have made that 1 month, but not consistently every month on only 10 hours a week (counting all time spent on anything MK)
Colleen, you are a smart woman, do the math, there is no way she is making that kind of profit monthly!
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I am joining just to get the discount for myself. I don’t plan to push the products. If family and friends want to order from me then that’s okay. I will surely spend the minimum to stay in active status on myself. So why not spend the $100 to get the discount?
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Lipstick,
I say everyone is innocent until proven guilty, I agree how many consultants make that type of money let alone directors. I hate to say this but they never come back to tell us how. If this woman (or man) has TONS of reorders and has a HUGE team and is doing this full time I can see this kind of income but not ONE with this type of income has come back to tell us how. I dont care about a schedule C if someone or a couple could come back and say how it would debunk the theories on this board. Im not here to debunk your board but you know I agree with a lot of women here about the misleading tactics that go on. You CAN make a living as a director if you are consistent and have been in for a while but Im still waiting to see the superstar consultant. PRO MK Ladies
this is my last call “prove the Lipstick wrong…”LOL Hey Lipstick I was just joking Ididnt mean anything personal by that. In all seriousness though have you seen the new MK red jackets they are nice. Gotta go see you all tonight
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Colleen, we love you and we respect the way you are respecful in making your comments. You are welcome any time. We are still looking for you in the forum!
Most of us have been in MK for many years before we quit, we never saw anyone making this kind of Super Star income either, thats why we push for the proof. We were all lied to or manipulatd in some way. All of us started out very upbeat, working hard to achieve the “dream”, but for many of us the “dream” turned into a nightmare.
You sound like a nice lady, just be wary of the pitfalls and the deceptive practices. When we meet you on the forum we will support you, but we sure would hate to see you in financial debt awakening from the pink fog and wishing you had listened to the voice of experience.
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Sarah, if you stick to your plan and don’t let anyone talk you into buying inventory you don’t have a prepaid order for, then you will be OK! Don’t be talked into ordering Limited Editon sets (before they run out) and don’t stock anything you don’t have a regular customer for and then only in a limited quantity.
You will be better off if you never attend Unit meetings and you only place an order when you have enough to make a wholesale order and everyone has already paid you for their product. Good luck!
If you want some more tips for staying out of debt click on the Forum button in the toolbar at the top of the page and read some of the posts. You will learn a lot! Good luck to you.
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i started selling mk 6 months ago.. Have not made under 4,000 a month.. Love doing make up.. I have 7 Recruits.
I don’t just buy a whole bunch of useless stuff to have in my inventory.. I already have an idea of what my customers need and what I personally recommend and if not well then they will have to wait for it. MK is a business for YOURSELF just because you were recruited that’s it.. It stops there and you have to make a name for yourself.. By the way I am only 20.
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Good for you. I am glad that it is working well for you. Bye the way…MK isn’t your business. It can be snatched away from you at any moment. You cannot do the advertising that you want or sell it where you want. You have to abide by their guidelines. I own my own healthcare business. I do what I want with my business. I advertise in any shape, form, or fashion with my business. You cannot do that. I wish you the best of luck. If it is working for you great. Because my business is awesome for me because I own it completely and you cannot say the same thing. Take care and Good luck.
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Yes you are right and that is why since I am 20 I don’t plan on doing this my whole life and plan on having my own business. I already have a very big list of clients and a good program, which i prefer not to say that works for me which I honestly can do without MK (although MK did help me get there and is helping stay there at the moment) Anyway, I am investing money into my own business and will not lose any of my clients and will continue to do the same things that I love to do.
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Mel, it sure would be nice if you would share this wonderful program that has worked so well for you. While it is too late for me, it may save another. There is no greater gift you can give somebody else than to help them up!
Helping another in no way brings you down, it only lifts you higher!
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Well for one you can’t be lazy your heart has to be in it and you have to be goal oriented.
I truly don’t think MK is for everyone but like i said I can do without it when I choose to opt out because I am going to stick to doing the same thing I do now.. Consultations, Facials, and selling make up and applying make up. I’ve already begun my makeup line which for a long time I’ve only used on myself and people have always asked about my skin but I am still not advertising it until everything is set..
I don’t think you should get into MK just for the money, I could have had a company car right now but i opted out and chose to save my money and buy myself MY car where I don’t have to worry about the company taking away from me.
As stated, if this is something that you think is going to be quick easy money you are wrong.
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Then WHAT should you get into it for?!
Isn’t Mary Kay marketed as a “business opportunity”? Well, the purpose of a business is to make money.
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Mel, I thought somehow you were going to be different than all the other pro-MKers. Your last post proved me wrong! You don’t know any of us, yet you automatically assume that MK didn’t work for us because, we were “lazy”, “our heart wasn’t in it and we weren’t goal oriented” and that we got into MK “just for the money” and that it would mean “quick easy money”
Obviously you haven’t read the posts because we all joined MK fully expecting that if we worked hard and listened to our SD we would make “some money”. We all worked our business and achieved different levels of “success” ranging from IBC to Red Jacket, Team Leader, car drivers, DIQ and SD’s. In the end we all realized that the money to be made in MK is not 40% of retail, but more like 20% of retail and you have to work your business 24/7 and/or recruit many women and frontload them with inventory.
The money we made turned out to be at minimum wage or less by the time we deducted the expenses and divided the profit by the number of hours spent “doing MK”.
I don’t for a minute think you are “making” $4000 a month in clear profit, in fact it would be rare in MK for one to sell $4000 retail every month or even 1 month, much les sell $8000.
If you’re doing well, I’m glad for you, I just asked that you share how you are able to do so well. In typical MK fashion you skirted the question and went into “atttack” mode listing all the shortcomings of women you don’t even know. MK is after all touted as a “go give” company, so I thought you might share your success story.
I do hope you have done a balance sheet to check what your business is actually bringing in after all the expenses. Good luck to you!
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Lipstick…Mel’s 20. That explains a lot.
We all think we’re pretty wise at 20.
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She didn’t come back or if she did she declined to reveal how she “makes” $4000 a month….Red Flag, Red Flag. I don’t believe a word she said.
We all thought we were pretty smart at age 20 TeeHeeHee! Actually it starts at age 13!
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Just so you know, I see a check in my parents mail box quite a bit when im over there checking it. I have seen countless times when her check is $8,000+! Now as for how she does it? I have no idea. All i know is she loves what she does, and she has a customer list and a team list ‘a mile long’.
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Let me give you a clue…it’s that mile long team list. Your mom is making money getting people to sign up and then buy thousands of dollars of inventory AND commissions on any sales those team members make.
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after reading all of your comments makes me weary if i should have studied MaryKay before diving into the bisness
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so sad now
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timely, if you feel you have made a mistake you can always have a 40% off sale with your friends and clients and then return the balance of your product to MK for 90% buyback. You would be eligible to return up to the wholesale amount you have purchased in the past 12 months.
For more details click on “Inventory Return” in the beige toolbar at the top of the page.
If you have more questions or are just searching for options and storeis about what other people have done , join us in the Forum. Click on the Forum button in the toolbar at the top of the page.
We talk about much more than MK. You’ll see topics on health, fitness, cooking, family, hobbies, current events, humor and much more. You’ll meet women who are warm, witty and very supportive. I hope to see you inside!
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Wow, can I just mention how mean some of the women/men are posting here? Chill out. Let people make their own decisions no matter how stupid you think they are. We each learn our own way, and if it takes a bad investment to do it then let it be. So many sites are dedicated to educating those in the pink fog–fogs eventually clear up with some rain…so let it rain when it’s time. I just see so much hatred on this site and others. If you truly want to educate others, don’t bash them — aggression only pushes others away.
I very much feel for those who were lied to by the company and for those who were lied to by their own “friends” in MK. I guess I just can’t pity those who can’t manage their money or are push-overs, which I am not assuming any of you women are. I see you all as women who truly tried the “opportunity” and were kicked severely hard for it, but there was a lesson learned regardless of its positive or negative connotations. Let others learn the hurt for themselves. It’s no good to try and shelter them before they learn a real-life hard lesson. Lessons are, after all, required for education.
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Hello SweetBriar,
I’ve read a lot of the posts on this site and have to disagree with you that there is agression, meanness or hatred displayed here. Yes, from time to time there is the odd person who comes in and throws down their opinion in a disrespectful matter and we may counteract to their rudeness a bit defensively. The women that are here have experienced a lot of atrocities in Mary Kay and know that the majority of women that get involved with the company are going to experience the same at some point during their business. You are completely right that women need to make their own mistakes and learn real life hard lessons. Personally, I came across this site before I signed my Mary Kay agreement but quickly disregarded everything I had read here because I needed to see for myself. Thats the truly unfortunate thing: Women do make their own decisions whether they are good decisions or not. I had heard the multiple horror stories here about the consultants who experienced such losses emotionally and financially, but those stories were overtaken by all of the manipulations from my sales director and recruiter. But thats okay, I lived and I learned just like so many of the women that will read the posts on this site, live them for themselves, and then come back to get the support of these fabulous women. What really blew me away once I decided to get out is how we come from all across North America (I myself live in Canada) yet have all experienced the exact same things. That just proves that its not just isolated to a certain area. This deception is actually the roots of the company and yes, you are right when you say that women need to learn this lesson on their own (and theres no doubt they will). We are all here for IBCs who are going through each stage of this deception for them to know that they are not alone and there are COUNTLESS others who have been there. And no, we are not here because we don’t know how to manage our money, didn’t work our business, or are push-overs. We are here because we know that Mary Kay is a fraud/deadend/moneypit and is truly not at all what they make it out to be. The members who post on this site are always respectful to those who come across in a kind manner. Its when people come in and judge our intentions and pretend they know what we are here doing and throw names around, that our guards go up, just like any other human being would when confronted in a disrespectful manner. Okay, I’ll “chill out” know. Thanks for your post.
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Sweetbriar…I only have one question for you. If it were your daughter, Mother, granddaughter, best friend who was the one who had to learn the lesson, wouldn’t you want somebody to forwarn them? Would you want somebody to sit on their hands and zip their lips thinking “WOW, she really needs to learn a lesson, I think I’ll just let her jump of the cliff without warning her!” That is what I would call mean spirited and negative.
We don’t try to make decisions for others, we just try to inform them before they make a decision (best case scenario) or give them a heads up to MK practices if they have already joined. And if by chance they have been one of the very few who have been successful without frontloading and using others, then, we of course applaud them and are happy for them!
Thanks for posting, I think I’ll go have a frosty drink now and “chill”.
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Haha, thanks for “chilling out”! Lipstick, if one of my relatives was about to take a dive then I’d just have to let them do it. I’ve lived with my grandparents for most of my life and they’ve always had me learn the hard way, but I thank them for it. I’m more easily able to pick out those who are deceptive and my decisions have been better for it. Now, if they did dive off the cliff then I would provide the trampoline at the bottom to catch them — but they should experience the fall themselves. If they couldn’t see the cliff signs/warnings then I can’t stop them from taking the plunge. I’m not saying anyone of you aren’t providing enough forewarning, but there are other signs people should have picked up on as well. I guess I just mean to say that signs will smiling faces on them are a lot easier to read.
Thanks for your comments though, and have a very nice evening!
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