Mary Kay’s Pink Cadillacs: How the Cosmetics Guru Built an Empire by Truly Caring for Her Staff

How the Mary Kay Inc. founder was motivated to grow her business, not by profit, but by lifting up the spirits of her employees

Mary Kay Ash, founder of the cosmetics brand Mary Kay, was known for starting an incentive program whereby she would gift her company’s top five saleswomen with Pink Cadillacs. Biba Kayewich for American Essence

“My girls didn’t like me having a Cadillac,” said Beverly Fox, a former independent sales director for Mary Kay Inc. “It was too big; they were embarrassed.” Although her children may not have fully appreciated the luxury they were basking in, Fox—now 83—has fond memories of working at the cosmetics company during the late 1970s. Her greatest source of pride was not, as it turns out, owning a coveted Pink Cadillac. It was meeting Mary Kay Ash.

“She would invite all the consultants to her home,” Fox remembered. “That was back when the company was still small enough to do that.” Fox recalled, in particular, the sunken marble bathtub that she and her coworkers would sit in to have their pictures taken.

Even 50 years later, Kay remains a source of inspiration for Fox. “She was a wonderful lady with very good morals, good principles. She always lifted you up.” Fox’s sentiments have been echoed by thousands of other women over the decades, grateful for the chance to participate in the American Dream.

Offering Opportunities

Ms. Kay Ash grew up shouldering a lot of responsibilities in the household—which translated to an incredible grit that
served her well as an entrepreneur. (LizaKoz (CC0 BY 4.0, CreativeCommons.org/publicdomain/by 4.0))

Mary Kay Ash is, perhaps, the most iconic businesswoman in American history. But her humble origins showed little indication of the success she would become. Born Mary Kathlyn Wagner in 1918, she had to take on responsibility at a young age. While her mother worked 14 hours a day, 7-year-old Mary was taking care of her invalid father, making dinner, and riding street cars alone to go shopping. Though these early years were hard, Kay’s mother would fill her with confidence by always telling her, “You can do it!”

Kay would later pass on this winning attitude to her beauty consultants. In her mid-40s, after a 25-year career as a saleswoman, she decided to go into business selling her own skincare products. Then, a month before she planned to launch the company, her husband George suffered a fatal heart attack. With support from her sons—including one who donated his entire life savings—Kay persevered against the advice of both her attorney and accountant, both of whom warned that she would soon be ruined. In 1963, she opened “Beauty by Mary Kay.”

She worked out of a small Dallas storefront with nine consultants. Her main business goal was not initially monetary, but moral. As she says in her autobiography, “Miracles Happen: The Life and Timeless Principles of the Founder of Mary Kay Inc.,” she wanted “to give women the opportunity to do anything they were smart enough to do.” As the company expanded, she experimented with motivating her salespeople by dangling carrots. One early idea was awarding top sellers with gold-plated goblets. Then, in 1969, she hit upon the Big Carrot—an idea that has since become world-famous.

Sharing the Wealth

Biba Kayewich for American Essence

Pink Cadillacs were not always associated with Mary Kay. When she ordered her first one in 1967, Elvis already owned three—including the Fleetwood Series 60, painted a bright shade now known as “Elvis Rose.” But Kay’s would be unique: She told the General Motors dealership to make the pink paint job on her Coupe de Ville match the light coral tone of the “Mountain Laurel” makeup she was carrying with her.

Kay was not one to live large while her employees toiled away at thankless jobs, barely able to make ends meet. She believed that when the workers are successful, that reflects on the manager. To this purpose, she established the Career Car Program in 1969, awarding her five top saleswomen with Coupe de Villes.

Kay herself spent years as a salesperson; she knew how difficult it could be and always let her own salespeople know how much she appreciated their hard work. When office workers asked why they were ineligible to earn Cadillacs, she encouraged them to understand that they only had jobs because the product was selling and to always treat the beauty consultants like royalty.

Since launching the Career Car Program over 50 years ago, approximately 170,000 dedicated salespeople have qualified to use a VIP automobile. Though this seems like a large number, according to the Mary Kay website only 1 percent of independent beauty consultants achieve this incentive after being promoted to sales director.

Pursuing Excellence

One of Kay’s other business principles is “pride contributes to morale.” The Pink Cadillac has been called a trophy on wheels, and for good reason—for Kay and her sales force, it is a symbol of excellence. Kay believed that the car inspired pride. “You’ll rarely see one dented or even dirty,” she wrote in her business book, “Mary Kay on People Management.”

Last year marked the 60th anniversary of Mary Kay Inc.’s founding. Now a Fortune 500 Company, there are millions of independent beauty consultants in almost 40 countries—a far cry from the original nine working out of a 500-square-foot storefront.

The Coupe de Ville is no longer in production. Qualifying salespeople today, however, have a fleet of different cars to choose from, including an Escalade, as well as various Chevrolet models. However, there are more than 1,000 Pink Cadillacs in active service, all testifying to the passion and perseverance Kay helped inspire in others.

Ms. Kay Ash in her pink Cadillac with her dog Gigi, at her home in Dallas, Texas. Barry Lewis/Alamy Stock Photo

From “Pearls of Wisdom With Mary Kay Ash”

8 Rules of Success:

1.  A Feeling of Being Lucky
   “Feel lucky—you are!”
2.  Be A Dreamer
   “It’s been said that if you can dream it, you can do it. … Before your dream can become a reality, you’ve got to see it in your mind.”
3.  Hard Work
   “I don’t know anybody who ever succeeded magnificently who did it working 8–5. If you read the success stories of all the successful business people, you will find they … work until they achieve whatever it is they want.”
4.  Do It Now
   “You have got to have a sense of urgency. … Do it today, don’t put it off until tomorrow.”
5.  Enthusiasm
   “Somebody said act enthusiastic and you will become enthusiastic, and it’s true!”
6.  Attitude
   “Be a risk taker. Remember that nothing is ever going to go just exactly right—that’s life. Don’t be afraid to fail, remember we fail forward to success.”
7.  High Self Esteem
   “We’re all different—each of us are one of a kind. God planted the seeds of greatness in every single person and they’re there, all you have to do is reach down within yourself and bring those beautiful seeds into fruition.”
8.  Believe in God
   “You have to have a belief in God, you’ve got to plug into that source of power that never fails.”

This article was originally published in American Essence magazine.