She Built an Elevator: What Mary Kay Ash Teaches Business Owners About Finding Their Why
- Jan 31
- 3 min read
Credit and gratitude to the Unusual Tales Facebook account for sharing the powerful historical anecdote and source material that inspired this reflection.
There are moments in business stories that stop you cold…not because they’re dramatic, but because they’re decisive.
One month before launch day, Mary Kay Ash lost her husband at the breakfast table. Advisors told her to quit. Friends urged her to walk away. Logic, grief, and fear all pointed in the same direction.
She opened anyway.
That single decision tells us everything we need to know about purpose-driven leadership and why finding your why is the single most important act a business owner can commit to.
From Being Overlooked to Building Something Better
Before Mary Kay ever sold a lipstick, she spent 25 years proving herself in direct sales…only to be passed over twice for promotion by men she personally trained. The second time, the man earned double her salary.
Instead of hardening into resentment, Mary Kay did something far more powerful.
She wrote.
What began as a book for women navigating a hostile business world became two lists:
• Everything wrong with the companies she worked for
• Everything a dream company would do differently
That’s when clarity arrived.
She wasn’t writing a book. She was designing a business aligned with her values.
At AYM High Consultants, this is exactly where our work with business owners begins. Strategy is useless without intention. Systems fail without meaning. Real growth only happens when your enterprise reflects who you are and why you started.
Purpose Is the Fuel That Carries You Through Fear
Mary Kay invested her entire life savings ($5,000) into her vision. She secured a product, defined her philosophy, and partnered with her husband to launch Beauty by Mary Kay.
Then tragedy struck.
The business survived because the why was already bigger than circumstance.
Her belief was simple but radical: Women should not have to choose between family and ambition.
That belief shaped everything: compensation, recognition, flexibility, culture.
At AYM High, we call this mission alignment. When your why is clear, decisions get simpler, even when outcomes are uncertain.
Recognition Isn’t a Perk—It’s a Strategy
Mary Kay never forgot receiving an underwater flashlight as a prize for exceptional performance early in her career. It wasn’t just disappointing; it was dismissive.
So she rewrote the rules.
She created “Cinderella Gifts.” She celebrated success loudly. And eventually, she turned recognition into a symbol.
The pink Cadillac wasn’t about luxury. It was about visibility.
It was a rolling reminder that achievement deserves acknowledgment.
As business owners, we often underestimate the power of recognition, of our teams and of ourselves. Growth accelerates when people feel seen. Momentum builds when effort is honored.
The Bumblebee Principle—and Your Business
Mary Kay loved the bumblebee: Aerodynamically, it shouldn’t be able to fly. But it does anyway.
At AYM High, this is what we see in our clients every day.
Business owners told their industry is “too competitive.” Too small. Too late. Too risky.
And yet, they fly anyway.
Not because the math says it should work……but because purpose bends the rules.
She Didn’t Just Break the Glass Ceiling
When Mary Kay passed away, Mary Kay Cosmetics spanned dozens of countries, empowered hundreds of thousands of women, and reshaped an entire industry.
But her true legacy wasn’t revenue or recognition.
It was opportunity.
She once said: “Pretend that every person you meet has a sign around their neck that says ‘Make Me Feel Important.’”
That philosophy built more than a company. It built confidence. Capacity. Courage.
She didn’t just break the glass ceiling. She built an elevator.
Your Invitation to Soar
At AYM High Consultants, our mission is rooted in the same belief that guided Mary Kay Ash:
📌 When business owners discover their special why,
📌 Align their operations with purpose,
📌 And lead with clarity, recognition, and courage…
They don’t just survive.
They soar.
If you’re standing at a crossroads, questioning whether to keep going, whether your idea is “enough,” whether you are enough, remember this: The most powerful answer to being underestimated isn’t anger. It’s building something that opens doors for others…starting with yourself.
Let’s find your why and help your business fly.
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Empowering business owners to align purpose, profit, and possibility
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Fahim Mojawalla is the Motivation and Mission Lead at AYM High Consultants. He loves what he does and would love to show you how to make 21st century sales and marketing easy, simply by being authentic, appreciative, respectful, responsive, empathetic, collaborative, and all-around awesome. Along with his wife Seema, he is an effervescent co-owner of Island Ship Center, the Spa of Shipping.
