She went from $5,000 to billions, armed with only her own determination.

Mary Kay Ash of Mary Kay Cosmetics seems the epitome of glitz and glamour. With her penchant for pink and sparkly everything, it’s hard to believe she ever lived a life that was anything but luxurious. However, her beginnings were very humble and her success came almost by accident.

Mary Kay was born in Hot Wells, Texas in 1918. Her mother worked as the manager of a restaurant. At the age of 7, it fell to her to cook and take care of her father, who fell ill with tuberculosis.

When she was 17, she married her first husband, Ben Rogers. When Ben left to serve in World War II, Mary Kay went to work in direct sales to help support their three children. Upon Ben’s return, he informed Mary Kay he wanted a divorce.

Armed with determination, Mary Kay left her first direct sales job for a better opportunity at Stanley Home Products, where she held parties in private homes and gave demonstrations.

It was at one of these parties that Mary Kay first met Ova Heath Spoonemore, the daughter of the Arkansas tanner responsible for the formulas in Mary Kay Cosmetics. During the party, Ova handed out jars of her homemade skin care to all in attendance, including Mary Kay.

In 1963, Mary Kay decided she’d had enough of seeing men she had trained being promoted over her. She quit her job and decided she was going to write a book to help women navigate the male-dominated workforce. She sat down and made two lists. One contained all of the things companies were doing right and one contained all of the things they were doing wrong.

When she finished the list, she realized she had inadvertently created a marketing plan for the perfect company.

Mary Kay purchased the formula for Ova Heath Spoonemore’s lotion. With her entire life savings and her son, Richard Rogers, Mary Kay set out to create the perfect company for women that would provide them with opportunities for career growth, while still being able to take care of their families.

Part of the success of Mary Kay Cosmetics was her adoption of the Golden Rule as her philosophy. She firmly believed that the best course of action, in any situation, was to treat others the way you want to be treated.

“When we began in 1963, we meant to change the lives of a few people. Instead, we changed the world.” – Mary Kay Ash

Mary Kay didn’t just stop at enriching women’s lives through work. She also started The Mary Kay Foundation, which is committed to ending domestic violence and cancers affecting women. Mary Kay Cosmetics also partners with The Girl Scouts® and Habitat for Humanity® to inspire and teach girls all around the world. The company supports a number of other charities and initiatives across the globe, all in an effort to make a difference in as many lives as they can reach.

Today, Mary Kay Cosmetics is worth billions of dollars and has been on the Forbes 500 list. Mary Kay really is a shining example of how a little happenstance and a lot of hard work can lead you to success. She is an inspiration to women across the world and proves that anything is possible.

A penny for your thoughts!