So Why the Pink Biz?

While nobody has actually come right out and asked me this question, I know that many a family/friend have wondered about this new venture. So let me address a few questions:

Are you still coaching actors?

Are you still teaching parent/child music?

Can you really make money selling Mary Kay?

I first began selling Mary Kay because I needed to bring in an extra couple hundred dollars a month. I was already using the product, and have always been into skin care and cosmetics. So, for those reasons alone, the business was a good match. I knew that I needed to find part time work that would allow me to stay home with my kids, rather than leaving them with a sitter after school on a daily basis. One of my dreams, and this could still happen one day, would be to stay home and write all day - but to date, noone has come forward to say, "Hey! Here's $50. Blog today!"

Due to some shifts in our family life, and namely the conviction that I was spending the best hours of my children's day (outside of school) away from them while I coached other children for auditions, I knew that I needed to make a change. So, to answer question number one:

No, coaching is not my mainstay any longer. In all honesty, I have retained 5 clients. Five out of 20 or so. But, that is all.

To answer question number two: I am still teaching parent/child music classes at one location, and thanks to Mary Kay, will be adding a pink electric guitar sound to the mix.

The interesting part of all of this is how surprised I am by the way Mary Kay has captured my interest and my heart. It is truely a business designed to empower women. Mary Kay empowers us to build personal businesses, but not with a "Good luck with all that" approach. They provide the tools we need to succeed: great products, training, conferences, encouragement, friendships, ideas, recognition. And yet, ultimately, I can either CHOOSE to work or CHOOSE not to work. I don't have to attend trainings. I don't have to educate myself on the products. I don't have to call my customers for follow up or contact potential new customers for appointments.

The choice is mine.

I must realize, however, that if I don't show up for work, nothing gets done.
I have noone else to blame. I must take ownership. I haven't felt this way since leaving the world of auditioning and performing, where I had to put forth my best effort to get that next job. Noone could get the gig for me then. The same is true here. I am personally responsible.

I think all women need to experience an entrepreneurial venture. I hear so many say, "Oh, I could never do that." It's so easy to put oneself down, isn't it?
Harper wrote me a card the other day which read, "Mary Kay rocks and it believes. It's a party, y'all!" Does she see that Mom is feeling motivated in this new venture and has begun to experience a bit of a resurge of energy by tackling something new? Or does she merely see that Mom is now home after school, cooks creative meals, eats dinner with the family and runs a great "Bedtime Cafe" before bed, complete with snacks and books? What is it about Mary Kay that "rocks" in my daugher's opinion? Honestly, I think it's that Mom is HERE!

So, while I began this business with the hopes of just making a few extra hundred a month, and yes, I have made money by just selling the product (question number 3), I have now turned a corner and am committed to embracing this business further. I want to build a team. I want to train others. I want to continue building a business that I run on my schedule, in my home, with my family by my side.

Mary Kay is so much more than just skin care and cosmetics. I now see this after my 6month run. And while it is not rocket science, don't be fooled by the pink. It does take an effort to run this business.

And what of any value doesn't take effort?