Chatham Patch:
Chatham resident Mary Lord found her dream job in an unexpected place: a cosmetic bag.
The business woman and busy mom was honored Monday evening at the Short Hills Hilton for her recent promotion from independent beauty consultant to director with Mary Kay.
The successful saleswoman began her journey in the beauty business almost by accident.
“My friend was an independent beauty consultant and asked me be a model for training at the Mary Kay training session,” she said. “I went and fell in love with the products. I always used high-end products and was surprised at how Mary Kay made my face feel, and was shocked at the reasonable price point.”
The effervescent entrepreneur began her business as all indepedendent consultants do: with a $100 starter kit and unlimited potential.
Lord admits she had to get past her initial ambivalence about “selling lipstick,” but once she did, she tapped into her new social network: Her children’s friends’ moms.
“I thought, I’ll do this for one year and quit before my New York City friends find out,” she said, laughing again. “I started my business in 2005, and worked in my spare time three to five hours a week. As my children grew, so did my business and I worked 10 to 15 hours a week.
“As a new director, I work 25 to 30 hours a week. I started my business with 20 customers and have steadily increased my business. Today I have over 400 customers.”
Logo from Mary Kay