Dallas Morning News:
Paula Steele, 37, had quit her job managing apartments in the Washington area to be a stay-at-home mom with her new baby. Unfortunately, her maternity leave was cut short when her husband lost his job last November. Needing to find supplemental income for her family, she turned to one thing she knew well: makeup.
“Women have to wear lipstick; it is probably the one thing women are not willing to do without,” Steele said.
Addison-based Mary Kay has seen a 200,000, or 10 percent, increase in its independent sales force since this time last year, breaking the 2 million mark worldwide.
Some of the new faces to Mary Kay, like Steele, are attending the cosmetics company’s annual seminar, whose sessions began Thursday and end Aug. 1. The event will bring more than 35,000 sales consultants to Dallas.
Steele, whose family relocated to Pittsburgh, is attending her first seminar, wearing a Queen of Sales ribbon. She said she works 20 to 25 hours per week, and the flexible hours are a boon to the family.
“I love being at home with my daughter,” Steele said. “I can work around library time or play group time or whatever it is for my family.”
Logo from Mary Kay