Mary Kay Ash

After decades in direct sales, Ash quit when a man she had trained was promoted over her, and in 1963 started Mary Kay Cosmetics in Dallas with 5,000 dollars of savings and her son Richard Rogers running the finances. The model was direct selling through independent beauty consultants, motivated by recognition and the famous pink Cadillacs. Direct selling has critics over how few consultants earn much, which is worth weighing, but the company grew into a billion-dollar private business.