Redmond resident Judy Brack has achieved the status of Mary Kay Independent National Sales Director. Throughout the company’s 46-year history, approximately 500 women worldwide have held the title.
A native of a small town in Wisconsin, Brack started her Mary Kay business in 1981 in Eugene, Ore., moved to Mercer Island in 1986 and has lived in Trilogy at Redmond Ridge for the past three-and-a-half years. Compared to other places she’s lived, Brack said, “people here smile more and are very helpful.”
Such qualities helped Brack to win Mary Kay’s Go-Give Award in 2003. The award recognizes “an independent sales force member who exudes generosity, warmth and dedication to the Golden Rule philosophy of treating others as you would want to be treated,” according to a press release. She also has earned the use of 10 pink Cadillacs through her leadership and business-building skills.
Before her children were born, Brack worked with medical insurance claims, teaching people how to switch from paper record-keeping to electronic records.
“I learned that the best way to train is to work side-by-side with them. Don’t lord it over them,” she explained.
A personal tragedy, her brother’s murder, reinforced Brack’s notion that family comes first. When she was ready to explore new types of work, she wanted flexibility to be with her husband and kids. She met a Mary Kay representative and liked the company’s mission to promote women’s self-esteem.
“I started teaching skin care, how to prevent blemishes, to Camp Fire Girls. Then their moms and grandmothers would get interested,” Brack said.
By networking with old and new friends, her business grew, even as her life became more stressful. Her dad had a stroke the same day that Mary Kay founder Mary Kay Ash did, and Brack found out what it felt like to be part of the “sandwich generation,” caring for children and elderly parents simultaneously.
“It’s been great to see ‘my gals’ having babies and going through changes in their own lives,” Brack continued, referring to the Mary Kay representatives that she has mentored “all up and down I-5 and out to Spokane.”
She now oversees 37 Mary Kay directors, each helping other women to discover the benefits of selling on their own schedules.
“When you get to choose when you work and who you work for, it’s exciting,” Brack noted. “I can’t lose my lease, working out of my home, and I have an incentive to do well. The best part is the people, getting to meet people. I always see myself as not in sales, but educating. It’s easy to be great in sales but you have to excel in how you handle your customers. These are ladies from 18-108.”
Another advantage to selling Mary Kay, is that you can decide which products you want to handle, said Brack.
“Start with what you use,” Brack advises newcomers. “You sell your face, pick your own inventory. …We had a nun on Mercer Island who did skin care and sent us glamour clients. With boating here, we do a lot of sun screen. Even men here like our eye cream to avoid crow’s feet.”
The Mary Kay Web site allows visitors to try on “virtual make-up,” Brack added. To learn more, go to www.marykay.com or call 1-800-MARY-KAY.
