The number one corporate strategy is to “amplify the soul” of the company. Mary Kay
has not only “let the culture be,” the Company has gone to extra lengths to make the heart
of the Company the focus of international education and development. While the
lucrative nature of the Mary Kay marketing plan would seemingly be sufficient, that’s not
enough. It’s not enough, Whatley says, that a woman can earn potentially at 100 times the
average per capita income of her country. This success works so much better and lasts
longer when it is applied according to Mary Kay’s founding principles. In 1963 when
Mary Kay Ash stressed her Golden Rule style of doing business, it was a foreign concept to even a U.S.-based company. Today, that style is so celebrated that a recent newsletter
took the time to spell out how the Golden Rule translates into all the major cultures and
faiths of the world. There is always the emphasis on what Mary Kay saw as, “belief in the
beautiful potential of women” that also drives Mary Kay’s global success. Once the sales
force understands the Mary Kay culture, adapting business systems to the customs and
mores of each new country becomes a much simpler process. But it is never simple.