Here’s what a current Mary Kay sales director posted on social media:

I also am an Indpendent (sic) Sales Director with Mary Kay Cosmetics. I quit my full-time job more than 2 years ago and I’m making an executive income while working from home with my Mary Kay business. It’s amazing and more info can be found through my website: xxxxxxxxxxx.

Being the curious type, I immediately set out to determine just how “executive” this income of hers was….

• Surely this director is listed in Mary Kay’s Applause magazine, right? After all, the bottom monthly incomes in Applause range around $5,000 to $6,500, for an annual gross income of $60,000 to $78,000. Surely this director must be making that or more if she’s calling it “executive,” right? Well, she’s not in Applause.
• What about her unit production? Is that at an executive level? Well her production was $4,500 wholesale a couple of months ago, which gives her a commission check of about $900 in the best case scenario. That’s a whopping $10,800 of income a year before expenses. Doesn’t sound executive to me!
• What about her goals? Maybe her goals are executive and that’s what she really means! This seminar year, her goal is to be in the $300,000 unit club. At that level of production, her monthly commission checks would be around $3,000. That’s $36,000 a year. Not even close to executive. (And you know if this is her “goal,” then this is a level she’s never come close to achieving.)
• The unit is referred to as a “Premier Club Unit,” which would mean minimum production averaging $9,500 wholesale per month. At this level, the sales director would be making about $24,000 a year. Not executive!
• This sales director also has a goal of becoming a pink Cadillac unit. She’s not there yet, however. And the typical Cadillac driver makes about $40,000 gross commission each year. That’s not executive either.

All signs point to this sales director not even being close to an executive income in Mary Kay. Why then, does she say she’s making an executive income? It’s standard fare for participants in pyramid schemes.

Potential Mary Kay recruits, when you hear a line like “I work from home and make an executive income,” please ask to see their tax returns. If they’re using a statement like this to lure you into the business, then surely they’d be more than happy to provide proof of the statement.