Written by JTA

The end of the month is always around the corner. For those not in the know, Mary Kay directors DO have quotas and must have total unit production of at least $4,500 per month. If they miss a month, that is okay but they must make the minimum the following month. (Two misses in a row, and you’re no longer a director.) So directors, is it your ‘off’ month? Meaning, did you miss production last month, so you HAVE to make it this month? HAVE to hit $4,500 or you will lose your directorship?

In the past, that has meant that you pull out all the stops, like do a personal blitz where you warm chatter the free world and facial everyone you can, hoping to recruit one or some and bring them in with big inventory. Once in a while, that works.

Or you run a big promotion with your unit. Never mind that your unit is minuscule and doesn’t produce to begin with, which is why you keep having low numbers. So you run the end-all be-all promotion, and maybe a few people participate, but it is never enough.

What usually happens, though, is that you place the order yourself. Whatever is needed to get to the magic number of $4,500. Sometimes $800, sometimes $1,200, sometimes $2,000, I have even seen $3,700 before. Whatever the amount, it has nothing to do with what you sold. The amount you place is the amount needed to get to $4,500, period. You have spent thousands on these orders all in the name of keeping your title, keeping your unit.

Here is some food for thought for those of you who find yourself yet again in this insane cycle of self-destruction.

You bought into the “short-term sacrifice for long-term gain” thing, but how long are you going to sacrifice your family, your time with them, your financial future and security, your integrity? Have you been a Mary Kay director a while now? Hasn’t it been long enough? Is 5 years enough? 10 years?? Face reality that this will never change! Even if you’ve only been in a year, you’re conditioned to think it gets better, but it really doesn’t.

Think back to why you became a director in the first place. In working with many DIQs over the years, there are 2 reasons that almost all prospective directors have in common:

1. To “have it all” (meaning provide financially for their family while not sacrificing time away from them, i.e. keeping their priorities in order/have balance, etc.)
2. To help other women achieve the same

If you are spending thousands of dollars on product you don’t need, then you are jeopardizing your family’s financial future, plain and simple. If you are lying to your husband then that is, well, lying. If he does know, I guarantee he hasn’t been happy about it.

And with very few exceptions, directors do not make good money. Most make poverty level pay or below. Most, if not all, work insane hours. Think about it. How is your life balanced? How is this better for your family? Your children? Your relationships have suffered with all you care about. You do not make any money, and in short, you live a lie. Look at your 1099 from last year. Just look at it, and be honest with yourself.

As far as helping other women, who in your unit is actually making good money? If you are a senior director, are any of your offspring making good money? Do you have any that are on the make production/miss production merry go round? If so, have you discussed this with them, or do you just silently collect your commissions? No matter what, your involvement is not enriching anyone’s life, be very clear about that.

So these 2 reasons, while selfless, are in actuality just fluff and not real. They might have been your “why” in the beginning but if you will be honest with yourself, the REAL reason you put your loved ones in jeopardy and set your integrity aside every month to maintain an empty title is SELFISH PRIDE.

I hope that there is someone out there struggling this month that will see this and make the positive, family focused decision to NOT PLACE THAT ORDER. Get over yourSELF and focus on what is right and what is real. Don’t place that fake order this