A few years ago I was invited to attend a Mary Kay party by a parent of one of the kids I see in my clinic, so I decided to go. I had a fun time at the party and really liked the products that I was able to try so I made a big purchase. During the party the women talked about why she opened her Mary Kay business and the main reason was her kids!
Both her and her husband worked full time and were able to pay the bills but when they realized they wanted better opportunities for their kids they wished they had more money. When they realized their child needed speech therapy they really wished they had the money to find a provider who could provide the best services and not just some person off the insurance list. This is when she started selling Mary Kay!
The profits she earned hosting a few parties a month was enough to pay for the therapy services her son needed, and other extra curricular she was not able to afford. She said she was just so grateful that she was able to have the freedom and flexibility to work when she wanted to so she could provide the best opportunities for her kids.
The next few nights while washing my face I thought about her story and how financial struggles are something I talk about with families in my clinic everyday. Families who want and need more services for their child but can’t afford it. That’s when it clicked, this might be an opportunity for a lot of the families I was working with. So I mentioned it to a few people and told the original women I was doing this and what a great idea it was. This is when she suggested I try selling the products too.
While I already was running Joy and Laughter Developmental Therapy, I didn’t really want to take on another job. But I thought I was already promoting the Mary Kay business opportunity. She told me if I started my own Mary Kay Business I could make money on the products I sold, which was nice but I didn’t need the money I wanted to share hope with other women that with a little extra work they could offer their children opportunities. Then I realized I could donate the profits I made.
At the end of 2016, I opened an scholarship fund in my therapy business called JLD Cares. This is where I donate the profits from my Mary Kay business. Parents who need services in the clinic who can not afford them can apply for the scholarship. While I have not been very active in my business last year I gave away over $1,500 in scholarship money. The more people purchase from me the more I can give the the kids in my clinic, but I can also talk to women outside the clinic about a fun way to provide opportunities to their families.