Seeing diamonds. Independent National Sales Director Emeritus Bettye Bridges couldn’t understand why she was initially approached to be an Independent Beauty Consultant. She didn’t wear any makeup, and she sure wasn’t going to sell it. Then she attended a Mary Kay independent sales force meeting in Chicago and saw a woman rewarded with a diamond ring. “I thought, ‘Wow! You can earn jewelry!’ I didn’t start my Mary Kay business for the opportunity or the product. I did it for the jewelry!” laughs Bettye.

After 27 years with her Mary Kay business, Bettye earned the top title in the Mary Kay independent sales force: Independent National Sales Director. She sparkles with the knowledge and wisdom she has gained over the years, especially the lessons she learned from Mary Kay Ash herself. “I have a picture of Mary Kay handing me my first set of Career Car keys onstage. I could never give up because Mary Kay told me I could do it. She was such a powerful woman and a great humanitarian.”

Bettye proved to be an astute student of Mary Kay’s lessons. She was blessed with a teacher’s heart and the gift of nurturing others. “The Mary Kay opportunity can help you become a better mother, a better daughter, a better wife. It’s the greatest self-help program in the world.” Some of the leadership skills Bettye developed were the ability to build lasting relationships, inspire others, how to be solution-conscious and how to develop strategies with integrity. “All of these skills were developed through trial and error, so most of the time, I taught from example and not just precept. I learned that ‘people don't really care how much you know until they know how much you care,’” Bettye explains.