Having a fabulous time. Ask Independent National Sales Director Emeritus Andrea Scott how she is, and you are bound to hear her reply, “I am fabulous!” She’s telling the truth. After a bumpy beginning of “perfect starts and perfect stops,” this dynamic leader reached the pinnacle position in her Mary Kay business in less than 10 years. She was the youngest African American woman to ever debut as an Independent National Sales Director and certainly one of the happiest.

“I genuinely love people. I have a heart for women and a desire for them to become so much more than they already are. I invested myself into working with others and felt blessed to watch their self-esteem rise.” According to Andrea, all women are special, regardless of whether they come into the business with a large or small investment. “I started my Mary Kay business with a minimum initial inventory, so I know it can be done.”

A trained singer and performer, Andrea says she had a vision when she was younger of standing on a stage. “People were cheering me and applauding me, but I couldn’t see who the audience was because of the bright lights. I always assumed that it meant I would be a star! The minute I attended my first Mary Kay Seminar, I understood that it meant I would be an Independent National Sales Director. The position was waiting for me, I just had to step into it.”

Andrea hopes her story inspires others who occasionally find themselves struggling with their Mary Kay business. Now, as an NSD Emeritus, Andrea reflects, “After 26 years, I have grown and progressed in the way I view my role as a leader. My sincere hope is that I have taught my area members way more than book, sell and recruit. My prayer is that they have learned that they are and always will be stars, and Mary Kay just provided the right environment for their stars and lights to shine brightly! It’s what’s inside of them that will create the success they desire. I pray that I have shown them how to love people unconditionally, to see beyond the mask that many women wear and to see inside their hearts, to listen to people so they can know how to serve them, to do what’s right, even if it means giving up a sale or a team member, to invest in their own personal growth and development, to make women feel special and to keep God first, honoring Him in all they do.”

Andrea is looking forward to partnering with her husband to “change the lives of couples, families and women in a meaningful and long-lasting way. I bring with me the ability to think bigger than what seems possible, to find a need and fill it and to lead by example,” Andrea adds. “I am a work in progress, and though my journey with Mary Kay has come to an end, I am thankful for the ups and downs, because they helped me to grow and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”