College to career. As a college student, Independent National Sales Director Janis Z. Trude was preparing herself for a nursing career. Her part-time Mary Kay business helped her earn extra money each month, but Seminar 1983 changed her course forever.

“I can honestly say that if it weren’t for that Seminar, I would not be where I am today,” says Janis, a former competitive athlete and tomboy who wore no makeup or dresses. “It gave me the big picture. I saw women with tremendous obstacles in their lives who were earning the use of career cars and being rewarded with diamonds.”

Seven months later, Janis debuted as an Independent Sales Director with 54 unit members and her first pink career car. She reached the $900,000 Circle of Excellence before becoming an Independent National Sales Director 10 years later.

“For me, this has been a wonderful journey,” Janis says. “It was a great life for a single woman, at the beginning, as I was when I started my business, and it is just as wonderful for a mother, as I was able to be there for my kids.”

Today, Janis is proud that both of her children came home from the hospital in pink Cadillacs. “As I look back on my journey, I know that becoming an Independent Beauty Consultant right out of college was the best decision I ever made.”