About a year ago, Trudy Toche decided she wanted to set an example for her two teen sons. She wanted them to see their mom do something “really big.”
And that’s exactly what she did. In August, at the Mary Kay Cosmetics annual seminar conference in Dallas, Toche was crowned the company’s top salesperson for the year. To put that in perspective, Mary Kay has 2.5 million consultants, as it terms its salespersons.
By any measure, that qualifies as “really big.”
But this did not happen by chance. It was the result of hard work.
“Anything worthwhile, you have to work for in life,” she said. Her message: “Set a goal, don’t quit.”
In part, that meant remaining confident and adopting the right attitude.
“I stay in a positive mindset,” Toche said. “I don’t deal with negativity or drama.”
It also meant sacrifice, keeping priorities straight.
“I haven’t watched TV in two-and-a-half years,” Toche said. “Last year, anything that did not serve my goal or my family, I didn’t have time for it. … I said no to a lot of things. A lot of Jags games. A lot of invitations. A lot of fun stuff that I like to be a part of.”
Indeed, there were days when she felt like quitting but didn’t. There were days she cried, but she still didn’t quit.
“I rose above,” she said. “I say grit and grace carried me to the top.”
The grit was something she contributed. The grace was something given to her.
“My faith is important to me,” she said. “All things are possible with God, and I give Him all the credit.”
This achievement did not happen overnight. Toche has been selling Mary Kay cosmetics and building her business for 19 years, though being number one wasn’t what initially motivated her.
“I just love the business,” she said.
And her success is no doubt the result of how well she takes care of her customers, some of which have been with her for the whole 19 years.
“We are really interested in customers for life, not just a one-time sale,” she said.
And that customer service is easy to deliver, she said, because the company backs its consultants 100%.
Mary Kay is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. The privately held, faith-based U.S. company is headquartered in Dallas. It was started in 1963 by Mary Kay Ash, in part to provide business opportunities for woman at a time when men dominated the workplace.
And its practices are based on the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Its priorities, according to Toche are: “God first, family second and career third.”
“Mary Kay taught us that P&L is not ‘profit and loss,’” Toche said. “It’s ‘people and love.’ … This is a fun business. I have the ability to help another individual look and feel beautiful.”
As she worked toward her goal, Toche said, she had a lot of people cheering for her.
“When you have a big goal, people want to be a part of it,” she said. “Because it’s exciting.”
Her sons shared in her efforts. One would help her with deliveries while the other would make client-care calls, thanking people for supporting their business.
And when she walked across the stage to receive her award, both boys were right next to her.
She’s thankful, too, for all those customers who helped her to win that crown.
“I’m very grateful to my clients, because they can buy cosmetics anywhere,” she said.
In achieving this goal, Toche becomes an inspiration not just to her sons, but also to anyone who wants to excel at something.
“Anything’s possible,” she said, “if you just believe, no matter what it is in life. For me, it’s Mary Kay, but whatever it is. That thing that you’ve always wanted to do. Losing weight, running a marathon, going back to school, getting that degree, getting that certificate — whatever it is. And all those you see who are at the top of their game? They all had adversity. Nothing was easy.”
