Building lives with make-up a the mortar. That’s part of the mission Melissa knows God has created for her through this Mary Kay vehicle. Starting her business in the fall of 1995, Melissa was working full-time as director of a statewide drug-free youth group empowering young people to make positive life-decisions. Seeing the potential with Mary Kay, but doubting her capacity to succeed in a cosmetic company which she didn’t wear, and barely washed her face, she decided to give it a three month ‘semester’ trial in leu of graduate classes which she had been taking. Her hope: someday she might want to have kids and have the option to work from home, while having influence and an outlet that would allow her to use her gifts and build others. It seemed unlikely.

 

After her first three months she was on-target to earn her first car (a red Grand Am) and had been making about $1000 monthly working about 8-10 hour weeks. The job she had loved, the funding kept getting cut and she finally decided that her desire to be an advocate for youth was becoming more of a bureaucrat and with her husband’s encouragement she made the leap to make Mary Kay her career!

 

She worked 15-25 hours/week and found herself earning her car about 8 months into her business, and one year from the time she started Melissa had replaced her full-tome income working part-time hours, and was a sales director. She was also expecting their oldest son, Caleb!

 

In the years that followed Melissa went on to earn her first Cadillac in June 1998, the month after her mother passed away—having taken the previous 4 months to care for her mom, a gift that she is grateful to have had the flexibility and time to be by her mom’s side—any other company would have had to ‘let her go’ instead Mary Kay awarded her one of her highest checks, in excess of $11,000.

 

Melissa and her unit have earned the use of 12 unit cars, including three prestigious Pink Cadillacs. The LIfebuilders unit has completed six unit clubs, including the highest in the $600,000 circle of achievement. Melissa’s unit was also the 2002 Nebraska ‘Most Improved’ Unit award. In 2008–09 she was a monthly national go-give recipient. She completed the National Court of Sales in 2015.

 

Melissa and her husband Bill, a early retired 20 year fire-fighter/paramedic have six children. Bill took a six year sabbatical to be at home with the family from 2001-During that time the family purchased a 37 ft motor home and traveled, towing the pink cadillac, to work with unit members and allow the family to see part of the United States. Together they have moved to four different homes in Melissa’s Mary Kay career time frame. They started their married life together in Lincoln where Melissa built her business til they moved to their hometown of David City in 2006. They currently live on an acreage outside David City in a former rectory that Bill remodeled. Bill now owns his own home remodel and repair business. Together Bill and Melissa love spending time supporting their kids, are active in their church and volunteer with the high school theater, and are assistants for the high school show choir.

 

As we build our national area, the family hopes to someday have property to develop and build on in Colorado where they can retreat together as the kids grow, and also have a fun haven for leadership gatherings.