Darlene Rutledge, a Sun City Resident, has worked at the same job for 47 years and continues to work at that job.
“I joined as a Mary Kay Consultant in Springfield area on April 1, 1973, to get out of the house a couple of times a week as a break from my 1 & 4-year-old with a big goal of making $30 profit a week, and I expected to quit. I was the first consultant and director in my hometown of Springfield, Illinois,” Rutledge said.
Darlene Rutledge first started with Mary Kay in 1973. During her time she’s won awards, driven pink Cadillacs, toured the world, and helped women everywhere. (Photo by Christine Such/Sun Day)
Mary Kay is a privately-owned, American company. It’s the sixth-largest network marketing company in the world in 2018.
Rutledge said, “Mary Kay Ash started the company in 1963 in Dallas, Texas, with priorities of God first, family second, and career third. [Ash] started with nine of her friends. It is now in over 35 countries.”
Rutledge said, “I’ve been in Mary Kay Cosmetics for 47 years, a Sales Director for 46 years. Two years ago, the company awarded those whose units that made $550,000, their photograph on Times Square twice a day from November 28 to January 1. It was pretty exciting. I went to New York City for the first time to view my photo on Times Square.”
Rutledge has a niece that is a consultant, and her husband was involved, too.
Rutledge said, “My husband Jerry retired early from IBM at age 53 to help me in business. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at 62. I am so grateful he was able to have those happy healthy years thanks to my business.”
Rutledge has traveled to many parts of the world for Mary Kay. “Mary Kay sent me to Moscow, Russia to train the consultants and directors in our business but mostly the Mary Kay heart and culture. My husband got to go with me on that trip. Because he did come with me, I did not have to have a bodyguard, but did have an interpreter,” she said.
Rutledge has met individuals that touched her throughout her career. Rutledge said, “When I was in Russia, the class participants were highly educated. Education is free but the jobs are not as plenty. I noticed that one woman in the class appeared to be upset. She approached me after class and said to me, ‘I’ve realized that I have been running my business with my head, not my heart. It brought me to tears then and still now that she got it.’”
Mary Kay describes their approach to the business as “A teaching approach to skincare. Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultants don’t just sell products — they teach their customers how to use the products and offer their customers the opportunity to try before you buy.”
Rutledge has won all-expense-paid Top Director trips, Hawaii being the first one.
Rutledge said, “We enjoyed it so much. My husband said that this was the happiest day of his life while we were there.” She has traveled to the Philippines and India to expand the business to those countries.
Rutledge said. “I still can’t sell but like to talk about things I love, whatever it is. Currently it’s instant pots. I want everyone to have one.”
Rutledge explains that “selling” isn’t the main idea.
“Women don’t want to be sold but we sure do like to buy and since I don’t like to sell, I think of myself as a retail therapist or assistant buyer versus a saleslady. I love to help women take care of their skin, feel pretty, and feel good about themselves in my home or their home. I also enjoy enriching the lives of other women and their families with the Mary Kay opportunity.”
Rutledge also explained that her job does have boundaries. She said, “The first standard for Mary Kay consults is simply the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” But I do have products here at my house. I converted a closet in my office to organize the products. I have plenty of inventory.”
You might have seen those Pink Cadillacs that successful Mary Kay consultants drive. Rutledge has been one of those drivers. Rutledge said, “I earned the use of free cars every two years starting in 1977. Mostly Pink Cadillacs with a WONIT license plate.”
Rutledge does not drive a pink car now, but you might have seen her driving her golf cart sporting athe license plate ‘Fun City.’
Rutledge said, “When the car choices changed to SUVs, I chose a monthly cash option so I could choose a small car. My brother and sister brought this cart up from Florida for me. He bubble-wrapped the whole cart and duct-taped it to a trailer.”
Rutledge said, “All my traveling has been because of Mary Kay’s work. I arranged my first non-business trip after I read an article in the Sun Day paper. It was about traveling alone and it turned out that the subject of the article was a neighbor, Kathleen Talbot. I walked down there and joined Kathleen on my first non-business-related trip alone.”
What activities does Rutledge enjoy in Sun City?
Rutledge said, “Currently, I play tennis and in Sunflower Garden Club and fulfilling bucket list travel and adventures.”
What is your bucket list items? Rutledge said, “Each year now on my birthday I am trying to do something adventurous. I have zip-lined and one birthday parasailed. I was hoping to zip-line over Niagara Falls this year. But it is on the Canadian side, so I won’t be doing that.”
Rutledge said that the stay-at-home order did lead to some positive developments for her career.
“One good thing that came out of the quarantine for me is that I was forced to use Zoom. It has opened up so much. Today, we are going to have an awards meeting over Zoom. I also do Zoom beauty sessions,” she said.
