The women behind Dallas-based Mary Kay say that they “know a thing or two about being their own bosses.” That’s why the makeup innovators are partnering with the Boss Club Foundation, a Texas nonprofit that pilots entrepreneurial programs to inspire confidence and ignite creativity in students.

Mary Kay recently got involved with the Boss Club Foundation’s 2020 Summer Entrepreneurship Program by sponsoring 25 girls from underserved Dallas areas so they were able to participate. The just-concluded program in total hosted around 1,000 students, aged 7-18, in North and Central Texas.

The beauty company also provided more than 1,000 units of hand sanitizer for students to safely interact with their customers.

Mary Kay has been empowering women to follow their dreams for more than 56 years. The company itself is built on entrepreneurship: Women can become Independent Beauty Consultants and sell Mary Kay products (and potentially earn that infamous pink car).

The goal is to help women pursue their passions—when Mary Kay Ash founded the now multibillion-dollar beauty company, she wanted to “develop rewarding opportunities for women, offer irresistible products, and make the world a better place.”

“Boss Club Foundation’s Summer Entrepreneurship Program empowers local youth with real-world lessons that go beyond traditional learning—interpersonal communication, relationship-building, and creative thinking, among many others,” Mary Kay COO Deborah Gibbins said in a statement. “We are thrilled to play a part in helping the next generation achieve their entrepreneurial dreams.”

Over the course of three weeks, the students became real-life entrepreneurs—they were tasked with starting and running actual businesses.

The Boss Club Foundation provided five self-guided kits participants could choose from, each equipped with the tools needed to launch a simple product business. For instance: dog treats, bath bombs, cake pops, fudge, and hand soap.

Students who had their own ideas were given an in-depth video course that helped start their business from scratch. Mary Kay’s manager of global corporate citizenship & sustainability, Madeline Littrell, recorded her own course for those interested in developing purpose-driven companies, which mirrors the company’s own mission.

Mary Kay is known to partner with various entities around the globe to empower women and their families. That commitment involves a focus on “supporting cancer research, protecting survivors from domestic abuse, beautifying our communities, and encouraging children to follow their dreams.”

Both Mary Kay and the Boss Foundation, which say they are like-minded companies, called the program a “huge success” by all accounts.

Hundreds of small businesses were started, and many students even chose to donate a portion of proceeds to local community organizations. A survey conducted post-program showed that nine out of ten students would like to have a future in entrepreneurship.

“[Mary Kay] directly enriched the lives of our students through not only their financial support, but also through coaching our students to identify and live out their business’ purpose as an entrepreneur,” David Grubbs, co-director of the Boss Club Foundation, said in a statement. “Their involvement and subject-matter expertise made a difference in our community during a season when it was needed the most.”

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