Widboom named sales director for Mary Kay

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WORTHINGTON — “Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”

A sign bearing that message hangs over the kitchen table in the rural Worthington home of Matt and Teresa Widboom. It’s a constant reminder for Teresa of why she decided to become a Mary Kay consultant and now a sales director.

“When people ask about the greatest reward I feel in this business, for me, it’s never having to sacrifice my priority as a wife and mom in order to have a career,” she said.

This month, Teresa celebrated her seven-year anniversary with Mary Kay.

“I started right after we found out that we were going to be starting our family,” recalled Teresa. “I was invited by my sister to sing as onstage entertainment for a big group of Mary Kay consultants and directors, an award banquet in Sioux City. After my solo, I was encouraged by all the positive women in the business and decided it was my calling. Mary Kay was a perfect fit for me.

“I have a speech communication degree, but never saw myself working in a 9-to-5 job,” she continued. “I worked a couple of years at a desk job — the typical sitting at a computer, working with people over the phone — and it was really unfulfilling, not a good fit for my personality. I considered myself a self-starter and love being around people. I thrive on face-to-face connections with people, building relationships.”

Teresa also thrives on operating her business out of her home and including her family in the process.

“I work my business between 10 and 15 hours per week,” she estimated, “usually evenings, when I do parties. I also have an office in my home where I can have appointments and meet with team members to share new products and plan events. And that’s where it becomes a family business. I involve my kids, and they’re assigned their own individual jobs based on their abilities. They enjoy being part of it. The UPS man is called the Mary Kay man at our house. They know when a shipment arrives, it’s time to get to work.”

Son Riley, age 6, enjoys labeling and bundling the Mary Kay products. Wesley, 5, opens packages and sorts the products into individual piles. Even daughter Myranda, 3, gets in on the act.

“She’s my little delivery girl,” Teresa said. “She goes with me when I make deliveries, two or three mornings a week. They all have their little jobs, and now No. 4 is on the way this summer. I’ve always said that Mary Kay is the perfect complement to motherhood, because I’m able to weave it in on my own time. And even at a young age, our kids, I feel, have a concept of what it takes to run a business, and they’re learning about goal setting and teamwork, and that will serve them well some day.”

About a year and a half ago, Teresa decided to pursue the next step in Mary Kay management, becoming a sales director.

“When we made the decision to send Riley to Worthington Christian School, I decided I wanted to fund his education with my business, so I got more on-purpose with my business, worked a little bit more, focused more on sharing business opportunities with other women.”

Teresa had to submit a commitment agreement to the company and reach team and production goals in a set period of time. She achieved those goals and now oversees 32 Mary Kay consultants, known as Team WOW — Widboom’s Outstanding Women.

“I work closely with them, training them,” Teresa explained. “My job is just to help them make this business what they want it to be. For a couple of them, it’s a full-time job, their only business, but several are working this alongside another full time job. Eight-two-percent of women in Mary Kay have another full-time job and work the business at their own pace alongside another career.”

Accompanied by husband Matt, Teresa recently attended her first national sales event in Houston, Texas — an event exclusively for sales directors. She also attends an annual summer seminar in Dallas, Texas, which is home to the Mary Kay national headquarters.

When the Widbooms returned home from Texas, Teresa plunged headfirst into her newest Mary Kay endeavor — opening Studio Wow at 916 Diagonal Rd. in Worthington.

“As a brand new sales director, the company encourages you to develop a weekly sales meeting, a success gathering for you and your team of consultants. As the new leader of Team WOW, we are beginning our Mary Kay ministry here in Worthington with the grand opening of Studio WOW. The space is not a storefront, not a retail outlet. It’s strictly a training center and meeting place for our local consultants. And it’s not just for my consultants — there’s an open invitation to all consultants in the area, so they can gather with us to be educated on the products, get selling tips, development training. If they so choose, they can have key access to meet one-on-one with customers to do facials, have parties in that space. It’s a multipurpose setting.”

A grand opening for Studio WOW has been set for Feb. 1, featuring the unveiling of new winter products, consultant recognition and sharing of success stories by guest directors from different parts of the Midwest.

Teresa is enthusiastic about delving into this new facet of her Mary Kay career.

“My favorite thing is seeing my clients on a regular basis, getting to know them and connecting them with the products they already love,” she said. “Making them beautiful on the outside is my job, but in turn that creates a more beautiful woman on the inside. It’s not just a cosmetic business; it’s a people business.”

Tags: team wow, news, widboom, business, studio, new