Get ready to meet Molly Klipp, one of the unforgettable authors featured in Being Brave, arriving December 2024! Discover a story of grit, growth, and the unbreakable spirit that defines what it truly means to be brave.
In Belief and Action Get You Where You Want to Go!, Molly Klipp recounts her journey from uncertainty to empowerment after discovering her passion for cosmetics during a home show. With courage and support from her husband, she transformed her life, becoming one of the top sellers in her franchise and inspiring others to believe in their potential.
Molly Klipp spent 32 years developing successful leaders and empowering thousands of women as the President of Aloette of Seattle, where her franchise consistently ranked among the top 10 for over two decades.
In 2014, she expanded her expertise by becoming a certified permanent makeup artist and launched Carefree Beauty Permanent Makeup. Within a year of selling her cosmetics franchise in 2015, Molly built her new business into a six-figure success, applying the skills honed throughout her career.
Today, she is once again expanding her focus, helping beauty business owners create operational blueprints to boost profits while reducing stress through her program, Beauty Business Mastery.
Describe the moment when you knew you had to tap into your inner courage and make changes in your life.
In 1982, my husband, John, myself, and our two children, Kerry, age two, and Keegan, age six months, lived with my mom in Rochester, New York. We had been living in Springfield, Oregon, for the previous four years, and the economy had tanked. John was a journeyman carpenter who couldn’t find work in Springfield, so we decided to head east to visit family. When we arrived in Rochester, John got three job offers. He started working during the week and driving to Boston during the weekend to do a side job for his sister, with an eight-hour commute each way.
I was invited to an Aloette Cosmetics skincare and makeup show at my sister-in-law’s home on a Friday night. I had never been to a home show before, and it sounded fun. I volunteered to be the model; I love makeup and thought it would be interesting to see what she would do with me. I was twenty-six years old at the time.
As I watched her talk, she didn’t have the attention of the crowd, and I thought I could do this better than her (how arrogant of me!). After she finished making me up, I peered in the mirror. Wow, I’ve never looked so good! I had no money, so I quickly got out of her chair and moved to the food portion of the party.
Then, the pivotal question for me was brought up by the consultant, “Do you know how much money you would have made if you had done this show?” I was all ears because I knew it wasn’t much since I was convinced that no one would buy since they’d been there before.
She then said, “$56!
Wow! Back in 1982, that was a lot of money for two hours of work! I couldn’t believe it. My sister came up to me and said, “Molly, you should do this. You like makeup!”
Of course, my answer was, “No Way!” But I couldn’t stop thinking about it! By Monday morning, I had asked my husband what he thought, and his answer was, “How much is it going to cost?” I had no idea, so I called the consultant and asked her. Her answer: “Twenty dollars, and you can earn the kit free!”
There was training that night, so I went to find out more! I discovered that if I followed the show dialogue word for word and did what they taught me, I could make money at this.
That started my journey into cosmetic sales. I had never sold anything before, but I studied the cassette tapes and the manual diligently. I kept asking questions, and within ten months, I was one of the top sellers in that franchise. No one was more surprised than me! I couldn’t recruit to save my life, though, and we were heading back to our home in Oregon. I had the opportunity before we left to attend a training in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and learned that recruiting is like offering someone a piece of the pie. You just offer it. They may not like that flavor, but it’s not personal, just not for them now. That opened doors for me.
I joined the franchise in Oregon and started my weekly drives from Springfield to Portland for training. I brought my team with me as no one else had a car available. In 1982, the car we drove to Rochester was a 1971 VW bus with no heat, no middle seat, and a toggle switch had to be flipped before we could even turn on the ignition. I hated that bus! Before we left Rochester, I told John we needed a new car, and he said, “With what money?”
I replied, “John, I have saved $2,000.”
He was astonished. “Where did you get that?”
“With Aloette,” I replied.
He responded, “You make money with that?”
Yup! So, we drove back across the country in a brand-new Chevy Malibu station wagon and as I was building my business, that was the car I was able to drive, as I continued to do shows, make money, and recruit a team, but I wasn’t satisfied.
In September of 1983, the Oregon franchise purchased the Seattle franchise and had one of their managers (who lived in Vancouver, Washington) drive up once a week to do training to build the Seattle team. I offered to move to Seattle and take over the training if the Oregon franchise would hire me. The economy in Springfield, Oregon, was terrible and we were sinking fast. John was on again, off again, working and getting side jobs wherever he could. We had already lost our house because the housing market had declined sharply, and our house was worth $14,000 less than we paid for it. Sadly, we couldn’t afford the payments anymore.
Walk us through the pivotal moment when you decided to act courageously. What was
going through your mind? How did you feel at that moment?
In January of 1985, the owner of the Oregon franchise approached me and said, “Would you like to take on the Seattle franchise?” I jumped at the chance. “When do you want me to move?” I was living in Everett, Washington, by February 1st — in a split-level house, sharing the cost with the owner of the franchise. With inventory in our garage ready to ship, my job was to build the franchise sales team. In January of 1985, the sales were $2,000 a month. My first show, during a snowstorm, was February 6th. Four people attended; they all booked shows, and I was on my way!
John moved up with the kids three weeks later, and he took over the shipping and the administration side of the business. He also cared for our children while I was out talking to
strangers, looking for new consultants and making friends. We knew exactly two people in the Washington area, and we started from there.
Within five months, our sales were at $20,000 a month and truly, it never occurred to me that we wouldn’t be successful. There was one problem, though. The owners were only paying us 3 percent of the sales, and we knew we could do better than that if we owned it ourselves.
We started negotiating to purchase the Seattle franchise. We had no collateral, no savings, no nothing, but we had a dream to make the Seattle franchise the #1 franchise in the United States and then the world. We had lofty dreams! We even had a song to remind us. It
was the tune of the chicken song (Google the tune), but we changed the words to “We are from Seattle, our franchise is the best. #1 in the West is our goal now, and then we’re out to outsell the rest!”
It took three months to negotiate with the owners, and they still wanted money for the franchise and future profits, as well. We sought advice from the founders of the company on how to handle the negotiations and the sale. We were in our late twenties and had never owned a business and had absolutely no idea what we were doing business-wise. But, we had our dream! By August of 1985, we were the proud owners of the Aloette of Seattle franchise for a whopping $89,000.
What inspired or motivated you to take the courageous step you did? What were a few of the first steps you took? What major actions did you have to take?
Once we took the first step, a month later I went on a Caribbean cruise that I had won with the company as a consultant the year before. I hung around the pool with the founder of the company, Tricia Defibaugh, and the company’s top performers. I didn’t say much. I just listened and soaked it all in, but I loved this lifestyle! Trips, fashionable clothes, learning, and developing others — this was my jam!
Paint a picture of what your life was like before you encountered the challenge that called for you to summon your courage.
I was what I called a domestic goddess. I was a mom and housewife. I cooked, cleaned, sewed, quilted, canned, and enjoyed doing church events such as working at bingo. I loved it but knew
something was missing in my life.
Were there any doubts or fears you had to overcome before taking action? How did you
manage them?
Honestly, I never doubted it. I laugh now when I think about it. I was only twenty-eight years old! I wasn’t afraid. I just kept asking: What’s the next step I need to take to make this happen?
What were some of the challenges or obstacles you faced during your journey to overcome this particular challenge?
We borrowed $20,000 from my sister and her husband for our downpayment, and we took five years to pay off them and the balance to the previous franchise owners. I worked six days a week, doing shows, doing training, talking on the phone, getting trained, and building up my knowledge of how to build a team! In between, I was a wife and a mom with a busy family.
Tell us about a memorable anecdote or turning point in your courageous journey.
When talking to my team, I truly had no idea what to say to them. I would call the founder of the company, Tricia, and ask her what I should say to the consultants when they asked me questions about what to say in a sales situation. I took 5 x 7 cards, wrote the question on them, and the answer she gave me, and taped it to the wall in front of my desk. When a consultant asked me any question, all I had to do was find the appropriate card, and I could give her the answer. You have no idea how many cards were on that wall, but it worked and gave me the confidence I needed until I knew the answers by heart. One of the best things Tricia taught me was to pretend I could go through the wires of the phone and get inside the woman’s head and think as she thought, and my answers would come to me. She was right! The cards became unnecessary, but they gave me the boost I needed to get started.
What role models or sources of support helped you stay strong and resilient?
When I got back from my first trip, every show we had on the books had been canceled because of various reasons, but I blamed myself for being gone. I was devastated. I called the founder of the company crying, and she told me that maybe I should try doing video training. I sucked at doing the training myself. Barb and Ken Scherb owned the Vancouver, British Columbia, franchise, just two hours north of us. The following day, I was driving to Vancouver to watch Barb train. She had a beautiful office. Over fifty people attended the training, and Barb did a short introduction and then put in a VHS of Tricia doing training and left the room. I could do that!
Thus began a lifelong friendship with Barb and Ken. John and I traveled with the kids at least every other month, stayed at their house, and talked about Aloette strategy and how to build our businesses. They had a huge franchise, and I wanted to be just like her! I was introduced to motivational speakers by Barb. The first was Brian Tracy. During a weekend webinar, we watched and learned and talked and learned some more! It was an exciting time that led me on a lifelong journey of learning. My car was my university, and I had a great group of instructors: John Maxwell, Zig Ziglar, Norman Vincent Peale, Jim Rohn, Robert Kiyosaki, Tony Robbins, Les Brown, Jack Canfield, T. Harv Eker, and so many more.
How did this experience impact your life and your perception of courage?
I came to understand that no man or woman is an island, that it takes a village. There are so many people working through their own stuff, but if you can be a helping hand to them, give them a little bit of your courage, you can help them along the way, and often they will help you along your way, too.
My kids now understand that they can accomplish anything by setting a goal and making a plan. They are always looking at ways to better themselves and are not limited by other people’s opinions. I love to watch them explore who they can be to this day. I used to pay them $20 to read or listen to some of the educational books/CDs that I had. I wanted my kids to think that anything was possible!
What lessons or wisdom have you gained from this experience that you would like to share with others?
I learned that no matter how bad I was at something, I could become great at it. My saying became, “In order to be great, you have to be good; in order to be good, you have to be bad; in order to be bad, you have to be awful; in order to be awful, you have to do something!” I was really awful at training but became the top trainer in the company because I was willing to be bad, then good, then great!
What unexpected or positive outcomes emerged from your courageous actions?
In the beginning years of being an Aloette President, my goal was that when I walked into the room, people would know who I was and want to ask me questions so I could help them. I did accomplish that. I was asked by the company to develop video training for the Aloette show. I wrote it, recorded it, and gave it to the company. I developed a two-part manager’s manual, as well as a manager’s calendar to help managers keep track of their teams and individual goals. I also taught them how to use it. I made a difference in women’s lives. I helped them achieve dreams they never thought imaginable. I was there when they won significant gifts, trips, and cars and celebrated their successes. I loved doing what I did. In 2001, I was honored with the highest award an Aloette President could receive, the Eagle Award. It was an award you could only receive once. Aloette’s 2001 conference was in Florida that year, and my kids were there to see me get it. I’ll never forget the feeling of walking down the runway, crying, with my kids, my husband, my team, and my peers cheering me on.
How do you define courage, and how has your definition evolved through your own experiences?
Defining courage is interesting. At the time we bought the franchise, I didn’t think I was courageous. I just thought it was the next step in what I wanted to do. I look back now I ponder, Holy cow, what was I thinking? It never occurred to me that we couldn’t do it, and that probably brought us through most of our journey. When in doubt, we prayed and worked and worked and prayed! We became the #1 franchise for three months, were in the top five for over ten years, and were in the top twenty for the rest of our years in business.
Is there a particular message or advice you would like to convey to other women who may be facing similar challenges?
Begin with the end in mind. Look at what you want your end result to be. Every decision you make, what education you need, the people you hang around with and learn from — let that be your driving force. Whatever you don’t know, someone else does; ask them. Most people love to share what they know. Ask yourself: Am I a learner or a non-learner? I became a learner of anything that I needed to know to get what I wanted to get. That continues to be what drives me today.
In retrospect, do you have any regrets or things you would have done differently?
Only one: I wish that I had taken Deb Page’s business financial class thirty years ago. I would have gotten a bookkeeper and learned how to make money work for us. We put all four of our children through private Christian school, and it was worth every penny for sure! They are all well-adjusted, successful adults now, and I am so proud of them. But I could have done better with the money. I put my head in the sand and thought, I just need to make more money, and everything will be okay. That’s not true, you can spend every dime you have if you don’t have the financial knowledge of how to do it right. Thankfully, with my second career, Carefree Beauty Permanent Makeup, I made that decision, and it’s been a game changer!
How has this experience shaped your identity or sense of self?
I was the fourth child in a family of five. They were all very smart, all college educated. My brother is a doctor. I have three sisters. One is a nurse, another a drafting engineer, and the third an accountant. I was the only one who didn’t get a college degree. I graduated from high school and went to work for an attorney’s office as a legal secretary. I did that for seven years before I had my daughter and then was a stay-at-home mom until I started Aloette. I never intended to have a career. I thought I was the dumb one in the family and that I couldn’t accomplish what they did. I had a very low opinion of my abilities when I was in my early twenties. Aloette changed all that for me. I had a very close friend who was a professor at the University of Washington once tell me, “Molly, you might not have the degree on the wall, but with all the seminars, classes, tapes, and books you have listened to or read, you have a PhD in marketing.” That changed how I thought about myself.
Later, my siblings admitted being in awe of what I had accomplished. They always knew that I could do anything I set my mind to!
It’s why I started Carefree Beauty Permanent Makeup when I was fifty-eight years old. I knew I could be successful at it. Again, it never occurred to me that I wouldn’t be successful. I knew I would take every class, practice, learn, and develop my skills to become the best at what I do! I’m still working on my skills and my business. I know exactly where I am heading, and I love what I do!
The lessons I have learned through my two businesses have led me to another chapter in my journey: helping other beauty business owners on their path to success. Beauty Business Mastery was born to help women business owners create a blueprint for daily operations to increase profits without stress. As a Beauty Business Profit Coach, I will be able to guide them through uncharted waters, speed up their learning curve, and increase their profits.
What would you say to someone who is hesitant or afraid to take a courageous step in their life?
Ask yourself: What do you have to lose? What is the worst thing that could happen? Work from there. But more importantly, consider the best thing that could happen and work toward that! There is always someone who can help you along the way. True leaders love to share what they know. I learned that being the best leader is to be a servant leader. Show the way. Be the way!