Mary Kay Ash is the quintessential example of a Phoenix rising from the ashes.

After 10 years at World Gift Co., a direct sales organization, Ash resigned when an underling she had trained was promoted ahead of her. Ash, a 45-year-old unemployed divorcee with three children, was at her nadir. But a few months later, she formed what is now known as Mary Kay Inc., a cosmetics company that grew into a behemoth with current annual revenues in excess of $2 billion.