Mary Kay Consultant – SBA Home Business Champion

Barbara Bunner, SBA Home-based Business Champion of 2012

IWJ Staff

Women in business love awards, and more than that, they love people who support their mission to be in business. The Boise SBA announced the recipients for the 2012 Small Business Week Champion awards. These awards focus on individuals who support entrepreneurship or live it. Among the recipients is Barbara Bunner.

Barbara Bunner, Independent Sales Director for Mary Kay Cosmetics won the regional Home-based Business Champion for 2012. This is a dual honor because she not only champions the idea, but lives it in her work choice. Bunner has been with Mary Kay for 22 years now, which began as a part-time effort to build on other skills outside her career as a judicial assistant. She explains the skills needed between being a legal assistant and a Mary Kay consultant are very different. “I love interacting with the clients and new consultants” said Bunner. Since her initial bag of cosmetics and cleansers, Bunner has earned and driven 10 pink trophy Cadillacs and loves it.

She applied for this award on a suggestion from a friend. As women, the self-doubt and head games we say to ourselves keep us from putting our name in the hat for many awards. However, Bunner said, “I felt if my friend thought enough of me to suggest it, then why not; why not?”

The SBA will be running a 2013 application program at the end of 2012.   For more information, subscribe to the Idaho Women’s Journal e-newsletter in the right hand column of this page.

 
The 2012 Regional winners are:

• Small Business Exporter of the Year, Al Youngwerth, Joe DeGano and Alison Kelsey, Rekluse Motor Sports, Boise.
• Veterans Small Business Champion, Linda Bretz, Community Readiness Consultant, Mountain Home Air Force Base.
• Home-Based Business Champion, Barbara Bunner, Independent Sales Director, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Boise.

The 2012 State winners are:

• Financial Services Champion, Kathy Lorenz, Senior SBA Relationship Manager, Key Bank, Boise.
• Women in Business Champion, Joey Perry, Vice President of Private Banking, Washington Trust Bank, Boise.
• Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Brian Wight, Owner, Dutch Brothers Coffee, Garden City.
• Jeffery Butland Family-Owned Business of the Year, Prime Time Auctions, Tanner and Staci Hernandez, Pocatello.
• Minority Small Business Champion, Carlos Duncan, Business Development Specialist, Micro Enterprise Training and Development, Caldwell.