Devoted to Managers and those that seek to improve their management skills

Beginnings 

In this post we'll look at a little background on Mary-Kate and Ashley. By the way, the choice to put Mary-Kate's name at the beginning of talking about the duo, is a decision made by Ashley, who preferred it that way.

The two were born on June 13, 1986, and are not identical twins as some people mistakingly think. Today they are 22, just celebrating their birthday last month.

Their first break came when they were 6-months-old, when they were first hired at an audition for the role of Michelle Turner on "Full House." The criteria for being accepted? They were the only babies that didn't cry while waiting.

Think of that! A couple young ladies will eventually become multi-billionaires because they didn't cry at an audition at six months old.

While they were hired at six months, it wasn't until they were nine months old before they actually participated in filming. This was in 1987.

The family and the girls were fortunate to retain the services of lawyer Robert Thorne, who was probably the major reason for their success before they became adults; as he secured better deals for the young actresses, and guided Dualstar Entertainment, which was created as a marketing and merchandising business to brand the girls.

In the beginning the girls were making about $4,000 an episode, Thorne got that bumped up to $25,000 per episode, and it is thought when the show ended in 1995, they were getting about $150,000 an episode.

Licensing deals were everywhere for the young business ladies, and their images ended up on just about anything that was made and which was used by young people; things like books, clothing, magazines, dolls, fragrances, straight to DVD movies and numerous accessories. It was all extraordinarily successful.

It is said that they're the youngest self-made millionaires in American history, although I would have to research that more to confirm it. It wouldn't surprise me if the assertion ended up being true though.

The important thing here is they had great help in the early years of their careers, when there could have been a lot of shenanigans going on. The girls' parents, as well as Robert Thorne, were a significant part of their early success.

Think of the unfortunate circumstances surrounding Macauly Culkin and what happened to him in similar circumstances, to appreciate how fortunate Mary-Kate and Ashley were in the early years.

In the end, we all need people to help us along when we're learning the ropes. The key is to get people who are honest and who have integrity to be part of our team. Of course that should be the goal at any stage of running a business.

P.S. - For the first few posts of the series I'm going to put them out together, as it'll help with the flow in the coming posts. Usually I post them about a week or so apart when I focus on people in business.

Other Mary-Kate and Ashley Resources:

Just Asking . . . Mary-Kate Olsen

Mary-Kate Olsen talks about life, role in 'The Wackness'
 
Mary Kate Olsen - she wants to be alone
 
Olsen twins outrage animal lovers

The Tao Of Mary Kate

OLSEN TWINS (MARY-KATE AND ASHLEY) FAN PAGE

Attack of the Fashion Gremlins

Mary-Kate and Ashley Home Essentials Collection Review

Mary-Kate and Ashley Home Essentials

Official Web Site

Entire Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Series:

Part One; Part Two; Part Three; Part Four; Part Five; Part Six