Family ~ Future ~ Freedom!
Remember when multi-level marketing (MLM) companies were regularly accused of being illegal "pyramid schemes" because their business models were often based on collecting money rather than the legimitate sale of goods or services? (I know I'm dating myself here!) Well those days are gone and today, the MLM concept (also referred to as "direct sales" or "network marketing") is of great interest to Lifestyle CEOs from all walks of life. Whether you want to use the direct sales concept to grow your own business or join an established company, the direct sales concept is gaining considerable groud, especially for moms seeking to generate income without having to establish the infrastructure required to build a company from the ground up.
The Lifestyle section of the September 16, 2005, issue of USA Today contains a full color 2 page spread placed by the Direct Selling Association, a trade association for companies that sell goods and services using the network marketing framework. "Family ~ Future ~ Freedom!" screams one of the headlines. And if what they say is true -- that more than $30 billion in products and services are sold through direct selling each year -- indeed, there's a lot to scream about.
Your family. Your future. Your freedom. Isn't that what life is all about? If you have started a small business and are looking for a way to grow, the direct sales business model may be for you. This is especially true if you do not have the ability (resources, time, etc.) or the inclination to build your own brand from scratch. When you sign up for a direct sales opportunity, your initial investment generally covers all of the sales and marketing tools required to get started. This doesn't mean that you won't have to use those tools in creative ways in order to compete effectively, but it does lower the initial costs of starting your business.
Like anything else, with all of its benefits, there are some downsides, and a significant one is that you don't own the brand so your use of it is severely limited by the people who do. A few years ago, I was invited by a dear friend who sells Juice Plus+ nutritional supplements to work together to create an opportunity for members of the Handmade Beauty Network to learn about the supplements and become customers or even join her direct sales team. We tried to figure out a co-branding method, but each time, we ran into the same problem -- we could not use the company's logo to co-brand any kind of marketing efforts. In the end, it was just too much to think about. Today, I am a happy customer and I refer people to her, but so far, we have not been able to figure out a mutually beneficial "partnering" arrangement.
On the other hand, direct sales can be fun and profitable, especially if you get in on the ground floor where the opportunities to build an extensive sales force are abundant. Friends and moms, Nicole Balaam and Erica Massenburg of Baltimore, Maryland recently launched Home Spa Luxuries, a line of bath and spa products. Nicole, the mother of a 2-year old, ditched her full time job to launch the business with Erica, the mother of two children ages 2 years and 10 months. Says Nicole, "We decided to trade our stiff, technical, corporate lifestyles so we could focus on healthy relationships, family togetherness, and emotional well-being." The Home Spa Luxuries motto is "Empower your Life, Enrich your Body and Envision your Dreams!" and they are confident that in today's economy, they will have no problem attracting the sales associates they need to succeed. If start up opportunities don't appeal to you, you can choose from several companies with rich diverse non-direct sales histories like Southern Living At Home, The Body Shop At Home and Jockey Person To Person.
Where do you stand on the important issues of family, future and freedom? Think about it, and then decide if a network marketing opportunity might be just the ticket to help you to begin to build your own corporate ladder. To learn more about joining a direct sales company, or staring your own, visit the Direct Selling Women's Alliance.
