Work at Home Opportunities: Exploring Direct Sales Companies
There are many opportunities out there for the stay at home mom to earn extra money. Some do internet jobs, some call center work, and others sell products as a direct sales consultant. Usually direct sales consultants have “shows” or “parties” in peoples homes to sell their products. For the outgoing person, selling products through direct sales shows may be the perfect job. Not only does it give you a chance to earn extra cash, but also to get an evening or two a week away from the house to interact with other adults.
So, what kinds of at home businesses sell products through direct sales consultants? There are many types of products and companies to choose from. I will break these products/companies down for you.
Educational/Toy Products
There are home businesses that focus on selling educational products or toys. These include Usborne Books, Discovery Toys, and Do-Re-Me & You.
Usborne Books was founded over thirty years ago. It is an independent publishing company based in the UK. Usborne Books have won many awards. When you sell Usborne Books at Home, you make at least a 24% profit. For more information on becoming an Usborne Books representative contact : Usborne Books at Home Unit 8, Oasis Park Stanton Harcourt Road Eynsham, Witney, Oxon OX29 4TU, UK Tel: 01865 883731 Fax: 01865 883759 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.usbornebooksathome.co.uk
Discovery Toys has been around for about twenty-eight years. They have a large line of books and toys that help you child develop mental, physical, and social skills. Discovery Toys also helps provide support for families with Autistic children. You can make a 20%-25% profit with Discovery Toys and they have numerous insensitive programs. For more information on becoming a Discovery Toys representative go to: www.discoverytoysinc.com.
Do-Re-Me & You! Is from the makers of KinderMusik. It combines music and books as well as instruments and toys for a spectacular learning environment. To become a consultant for Do-Re-Me & You!, go to www.drmy.com.
If you don’t care to sell toys or educational products, maybe beauty products are your thing. As with the toys, there are many different companies to choose from. They include Arbonne, Mary Kay, and BeautiControl.
Arbonne International is based out of Switzerland and features a line of botanical based skin care products. Arbonne came to the United States in 1980. Arbonne offers many insensitive programs. You can find more information about becoming a consultant for Arbonne at www.arbonne.com.
Mary Kay is probably one of the most well-known at-home businesses around. It was founded in 1963 by Mary Kay Ash. Mary Kay not only offers a beautiful line of cosmetics, but also beauty care products and perfumes. If you would like to know more about Mary Kay contact Mary Kay headquarters at: Mailing address: P.O. Box 799045, Dallas, TX 75379-9045 or log onto www.marykay.com.
Beauticontrol was founded twenty-five years ago with a passion to help women be their best. Beauticontrol has an extensive line of beauty products ranging from lotions to a microderm abrasion system. Beauticontrol offers great incentitives to their consultants. For more information go to www.beauticontrol.com.
Cooking/Home Entertaining
You may be thinking that none of the independent consultant opportunities I’ve listed so far is attractive to you. Maybe you are the chef in you family and love to cook or entertain. Then maybe being a consultant for The Pampered Chef, Homemade Gourmet, or Taste Of Home Entertaining is for you.
The Pampered Chef was founded in 1980 and offers a large line of kitchen tools to help you prepare quick delicious meals for your family. The Pampered Chef’s vision is to bring back traditional mealtimes to families. They are trying to accomplish this vision by creating kitchen tools that are easy to use and make preparing a meal easy. By hosting two shows a week, you can average an income of $850-$950. For more information on becoming a consultant for The Pampered Chef go to www.pamperedchef.com.
Homemade Gourmet was founded in 1997. It offers a wide variety of foods that make cooking easier-even for a beginner. Their marinades and relishes are guaranteed Gluten free. Not only does Homemade Gourmet offer you the opportunity to be an independent consultant for them, but also a family program if your spouse wants to be involved. For more information on becoming a consultant for Homemade Gourmet go to www.homemadegourmet.com.
Taste of Home Entertaining is a subsidiary of Reader’s Digest. It started as a magazine in 2002 and expanded to include direct sales in 2005. Not only does Taste of Home Entertaining have great cookbooks and magazine, but also an absolutely beautiful line of home entertainment products. The average commission for Taste of Home Entertaining is about 25%. For more information about Taste of Home Entertaining go to www.entertainingathome.com.
Scrapbooking/Stamping
So, you’re not a cook and you’re not really into the whole beauty product thing. And you are not sure that you want to sell toys either. Maybe you are the artistic type and like to do scrap booking or stamping. Then maybe you’d enjoy being a consultant for Creative Memories, Close To My Heart Scrapbooking, or Stampin’ Up!.
Creative Memories is probably one of the most well known scrap booking companies around. Founded in 1987, Creative Memories is committed to helping people preserve their family pictures and capture the stories behind those pictures with a vast line of acid free/lignin free products. To become a consultant for Creative Memories go to www.creativememories.com.
Close To My Heart Scrapbooking started out as a decorative stamp business in 1984. In 1996, a line of scrap booking products was introduced. Both lines of products were combined in 2000 to become Close To My Heart Scrapbooking. Their unique line of acrylic stamps is gaining popularity. For more information on being a consultant for Close To My Heart Scrapbooking go to www.closetomyheart.com.
Stampin’ Up! Was founded in 1988 and offers an extensive line of decorative rubber stamps. Stampin’ Up has received workforce awards in Utah in 2002 and 2003 for being one of Utah’s most family friendly companies. If you would like to know more about Stampin’ Up! Go to www.stampinup.com.
The companies mentioned in this article are but a handful of the opportunities that are out there. Most of these companies have kits that you must purchase in order to host parties, but many of them offer the flexibility and opportunity needed. There are many other companies out there that have direct sales consultants. The key is to figure out what your passion is and find a company that has the same passion.
