starting a direct sales business for Disney money...

[timmac]

Have you ever checked out a website called "pinktruth.com"? They are mainly focused on Mary Kay, but touch on other MLM companies as well.

This!

To be fair, Mary Kay, et al, don't necessarily have to be labelled as MLM, because for most people, the majority of the income still does come from their own personal direct sales. (The promises of riches, however, _are_ rooted in the vapors of the MLM structure)

But, from what I'm seeing just with a quick perusal of this site, it does serve as a nice counter-balance to the blatant optimism that's fed by the people attempting to recuit.

 

[SweetPeasMom2]

I am a big supporter of Direct Sales as a means of income, small or large. There is a fine line between being an overbearing and obnoxious consultant and being one that is consistent and passionate.

I have been with Heritage Makers for 6 years and I have been able to bring in an amount of income that has gotten my family through some tough times.

Direct Sales are not for everyone. But if you get in with a good company with a good product, you can do well.

 

[starann]

I did Pampered Chef for about 1 year....the discounts were GREAT but I didn't do so well..it seemed as if everyone already had their 'rep'

I then did toy parties, the adult kind. The 1st 2 years I did GREAT, even won a trip to Las Vegas. Then the economy tanked and so did my sales. People still had the parties but the sales didn't make it worth it for me to do the parties anymore. I finally got out of it last year when I got preggo and had a really bad pregnancy. I won't be going back.

I know I have cut back on what I spend my money on, but I will still buy Tastefully Simple and occasionally Pampered Chef (if I need something).

 

[LMDisneygirl]

I work for Disney money too! My husband's income pays our bills and day to day living, and my Tupperware income pays for Christmas, Birthdays, Disney Trips, and other extras.

I think one of the most important things to ask yourself is whether you love the product. I sold jewelry once, just out of college, and it wasn't for me. But Tupperware is a whole different thing. My house is filled with it, and I really believe in it. I never feel like I am in "sales". I feel more like an educator.

Another thing to remember is that you get out of it what you put into it. Sometimes I put in a lot, and I make a lot. Other times I just need to step back a little, and I make less. But I've been with it for over 7 years, and plan to be for a long time!

I try very hard not to be the one that everyone avoids because they think I only want to talk to them about Tupperware. You start with your circle of friends and family, but the plan after that is to keep branching out.

I hope it works out well for you whatever you decide!

 

[jcemom]

I sold Home Interiors many years ago, for 2 1/2 years while my boys were little. It was very time consuming, much more time consuming that I expected it to be. I actually had a pretty decent customer base, and had a good number of party hosts. I was booking as many parties as I wanted, sometimes more than I wanted. In addition to the time spent on parties, I had plenty of phone calls, consultations, personal appointments, etc. that consumed so much of my time. I also had to calculate and place my orders every week, pack them and deliver them, and attend regional meetings. Despite all that, when income tax time came around, I found that I hadn't really made much money. I went in the hole my first year, and cleared less than $1500 my second year. I put in way too many hours for $2000. I quit and got a part-time job (1-2 nights per week) and made more money that way.

 

[YukiPhnx]

Has anyone here ever heard of USANA? My mom is with them right now and I've already looked into enrolling.

They sell nutritional supplements such as vitamins and also beauty stuff like facial cleansers. The way the compensation works is the more people you get enrolled into the company, the more money the company sends you. But there are also a lot of other ways.

My mom seems to be doing really well and I've met a lot of other people with the company that have been doing really well also. Since they're vitamins and everyday products, they pretty much continue to sell themselves since people like them and people with the company themselves buy the products.

 

[jcemom]

Has anyone here ever heard of USANA? My mom is with them right now and I've already looked into enrolling.

They sell nutritional supplements such as vitamins and also beauty stuff like facial cleansers. The way the compensation works is the more people you get enrolled into the company, the more money the company sends you. But there are also a lot of other ways.

My mom seems to be doing really well and I've met a lot of other people with the company that have been doing really well also. Since they're vitamins and everyday products, they pretty much continue to sell themselves since people like them and people with the company themselves buy the products.

I've never heard of them. It sounds like it might be similar to Herbalife, which I have heard of.

I would not want to rely on recruiting people to make money, and if you're buying a lot of the product yourself, you're not making any money on that either, just getting a discount.

Can you ask your mom for more information? ...What is the profit percentage? Do you need to place a minimum number of orders, or have a minimum amount of dollar sales per order? How may reps are already working in your area? How do the products compare to those you can get a Walmart or Target, a drugstore or department store? etc.

 

[devonsmommy]

I am a Senior Director with Thirty-One Gifts, and part of the reason I started with them was because of their Dream Rewards program, which included Disney gift cards as a reward. I've been with them since Jan. 2010 and have earned $4000 in Disney gift cards outside of all my commission. We are using it to take our first Disney cruise in March!

 

[Crazy4Disney06]

I do this. I started selling Scentsy in April and have done really well without much effort. Most of the sells have come from my personal Scentsy website. Like another poster stated the the product really does sell itself.

 

[brymolmom]

I have known people who do pretty well with these companies, but not many.

If you do this please think carefully about those that you invite to parties (and who is invited by the host to the parties). As an official 'non-house party person' I can tell you that often about 50% of the people at parties that I have attended (in the past - that's why I've become a non attender) have been there out of obligation, NOT because they truly want the merchandise.

I couldn't take vacations made on money coming in from people who might not even be able to afford a vacation themselves but who shell out $40 for the least expensive item in the catalog because they think they'll look silly to be the only one at the party not to buy. I know they always SAY 'oh don't worry about buying just come out with the girls for a glass of wine' but very often it ends up feeling like it's necessary to buy.

I know some people LOVE Tupperware, thirty-one, Avon, etc. products and would want to buy them anyway...and that's great. It's trying to find the line between those and the ones who are just there for the company that is the difficult part. Many salespeople don't care as long as it's a sale, but 'encouraging' people to have parties isn't cool, IMO. Asking is fine, once. And make sure they don't invite everyone on their FB page or you'll be sure to get a lot of obligation buys.

 

[Lees3rwe]

Hey Everyone!

I ended up not signing up for anything because I have gone back to school to finish my degree (on top of working full time).

I am going to try to save all of my expense checks from work and I am telling my family that I want Disney Gift Cards for Christmas. (I don't need anything and they buy stuff just to buy it!)

It may be another year before we go back, so I will just save here and there.

Thanks for all of the input!

 

[momof1princess]

instead of signing up for thirty-one or initials inc., i applied, and was accepted, to substitute teach for my local county school system! i just got my first assignment yesterday, and it pays $50.00 per day, so maybe i'll have a nice little check at the end of the month. it's not guaranteed money, but, then again, neither is direct sales. good luck to everyone who's getting their businesses off the ground! (at one of the schools the other day, i got a compliment on my thirty-one bag, hehe.)

 

[Moomduck1]

Hey Everyone!

I ended up not signing up for anything because I have gone back to school to finish my degree (on top of working full time).

I am going to try to save all of my expense checks from work and I am telling my family that I want Disney Gift Cards for Christmas. (I don't need anything and they buy stuff just to buy it!)

It may be another year before we go back, so I will just save here and there.

Thanks for all of the input!

Good for you! Congrats! Just a tip....make sure that they are buying you cards that you can use at the parks and not just in the stores.

 

[disny_luvr]

instead of signing up for thirty-one or initials inc., i applied, and was accepted, to substitute teach for my local county school system! i just got my first assignment yesterday, and it pays $50.00 per day, so maybe i'll have a nice little check at the end of the month. it's not guaranteed money, but, then again, neither is direct sales. good luck to everyone who's getting their businesses off the ground! (at one of the schools the other day, i got a compliment on my thirty-one bag, hehe.)

I think you might just do pretty well subbing. In the district where I teach there are several SAHM that sub here and there just for some extra money. There are also those that sub as their actual job. Subs in my district make $100/day. I don't think that is too shabby for a p/t job. In fact, as the school year goes on I often see some subs in the building everyday of the week. They could easily take home a check(s) that total over $1000/month. Good luck with subbing this year.