Recently I had an acquaintance say to me, “Oh you do direct sales. That’s such a waste of time. You should just go get a real job.” After this conversation I realized there are a lot of misconceptions with the direct sales industry. While I can’t speak for every direct sales company, I know I can speak for many when I say “I do more than just sell….” I can see some of your eyes rolling right now, but I’m being completely serious. There is so much more to a work from home business than what meets the eye.
Contrary to popular opinion, direct sales requires some serious hustle and drive. I am constantly having to plan 2-4 months in advance. My job does not end at 5 p.m. There is no shift change. No administrative assistant to respond to emails or go to the post office. No one comes to my house to sort orders and deliver them. I still have mom guilt when I am away for a conference or just gone doing a party. No one to pick up the pieces or do my work if I take a sick day. (Ha! Who am I kidding?! We all know mothers don’t get real sick days LOL!)
Two years ago I found out there was a consistency ribbon, which you can earn by selling $2000 a month for 10 out of 12 months. I made it my goal in July of 2017 to earn that ribbon for 2018, and when I got to conference I cried when I saw it. Last year I was 4th place top earner out of 60,054 consultants. This “work from home gig” has changed my life in so many ways. The thing about setting goals is that you are constantly pushing yourself to do something you haven’t done, but know you are capable of doing.
So now that you know what goes into these little side hustles, I want to challenge all the nay-sayers… Did you know you can support your direct sales friends without spending a penny? Yep! You can simply react to their social media posts! See something that one of your friends might like? Share the post with them!
For those of you who want to support your friends in other ways, let me tell you some of my favorites!
- Shop small-I did this for Christmas! I didn’t shop one large chain store for gifts. All small businesses!
- Share with your friends! We love referrals and are so thankful for them!
- Host a party! I mean it’s a no brainer, but I love to give away hundreds of dollars of free Thirty-One!
Instead of going to Yankee Candle, get some Scentsy or Pink Zebra. Need some new kitchen accessories? Hello Pampered Chef and Tupperware! Perfectly Posh is amazing for all your bath & body needs! Need some cute and comfy clothes, LuLaRoe is the best! Safe cleaning and health essentials-check out Norwex and DoTerra.
