Direct Sales Businesses Boom As Economy Tightens

LSJ.com:

Diane Mayers, a single mother from Laingsburg, wanted to put her son through college.

The challenge, as with many parents, was how to pay for it. Mayers’ solution was selling Tastefully Simple’s gourmet foods – something done mainly through home parties.

Mayers started her direct sales stint with Alexandria, Minn.-based Tastefully Simple Inc. four years ago. Now, her son, Adam, will graduate debt-free from Michigan State University this spring, she said.

“With the additional income, I’ve been able to help him out and pay for car insurance, and tuition and that kind of thing that usually kids take out loans for,” said Mayers, 48, who also works full time as a human resources administrator at MSU’s library.

Millions of people nationwide – including many in the Lansing area – are choosing direct sales as a money-making option that allows them to cover rising gas costs, be their own bosses and better balance the responsibilities of career and family.

Sellers have a variety of items to choose from, such as kitchenware, fashion, jewelry, tools and cosmetics. The goal: ramp up your earnings by recruiting people to sell under your network so that your income benefits from their sales, too.