This is a great article about the benefits of starting a home-based business in direct sales!  Ivette

by Shelly Hill

When it comes to working from home, often times you will find people looking into a business with a Direct Sales Company. If you are like me, you have tried working out in the corporate and/or retail world…but found that it doesn’t suit you or your family’s needs.

Lets take a look at all of the benefits of joining a Direct Sales Company.

1. Be Your Own Boss – As a consultant, you are basically your own boss. You determine how much or how little you want to work. With that being said, you do represent a particular company and will still have to follow their rules and guidelines.

2. Save Money On Childcare – If you are a parent, a lot of times when you work outside your home, 50-75% of your paycheck is spent on daycare expenses.

3. Flexible Working Schedule – You can set up a flexible working schedule to suit your family’s needs. When you need off work for vacation, sick or family time, it’s much easier to do when you work from home.

4. Business Expenses – By joining a Direct Sales company, you will have manageable business expenses such as: adding new products to your demonstration kits and paper business supplies. If you worked outside your home, you would have transportation, clothing, food and other miscellaneous expenses. In my experience, working from home is a lot cheaper than working in the corporate or retail world.

5. Product Inventory – These days, the majority of companies do not require that you stock products in your own home. You can place your customer’s order and have it shipped directly from the company, to your customer’s front door.

6. Business Training – You will find that most companies offer free or very low cost training to their consultants. This training is a valuable business education that you can certainly afford.

7. Company Rewards – Every company has a different way of rewarding it’s sales force members. You are usually rewarded with free products and/or money bonuses when you meet certain sales or team building goals. When doing my research, I saw such things as: trips to tropical destinations, diamond jewelry, electronics and yes…even cars!

8. Little to No Stress – In my personal experience, I find it a lot less stressful to work from home in Direct Sales compared to working out in the corporate world. I don’t have to commute, deal with gossip in the workplace, nor have to meet crunch time deadlines.

If you are looking to work from home, I think you should consider joining a Direct Sales Company. For those of you who have families, this might be your smartest career move as the benefits can make life much easier for you and your family.

Shelly Hill has been successfully working from home in Direct Sales since 1989 and is a manager with Tupperware. Shelly worked in the corporate world for several years before moving into Direct Sales. You can visit Shelly online at http://www.workathomebusinessoptions.com for additional Direct Sales articles and home business tips.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

I never thought I would be a Work at Home Mom.  WAHM, for short,  is a possibility for all moms in today’s world.  Whether you want to work part-time or full-time, you are no longer bound by corporate rules and hours.  You can earn money working from home.

Being a WAHM is not easy.  There are no get rich quick schemes that really pay off.  If you want to work from home, you must know from the beginning that you need to work hard, be organized and be flexible.   Now I don’t want to scare you off — I just don’t want anyone to have unrealistic expectations like I did.

There are many different ways to earn money as a WAHM.  This is part one of a three part series, of some WAH opportunities that I have tried.   I’ve done a lot of research over the last few years trying to earn extra money, and I’d like to be able to share some of it with you.  Hey, we’re all busy moms…I am just trying to save you a little time!

Direct Sales – this is a great opportunity for people who love products!  In the past, I  have been an independent consultant for  Stampin’ Up!, Mary Kay, Tupperware, Home Interiors and Lia Sophia.  I was drawn to the fact that I could “earn” money while selling products I already loved.  The start-up costs are usually reasonable, and you typically get a lot of product and marketing tools to start your business on the right foot.

Now, it is possible to make good money as an independent consultant or distributor of these and many other companies.   I personally was not successful in these ventures because I am the type of person who loves the products, and the social interaction of the party plan structure.  I loved that part so much, that I didn’t grow the business like I could (or should) have to really earn money.  But there is a lot of business building help available if you are ready to grow your business.  One that I tried, with success, was The Lemonade Lady, Christie Northrup. She has some wonderful books, and now CD’s, that can help you grow your business. I love the way she puts a new “twist” on an old idea.  (If you sign up for her newsletter or visit her website, you’ll know what I mean.)   Christie has many years of direct selling experience to help you succeed in the party plan business.

I have met a lot of wonderful people as an independent consultant – many of whom I still call a friend today.  But here are a few more things I’ve learned along the way:

1. Do your research! If you love a product, and are interested in selling it, find out all you can about becoming an independent consultant before you tell a potential recruiter that you are interested.  Their websites usually have a lot of information on the benefits of owning your own business.  Specifically, look at the compensation plan.  How much money do you make on your sales?  Your downline sales?  How far does that downline earning potential go?  Multi-Level Marketing, MLM, offers wonderful ways to earn residual income on your teams’ sales.  I know of women who earn six figure incomes doing what they love!  By doing your research ahead of time, it will somewhat prepare you for the information you get from your recruiter.  Having some understanding of the compensation structure will make it a little easier for you to digest all the details.
2.    Be careful when a potential recruiter says, “Sign up with me today, it’s easy to make money!” People who are trying to grow their business work hard to recruit others to join them.  MLM offers great opportunities to make money on team sales.  But, take a look at your potential recruiter’s success, and what she has to offer you as a business partner.  Some of the most successful people in this business have mentors to help them along the way.  I personally would recommend Jackie Ulmer .  She has many years of experience growing her own business online and is now helping other WAHM to do the same.  Regardless of what MLM company you decide to join, she can help coach you to success to build your business online.
3.    Love the product! If you love the product, it shows.  You will have a passion that cannot be faked or learned, and that will come through in everything you do.  Plus, you really do need to love the product because you will have a lot of it!  From your starter kit, to samples and prizes, you will have the product to show for your hard work and commitment.
4.    Be able to take rejection! Not everyone you meet will be as enthusiastic as you are about your product.  But that’s OK!  When you get a “no”, you are on your way to a “yes”.  In many ways, sales is a numbers game.  The more people you present the product and the opportunity to, the more chances you’ll have to find people who are genuinely interested!

These are just some of the biggest lessons I’ve learned with a direct sales business.  It really is a great opportunity to earn some money and products if you are willing to work at it! I have taken the next step after learning so much and have found success with my new direct sales business, Send Out Cards.

I would love to hear about your great experience with direct sales.  There are so many great opportunities out there…the potential is endless!

Note:  Article originally written by me and appeared on http://www.busy-mommy.com.  Minor changes have been made to include updated information and links.

I received the book, “So You Want to be a Work at Home Mom: A Christian’s Guide to Starting a Home-Based Business” by Jill Hart and Diana Ennen , as a gift from Diana.  I met her on Twitter and was bummed I didn’t win a contest giveaway where this book was a prize.  She VERY graciously offered to send me a copy to review for my website!

First off, I got this book in the mail on Friday, 10/2/09 and I finished reading it by Sunday, 10/4/09.  No small task with two baby girls under the age of 2.  However, I honestly found the book very easy to read, and filled with great resources and advice for anyone who is thinking of starting a home-based business.  I just wish I read this book 18 months ago when I started my new career! (The book just came out this year, so that wouldn’t have been possible.)

Anyway, I digress…

One of the the things that I really liked and appreciated about this book is how clear it is about setting realistic expectations.  That is one of the things I continue to struggle with as a Work at Home Mom (WAHM).  I have spent countless hours on the internet doing research about working from home, and I never really found a website, blog, person, etc. that gave a good description of what it’s like to work from home.  Truth be told, it’s one of the reasons I wanted to start this blog so that I share my experiences with others in hope that it would help someone, anyone, make the transition easier.

Being a WAHM is the most difficult, yet rewarding thing I have ever done.  And, the most important “job” I’ll ever have is raising my girls.  But its a lot of hard work, late nights and constant balancing act between work and home.

This book, “So You Want to be a Work at Home Mom” explains some real life scenarios of working at home with your kids.  The distractions, the benefits of flexibility, and the pitfalls of poor time management. They even included a sample daily, weekly and monthly to-do list to help readers stay on track!

Just as important though, is a list of home-based business opportunities  that you can research to see what’s right for you.  There is no one size fits all when it comes to a home-based business.  With the internet, you can find a job doing just about anything – you just need to identify what you love to do.

The book is also chock full of real business resources such as marketing and public relations advice, a list of websites to help with your marketing endeavors, and tips to help you get started on the right path.  It’s so much easier to start a business on the right foot, with the right tools and systems, rather than trying to go back and change things later.  This is critical when it comes to bookkeeping!

All in all, I think this is a must read book for anyone who is considering starting a home-based business.  It will give you real world examples of being a WAHM.

If you would like to get your copy of “So You Want to be a Work at Home Mom, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.

About the Authors
Diana Ennen has been a leader and mentor in the work at home industry since starting her business in 1985. She is the author of many books including Words from Home: Start, Run and Profit from a Home-Based Word Processing Business. Please visit her website www.virtualwordpublishing.com for more information.

Jill Hart is an author, and owner of Christian Work at Home, Inc. She runs the very prestigious website www.cwahm.com. CWAHM.com is designed to help moms (and dads) find and request information regarding work at home (telecommuting) jobs, home businesses, and other information of special interest to Christian parents who desire to work from home.

Again, a very special thank you to Diana Ennen for sending me a copy of this book. I greatly appreciate it!