Avon is donating this month $10 million worth of personal care products to Avon’s longtime partner Feed the Children just in time for the holidays.

Reputation is a topic that's vital to our channel. As an industry, we have been in an increasingly dynamic state of disruption that has required us to adapt and change. 

Facing change in the new world has become the new norm in the past few years. The quick changes and experiences we've all lived through have shown us that the new standard is not waiting and reacting. 

Why do salespeople who have a proven track record fail as leaders? Simply put, they don’t know how to train and develop their team members.

Across the United States and around the world, a direct selling presence brings more to a community than just a business opportunity. It brings a commitment to good citizenship—a pledge to give back to those communities where direct sellers live and work and to respond to the needs of others in times of a national or global crisis. 

It is more important than ever for direct selling companies to have a robust and functional compliance program in today’s regulatory environment. The direct selling industry is under constant scrutiny by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and State Attorneys General, and recent changes at the FTC suggest that this level of scrutiny is likely to intensify. 

As part of DSA’s Change Makers virtual event last November, the Direct Selling Education Foundation held a live-streamed conversation featuring DSEF Fellows Dr. Sandy Jap and Kathy Korman Frey to discuss what success looks like in the “new normal.” The session was moderated by Connie Tang, former Princess House CEO and DSEF Board Member.

The direct selling channel has always represented an opportunity for all—and is even described as the “democratization of entrepreneurship.” But in today’s world of inclusion and diversity, are companies being good stewards of that heritage value? We asked some of today’s top direct selling leaders to share their thoughts on diversity and inclusion efforts at their companies.

Direct selling is a popular option for millions of Americans because of the work–life flexibility, high-quality products, and supplemental earning potential such companies offer. In addition to these attractions, some of those new to the direct selling channel also seek short- or long-term earning potential—even though by definition, these entrepreneurial financial rewards are uncertain.

When DSEF Fellow Dr. Robert Peterson, the John T. Stuart Chair in Business Administration at The University of Texas at Austin (UTA), reviewed the white paper “Alchemy of a Pyramid Scheme: Transmutating Business Opportunity into a Negative Wealth Transfer,” he found it deeply flawed.