Salesforce Member, Expert on Women’s Issues and Direct Selling Executives Speak About the Benefits of Direct Selling for Women Entrepreneurs

(WASHINGTON, DC) – On Dec. 12, 2019, the Congressional Direct Selling Caucus hosted a luncheon briefing titled, “Women’s Entrepreneurship and Direct Selling: A Pathway to Independent Business,” in Washington, D.C. Attendees learned more about the benefits of direct selling for women entrepreneurs including flexibility, the importance of independent work and the ability to learn from a community of peers.

The panel at the luncheon briefing included:

• Lacey Demalis, Independent Distributor (Maryville, TN), SeneGence International
• Theresa Flores, Senior Manager of Public Affairs, Mary Kay, Inc.
• Joni Rogers-Kante, Founder and CEO, SeneGence International
• Patrice Onwuka, Senior Policy Analyst, Independent Women’s Forum

Richard Hudson (R-NC), co-chair of the Direct Selling Caucus, stated, “Direct selling is a true entrepreneur’s calling, and briefings like this demonstrate the incredible opportunities for people to earn income and build a business of their own.”

Lacey Demalis said, “My husband and I were active duty military and raising a family was not conducive to that, so I separated from the military to focus on raising our family and started a direct selling business. Fifteen years later, I’ve been able to take my business all over the world and provide it to other military spouses as well.”

Joni Rogers-Kante, founder and chief executive officer for SeneGence International, noted “The reason direct selling was the avenue for our business is the large percentage of women who are intelligent, well-educated and ambitious, but not willing to sacrifice that much time away from their family to achieve that result.”  

Patrice Onwuka, senior policy analyst for the Independent Women’s Forum discussed, “One of the most impressive things about direct selling is flexibility. The idea that you are making a trade-off to make your own schedule is a huge benefit.”

Theresa Flores, senior manager of public affairs for Mary Kay, Inc. has been involved in direct selling for over 10 years and shared, “It was important to Mary Kay Ash when she started the company more than 50 years ago for the salespeople to be independent. That’s why they’re called independent beauty consultants.”

The Congressional Direct Selling Caucus is chaired by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) and Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX), and includes more than 40 members of Congress with a focus on preserving independent work for direct sellers in the United States.

ABOUT THE DIRECT SELLING ASSOCIATION

For more than a century, the Direct Selling Association (DSA) has served as the national trade association for companies that offer entrepreneurial opportunities to independent sellers to market and sell products and services, typically outside of a fixed retail establishment. In 2018, direct selling took place across the United States, generating $35.4 billion in retail sales. More than six million entrepreneurs in the U.S. are selling products or services through the direct selling channel, providing a personalized buying experience for more than 36.6 million customers.