When Cristina Prince's husband was laid off from his IT job last fall, the Pasadena woman turned to Tupperware.
The Severna Park Elementary teacher held her own Tupperware party and was initially motivated by the promise of free merchandise for party hostesses. Then Prince started thinking that maybe she could start selling the kitchen accessories and compensate for some of her husband's lost income.
"I wanted to pick up the pieces from his not having a full-time job," she said.
She said she spent about $100 for a startup kit, which included product samples, and started booking parties with her friends and family members. Her husband landed a new job in January, but Prince kept on going with Tupperware. She sells the merchandise at about three parties each month and said the extra cash funds her daughter's tuition at the Community United Methodist Church's preschool in Pasadena.
Tupperware and businesses like it attract a lot of people who are seeing wages at their day jobs remain stagnant, Prince said.
"People aren't getting their raises anymore, but things are getting more expensive," Prince said.
As the economy remains soft, people like Prince are turning to an alternative line of work - home-based direct sales, which allows them to earn extra cash while making their own hours. There are dozens of these types of sales businesses out there, hawking everything from jewelry and beauty products to kitchenware and home accessories. Most follow a similar business model.
Sales consultants, often women, mainly sell their products through demos at home parties. They can increase their commission by recruiting others to sell the items, building a team of consultants.
It's relatively easy to start a home-based sales business, which has made them popular, said Amy Robinson, chief marketing officer for the national Direct Sales Association. About 200 companies belong to the organization.
"You don't need a lot of overhead," Robinson said. "All you need is to go out and start selling the product."
Such businesses have also fared well during the recession. In 2009, retail sales fell around 9 percent, according to DSA's statistics; direct sales fell as well, but only by 4 percent. In 2010, direct sales actually rose slightly, from $28.33 billion to $28.56 billion.
"During a recession, people are spending money, but they're spending it a little bit differently," Robinson said. "A woman who maybe buys a $200 suit every season may decide to buy a $25 necklace to accessorize what she already has."
People are also looking to stay home and socialize there, rather than going out and spending more money.
"We like to say (direct sales) is the original social network," Robinson said.
From 2008 to 2009, the number of direct sellers jumped from 15.1 million to 16.1 million, before falling slightly to 15.8 million sellers last year.
"That was still an increase right at the height of the recession," Robinson said.
Angela Nassar of Annapolis, who has been selling Tupperware for 23 years, got Prince hooked on the company.
Nassar, a legacy executive director with Tupperware - she helms a team of 140 sales consultants and sales managers - said the company "is definitely an opportunity for people in this economy."
"We are always hiring," she said.
Start-up kits for the business can range from $85 to $125, but anyone who wants to sell can purchase a kit for as little as $5 down, then make payments, Nassar said.
Nassar got into the business when she was a stay-at-home mother looking to make money, but work flexible hours. She ended up loving it, and making a good living, too.
"I put four kids through Catholic school and paid for five sets of braces," she said.
With home-based sales, you can make your business as big or as small as you want, Nassar said.
"Its's not for everyone, but it's for everyone to try," she said.
Rachel Frentsos of Annapolis became a consultant for Arbonne International, a line of all-natural skincare products, about two years ago. She and her husband are both Realtors for Long and Foster Companies, and they wanted to diversify their income, Frentsos said.
"With real estate, your business can go up and down," Frentsos said. "Our real estate business has been fine, but we wanted to be able to have two different income streams."
That's attracted a lot of people to Arbonne and other direct sales businesses, she said.
"A lot of women, their husbands work, and they want a Plan B," Frentsos said. "If you work for someone else, there's no guarantee that you'll have a job the next day."
Krystle Castro, a stay-at-home mother of two from West River, started selling Silpada jewelry a little over a year ago. Her husband travels a lot for work, and she felt her employment options were limited if she wanted to stay home with her children.
"But I wanted to do something," Castro said.
She uses her Silpada income to pay for extras for the family that they might not otherwise be able to afford, including a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge water park and a vacation to Disney World next year.
"A lot of people do it because they're stay-at-home moms, and they're husbands aren't getting raises," Castro said. "These days, it's important to have those two incomes."
Angela Brill of Severna Park became a Silpada consultant about four months ago. Like Castro, the mother of three uses her income to help buy little luxuries for the family.
"It's a huge help," Brill said. "With things being rough out there, a lot of people have to cut out the small things, like getting your hair done or your nails done or taking day trips. This enables us to do those things."
The Severna Park Elementary teacher held her own Tupperware party and was initially motivated by the promise of free merchandise for party hostesses. Then Prince started thinking that maybe she could start selling the kitchen accessories and compensate for some of her husband's lost income.
"I wanted to pick up the pieces from his not having a full-time job," she said.
She said she spent about $100 for a startup kit, which included product samples, and started booking parties with her friends and family members. Her husband landed a new job in January, but Prince kept on going with Tupperware. She sells the merchandise at about three parties each month and said the extra cash funds her daughter's tuition at the Community United Methodist Church's preschool in Pasadena.
Tupperware and businesses like it attract a lot of people who are seeing wages at their day jobs remain stagnant, Prince said.
"People aren't getting their raises anymore, but things are getting more expensive," Prince said.
As the economy remains soft, people like Prince are turning to an alternative line of work - home-based direct sales, which allows them to earn extra cash while making their own hours. There are dozens of these types of sales businesses out there, hawking everything from jewelry and beauty products to kitchenware and home accessories. Most follow a similar business model.
Sales consultants, often women, mainly sell their products through demos at home parties. They can increase their commission by recruiting others to sell the items, building a team of consultants.
It's relatively easy to start a home-based sales business, which has made them popular, said Amy Robinson, chief marketing officer for the national Direct Sales Association. About 200 companies belong to the organization.
"You don't need a lot of overhead," Robinson said. "All you need is to go out and start selling the product."
Such businesses have also fared well during the recession. In 2009, retail sales fell around 9 percent, according to DSA's statistics; direct sales fell as well, but only by 4 percent. In 2010, direct sales actually rose slightly, from $28.33 billion to $28.56 billion.
"During a recession, people are spending money, but they're spending it a little bit differently," Robinson said. "A woman who maybe buys a $200 suit every season may decide to buy a $25 necklace to accessorize what she already has."
People are also looking to stay home and socialize there, rather than going out and spending more money.
"We like to say (direct sales) is the original social network," Robinson said.
From 2008 to 2009, the number of direct sellers jumped from 15.1 million to 16.1 million, before falling slightly to 15.8 million sellers last year.
"That was still an increase right at the height of the recession," Robinson said.
Angela Nassar of Annapolis, who has been selling Tupperware for 23 years, got Prince hooked on the company.
Nassar, a legacy executive director with Tupperware - she helms a team of 140 sales consultants and sales managers - said the company "is definitely an opportunity for people in this economy."
"We are always hiring," she said.
Start-up kits for the business can range from $85 to $125, but anyone who wants to sell can purchase a kit for as little as $5 down, then make payments, Nassar said.
Nassar got into the business when she was a stay-at-home mother looking to make money, but work flexible hours. She ended up loving it, and making a good living, too.
"I put four kids through Catholic school and paid for five sets of braces," she said.
With home-based sales, you can make your business as big or as small as you want, Nassar said.
"Its's not for everyone, but it's for everyone to try," she said.
Rachel Frentsos of Annapolis became a consultant for Arbonne International, a line of all-natural skincare products, about two years ago. She and her husband are both Realtors for Long and Foster Companies, and they wanted to diversify their income, Frentsos said.
"With real estate, your business can go up and down," Frentsos said. "Our real estate business has been fine, but we wanted to be able to have two different income streams."
That's attracted a lot of people to Arbonne and other direct sales businesses, she said.
"A lot of women, their husbands work, and they want a Plan B," Frentsos said. "If you work for someone else, there's no guarantee that you'll have a job the next day."
Krystle Castro, a stay-at-home mother of two from West River, started selling Silpada jewelry a little over a year ago. Her husband travels a lot for work, and she felt her employment options were limited if she wanted to stay home with her children.
"But I wanted to do something," Castro said.
She uses her Silpada income to pay for extras for the family that they might not otherwise be able to afford, including a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge water park and a vacation to Disney World next year.
"A lot of people do it because they're stay-at-home moms, and they're husbands aren't getting raises," Castro said. "These days, it's important to have those two incomes."
Angela Brill of Severna Park became a Silpada consultant about four months ago. Like Castro, the mother of three uses her income to help buy little luxuries for the family.
"It's a huge help," Brill said. "With things being rough out there, a lot of people have to cut out the small things, like getting your hair done or your nails done or taking day trips. This enables us to do those things."
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