Prairie Business Magazine:
Brenda Koppy first became a Pampered Chef consultant to earn some fun money.
Less than five years later, she’s bringing in $3,000 to $4,000 a month on average. Koppy has more than replaced her full-time social worker’s salary, and she’s doing it in 15 to 20 hours a week.
Koppy is one of an estimated 15 million people in the U.S. involved in direct sales totaling more than $30 billion annually, according to the Direct Selling Association, a national trade association located in Washington, D.C.
Worldwide, more than 66 million people are tied to direct sales, generating more than $100 billion in annual sales, the association says.
Direct sales involves selling products person-to-person, away from a fixed retail location and often through in-home product demonstration parties.
Consultants, regardless of education or employment background, can generate incomes ranging from a few hundred dollars a month to six-figure annual salaries.
After about a year and a half with Pampered Chef, Koppy decided to make direct sales her full-time job.
“As a social worker, I was on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, pretty much,†Koppy said, adding that now she is in charge of her own schedule.
Even though the economy has suffered, her business has thrived.
Koppy is recruiting more consultants as people look for ways to make extra money during tight economic times. She’s also selling more products – kitchen utensils, spices, rubs and sauces – as consumers realize they need to eat at home instead of going out to restaurants, she said.
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