Breaking the mould of the traditional direct sales model, Silpada Designs is showing Canadian women they can make their entrepreneurial ambitions sparkle by selling jewellery in a casual, party setting that focuses on fun instead of formality.
Silpada was founded in 1997 in the United States by stay-at-home moms and self-made entrepreneurs Bonnie Kelly and Teresa Walsh who had wanted to come up with a way to earn some income while still being able to take care of their kids.
They took their combined passion for designing and selling jewellery and started Silpada on the philosophy that direct sales works best when there is no pressure and customers can explore the product with their friends.
The formula is simple: Silpada reps set up parties where women and their friends try on and buy jewellery without any formal sales speeches to wade through. Arrival times are casual, there’s no pressure to buy and parties usually run for a few hours.
At the end of the night the rep earns a commission of 30 per cent of the sales total and the hostess who offered her house to be used for the party receives the same 30 per cent of total sales in credit for free jewellery.
Screenshot from Silpada