Conceived in the 1950s by saleswoman/hostess with the mostess Brownie Wise, the party plan revolves around heavily female fêtes where socializing merges with direct sales.
It, of course, got its start with those indispensable plastic containers, Tupperware. Growing up, I don’t recall any raging Tupperware Parties being thrown in my neighborhood but I do remember Discovery Toys-hawking hostesses living among us.
The party plan functions best when niche, fun-to-demo items — toys (for both kids and consulting adults) cosmetics, lingerie, jewelry, food storage containers — are offered. This is what makes Zola Goods, a Georgia-based direct sales company following the home party model so interesting … all of the products sold by Zola “Coordinators†are eco-friendly in one way or another.
In addition to offering only planet-bettering products, Zola (which means “piece of Earth†in Italian) claims to differ from traditional direct sales outfits in other ways: there are no selling or recruiting requirements and the company is just as driven by grassroots environmental nonprofits as it is by supplemental money making opportunities. Basically, Zola Goods is direct selling with a purpose — a hybrid of eco-empowerment and education and old-fashioned entrepreneurship.
Logo from Zola