How to make money and stay home with the children. Adult interaction. Good products. Flexible hours. Additional income. Keeping up with a hobby.
These are the reasons often given by those who start home-based businesses with companies such as Mary Kay, Tupperware and Creative Memories, which sell their products out of the house.
Women are primarily the ones who join these companies. Many are stay-at-home moms or women who have other jobs, but are looking to earn more money or meet new people.
Carolyn Ross has been selling Tupperware for three years. She was familiar with the company’s storage and food preparation products but found one item – a container for round fruits and vegetables called a Forget Me Not — irresistible when she saw it at a mall kiosk.
“I said, ‘I’ve got to have that!’” Ross said. The saleswoman persuaded her to host a party, and Ross soon began to sell Tupperware on her own.
Three years ago, Carol Marshall started selling Creative Memories when a friend introduced her to the company and its products — albums and accessories for creating scrapbooks. Marshall enjoys photography and was looking for a way to preserve her family’s memories in albums.
“The creative side enticed me initially,” Marshall said. “I do it to support a habit.”
Kelly Sisk has been selling Longaberger’s handmade baskets and home accessories for seven years. The quality and usefulness of the products were why she joined the company.
“I love the products,” she said. “We have everything. It’s all over the place.”
“I use strictly Avon,” said Joyce Jackson, who has been selling Avon body-care products for five years.
Flexibility is one of many advantages a home-based business provides, particularly for mothers who want to be at home but still earn an income.
Jackson said, “It’s a great way to work your schedule around your family.”
That’s why Beth Ann Guthridge started selling Mary Kay — so she could stay home with her five sons. She found that she earned more selling Mary Kay skin-care products than she would have if she had worked a night job. Guthridge works about 15 hours a week.
Home-based businesses can also augment incomes from jobs outside of the home.
Sisk is a first-grade teacher, and Ross works for an insurance company. Marshall is a high school science teacher, aquatics director at the Clarke County pool and coach of the Winchester swim team.
“School comes first, coaching next, and Creative Memories on the weekends and some weeknights,” Marshall said, who works 15 hours a month for the company.
Others see their home-based business as a full-time job.
“I work 40 hours a week just like a full-time job,” said Jackson. “You can make your business grow into a large business.”
Guthridge enjoys the ease and extra income of selling Mary Kay. “I can’t understand why people would have another full- or part-time job,” she said.
No matter how they view their business, all these women find a home-based job is a way to balance work with family time.
Guthridge keeps a list of the “six most important things” for her family and business that she needs to accomplish each day. She also has a weekly planning sheet where she specifies time to spend with her family and time to work on selling Mary Kay products.
Ross spends the afternoons with her family and works on Tupperware during the evening before she goes to bed.
“I keep family and Tupperware times separate,” she said.
Other challenges exist for these women.
Marshall cited her lack of sales skills as a personal challenge. “I have trouble closing the deal,” she said.
Motivation is another challenge faced by some.
“It pays like a hobby if you work it like a hobby, but it pays like a business if you work it like a business,” Guthridge said.
Ross finds it challenging to “get people familiarized with the product again.” Most people know about Tupperware’s signature storage containers; however, they may be unaware of the new food preparation and service products the company now offers.
Starting and running these businesses is only moderately expensive. Typical costs include a start-up kit, product samples, postage, mailings and catalogs from the company, office supplies, gifts for the host of a home party and other expenses for a home party such as food and decorations.
It may sound like a lot, but participants encourage those thinking about starting a home-based business to give it a go.
“Get out there and try it!” said Ross.
“You never know until you try,” echoed Guthridge. “The sky’s the limit!”
Along with encouragement, these women are quick to offer advice:
“Do it at your own pace,” said Sisk.
“Don’t take ‘no’ personally,” said Guthridge. “Sometimes it means they don’t want more information or are just not interested.”
“If you believe in the products, they sell for you,” said Ross. “Don’t give up.”
“My advice is to treat customers well,” said Jackson.
“Have a dedicated time of day to work your business as if going to the office,” said Marshall.
Whatever the product, these businesses offer a way to make money, work your own hours, meet new people and continue a hobby. ♦
©Times Community Newspapers 2004
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