Direct selling of products such as cosmetics and cookware may not be the easy path to riches. But the flexible hours have made this the work of choice for some 14.1 million Americans, most of them women.
Though there are those who earn six-figure incomes from selling person-to-person or through the home parties that characterize this business, that is more the exception than the rule. More typical of the $30.5 billion industry, which includes names such as Avon, Tupperware, Amway and the Pampered Chef, is part-time or occasional involvement in distributing the products to friends, family and acquaintances. For many, …
