Here is a great article about direct selling from the Seattle PI:

After a few years of working as a special education teacher, Tomika Quigg knew she was ready for a change.

Teaching children with behavioral issues had become too stressful,
Quigg said, and she had grown interested in fashion and the arts. So
the Seattle woman, who also has a master’s degree in social work from
the University of Washington, traded the classroom for the living room.

 
  Meryl Schenker / P-I
  Gina
Tenerelli gets help trying on a Lia Sophia necklace from Caroline Moore
during a jewelry homesale by Tomika Quigg at the home of Lisa Conner.

Today Quigg sells jewelry for Lia Sophia at in-home events, and the
29-year-old is among a growing number of entrepreneurs, most of whom
are women, who are involved in direct selling.

"I plan on doing this as a career, especially when I have my own kids," Quigg said.

Whether it’s jewelry, beauty products or Tupperware, direct selling
has been a part of America’s retail scene for years. One of the
country’s oldest direct sellers is Avon, which began in 1886 as the
California Perfume Co. and now has more than 675,000 U.S. sellers.

Direct selling typically is a part-time job and nearly 65 percent of
all sales are done in a home, according to the Washington, D.C.-based
Direct Selling Association, a trade organization. Another 15 percent of
sales are done by phone, and 12 percent are done online. Direct selling
also provides flexibility, and it can produce a steady income.