PROJECT INFO

TITLE: In the Pink

PUBLICATION: Direct Selling News, a trade publication for direct selling and network marketing executives

DESCRIPTIONS: Cover story about women in direct selling

EXCERPT:

The Pink Economy.
The Pink Collar Movement. 
The Pink Revolution.

No matter what you prefer to call this powerful phenomenon, one thing is certain: Women have been painting the direct selling world pink for more than a century.

Today, some 80 percent of the 15 million U.S. direct sellers are women, and this fuchsia faction isn’t just earning a little pocket change. In 2010, the female-dominated group generated a total of $29.6 billion in annual sales.

What makes these pink ladies tick and why are they magnetized to the direct selling industry?

Striking a Balance

Although the reasons why countless women continue to flock to the direct selling industry year after year, decade after decade are virtually endless, it usually begins with a woman’s search for that ever-elusive work-life balance.

“Direct selling lets both women and men work the hours and schedule that best suits their family’s needs,” explains Heidi Thompson, President of Scentsy Inc. “This is so important for parents who want to balance the need to earn a living with their desire to make family a priority. Very few other industries or work situations can offer that balance.”

As studies have shown time and again, life balance is absolutely crucial to most women. It’s what makes them feel confident, content and successful. That’s why if you were to ask any direct selling woman why she chose this industry, she’d most likely sum it up with just one word: flexibility.