Flexibility, work-life balance, opportunity for all . . . these are some of the guiding principles driving the direct selling industry, principles not only appealing to women but also extremely forward-thinking. In the past, a woman’s duty to family often meant she was tied to the home and couldn’t enjoy a career or earn money of her own. For years, direct selling has afforded women with the ability to do both, long before the virtual, work-from-home days of COVID.

"The way to get started is to stop talking and start doing.”

Walt Disney shared this concise advice on how to get things off the ground and, given his track record, there’s obviously some truth to it. Thinking about starting a new business is one thing; actually starting one is something completely different.

A record-setting year in 2020 for retail sales, direct sellers, and customers had the US direct selling channel riding high and carrying tremendous momentum into last year. Although 2021 sales are expected to return to historical norms—the USDSA will release final figures in June—during the pandemic, the channel emphasized the impact of its presence on local economies, showed investors the adaptability of its business model, offered displaced workers clear paths for career options, and gave consumers a diversity of products for living in a post-COVID world.

We sometimes learn more about our company and ourselves when the business is in decline and during those pivotal, humbling moments as we work toward the next ascent.

Like many entrepreneurs, direct sellers embrace the spirit of independence. And like industries that are built to last, direct selling has adapted and endured over the decades by preparing generations of Americans for many of the defining moments that changed the course of our nation’s history. The resilience and independence that have been intrinsic to the business for more than a century are fundamental to who we are and where we are going.

Baby boomers are retiring, millennials and Gen Z are transitioning between jobs, and women are coming back into the labor force. Why direct selling is an option for all.

Industry research and DSA data show the continued effects of the coronavirus on direct selling customers, company revenue, and supply chains.

Their hedge-your-bet attitude, enterprising spirit, and focus on securing their futures post-COVID is helping Generation Z lean into direct selling.

Natura, Omnilife, PM-International, SwissJust, and Enagic on how they are faring and what the outlook is for their companies in 2022.

What companies can do for their fields and the channel to fill in the gaps of knowledge where misinformation and misunderstanding live and breed negativity.

Transformational outcomes in 2020 and 2021 gave direct selling unexpected momentum. What do leaders need to focus on to drive the channel to even  further success in 2022?

The direct selling channel saw an influx of new customers and distributors in 2020. To keep them in the post-pandemic marketplace, companies must evaluate the efficacy of their retention strategies.

In the drive toward a more customer-centric approach, customer journey maps provide actionable insights that allow leaders to draw on the power of storytelling in the quest to serve customers better.

Companies were already in the midst of contemporizing the sales model when shifts caused by the pandemic brought new opportunities to empower their salesforces and reach customers.     

New and expanded DSA Industry Research Committee studies provide exclusive insight into direct selling market-sizing, KPIs, industry trends, and forecasting.

Amid a global pandemic, a renewed call for racial equality, and a charged political environment, the direct selling model showed it was resilient and enduring.

Direct selling's visionary leaders discuss how their 2020 pivots shaped their 2021 outlooks, and why they will continue to be agents of change for their companies, teams, distributors, and customers in the post-COVID-19 era.