WAHM Forums

I'm wondering...we are all wanting to be in business for ourselves. But how much control do we want? Would you be interested in a create your own party plan? Something where you could choose from hundreds of products to focus on, pick your own price to sell them for, produce your own materials such as order forms, flyers, ect...


You would truly be in business for yourself. What are your thoughts, questions on something like this??


cindy

Though it is an interesting concept, that would be like a wholesale company, and it would be very hard for the parent company to stock what is needed.


I know people have taken their own product and ran with it, like one of the bear stuffers.


It will be fun to see what people say!


Debbie

Hmmm... that just seems like a regular business that drop ships their
merchandise. There are large wholesalers you can sign up with
that offer thousands of products and you decide which ones to
sell. You create your own catalogs, etc. I'd rather just do
that and take a higher percentage of the profits. At that point,
the only real difference would be conventions, incentives, cars, and
stuff, and I'd rather have the cash in my own pocket than get a pink
car. =}



I didn't vote in the poll because the answers aren't mutually
exclusive. They might all be true. But I didn't choose a
party plan to be under someone else's umbrella per se, but so I didn't
have to deal with stocking merchandise or a large financial
outlay. Also, the risk is low and you have brand identity (or at
least you can build a common brand identity as opposed to doing it on
your own).



It's an interesting idea...



=},

Christy

It's a dreamy thing to do (have your OWN business in the "true" sense) but it takesa bit of capital, lots of time and energy, plus in the sense of party plan, would you go and actually have distributors under you (that you need to stock product for & pay commissions to, etc.).


I think too many just jump out of the gate with a concept, get people excited over a "new opportunity", before they've truly done their homework on what running a business really entails. That's why so many fold in a few years (some in a few months).


It's a great thought (thought of it myself in fact), but for me, being under the "umbrella" of a company works for me. There's less stress, and I'm accountable to my customers to the extent the company spells out for us. Great customer service belongs to each individual rep; we have "ownership" to that - and that's what sets each person apart from the rest of the reps for a company. % commissions are set, leadership charts are figured out, and inventory is (should be) under control. Why try and add more stress into a direct sales business? Not me. Why reinvent the wheel?


Good question though Cindy!

If I were looking to *own* and operate my own business outside of how I
am currently operating in network marketing, I would look into a
franchise.

Why reinvent the wheel when someone else has done the work to
establish product familiarity, consumer loyalty, and a system that works?

Franchises are a wonderful way for individuals who want their own
business to operate but have no formal training in business and
marketing to do just that, under the guidance of someone else's proven
system- with everything in place, no need to struggle with advertising,
copywriting, product development, manufactoring, etc.

JMHO,
--Kitt

I run a business (Southern Living at HOME) and my husband and I own a business. It is a storefront Franchise called EmbroidMe.


A party plan consultantis sort of of a "Franchisee" of larger company. I can't imagine running my Store Front without the corporate support of my EmbroidMe franchise. As I can't imagine running my SLAH business without the support and name recognitionof Southern Living at HOME. It is just plain easier.


Can it be done going it alone? Sure.And it works for many, many people.


But my husband and I wanted immediate success, proven track record, and experience before we even opened our doors. That's what a franchise does for you. That's what a proven successful direct sales company can do too.


It's a personal choice. My experience is that I can have quicker success with name recognition. That's what EmbroidMe and Southern Living at HOME did for me.


Susan Scarborough Smith /SLAH Star Director


Edited by: SusanwithSLAH