The employment choices for women have expanded dramatically
in the last few decades, but women still give priority to how that
employment will affect their families. Home- based businesses have
given many women the opportunity to earn money and still be home for
their children. The companies that sustain these entrepreneurs are
varied and growing, but each tends to be founded on a structure that
rewards recruitment, provides liberal compensation and encourages
the entrepreneurial spirit. Most require no minimum sales, no special
education and women are free to work the hours they please. For thousands
of women across the US, these direct sales, home based businesses
provide financial security, social interaction and the chance to expand
their personal and professional horizons without the aggravation and
demands of the usual workplace. These are just a few of the many that
women in our area have chosen.
Party Lite – Jean Huber
Jean Huber gave the first Party Lite party in West Virginia, 21 years
ago. Now her daughter in law and granddaughter are following in her
footsteps. “When I started,” Jean says, “there were
3000 Party Lite Consultants in the US. Now there are over 25,000.”
Jean has contributed to the company’s growth, bringing 45 women
into her Party- Lite constituency.
Jean Huber with the popular Party Lite candles. |
Although her three children are married and have children of their
own, Jean started in home based direct sales as a young mother whose
husband was in the Navy. “We were stationed all over the East
Coast while my husband served on cruisers. I was a private secretary
until we had children. I stayed home till they started school, then
began selling skin care products for extra income.”
When the family returned to West Virginia, Jean sold a line of crystal
from another home based company. “Two of the executives were
moving to Party Lite and invited me to go, too. I declined, but offered
to help them get started in Parkersburg. I ended up doing presentations
for both companies for a while. I’d let the hostess choose which
kind of party she wanted to give. They kept choosing the Party Lite
because it had such variety - candles, brass, silver, glass, ornaments.
It didn’t take long to give up the crystal.”
Jean works Party Lite full time. “I do three, sometimes four,
parties a week. It’s about twelve hours of work, but it’s
full time pay.” According to Jean, it’s very good full
time pay. “A new consultant doing 3 shows a week would make
about $18,000 a year. As she progresses, that increases to $55,000
or more, sometimes quite a lot more” As the leader of her region,
Jean spends about an hour a day doing paper work and returning calls.
Although West Virginia is her home, friends and relatives often ask
her to show Party Lite when she visits them out of state. “The
hostess gets $100 of products if she has a party with $400 in sales.
If two other people decide to book a party, she gets twice as much,
so they like to plan a party when I come!”
Jean says there are other benefits as good as the paycheck. In the
last 20 years, she has earned 18 trips, so many she can’t think
of them all. “We’ve been to Acapulco, Spain, Martinique,
Aruba, Puerta Villarta and three times to Hawaii. The company pays
for everything, from the plane tickets to food. We stay in five star
hotels. All you have to bring is your clothes.”
Jean is the quintessential sales woman, positive and enthusiastic
about her life and her business. “I don’t have time for
bad days, only good days,” she says. “It’s fun how
things always change and there are new things all the time –
new people, new products. In January, we’re going to have 21
new fragrances. Every month there’s a different challenge. Besides
the paychecks and the trips, there’s always something going
on. I can do one party or a dozen. I can go anywhere or stay here.
Last month, I had an open house and invited all my friends over. Anyone
was welcome.’
Jean enjoys getting other women started in their own business as
much as she enjoys her own. “It’s so easy. To start, there
is no investment. The Party Lite starter kit is free when you have
your first party. We have two training meetings each month for a new
consultant, I help with training and there are videos and books to
help. Anyone who becomes a consultant can take their business with
them and you never lose anyone you’ve brought in, even if they’re
promoted. ”
Jean is delighted that Party Lite has become the ‘family business
’with three generations selling the candles and home décor
items she has promoted for two decades. “This is a friendly
business and I’ve made a lot of friends. I think everyone should
have as much fun working as I do.”
Contact Jean Huber in Davisville, WV at 304-679-3162.
The Pampered Chef – Tahsha Crawley
Tahsha Crawley was introduced to Pampered Chef Products in junior
high when her mother hosted parties to add the specialty products
to her own kitchen. “By the time I was grown and married, I
had a lot of the products myself. One of my bridesmaids was a Pampered
Chef Kitchen Consultant.”
Tahsha Crawley hard at work during a
Pampered Chef demonstration. |
Originally from Wisconsin, Tahsha became a high school math and speech
teacher. “I was looking for something that would bring in a
little extra income while I stayed home with my six month old. I knew
about Pampered Chef products, I had confidence in the products and
I knew about the company.” Pampered Chef was started in 1980
by Doris Christopher, an educator, home economist and mother who saw
a need for professional-quality kitchen tools in the everyday kitchen.
Capitalizing on her knowledge of food preparation techniques, Christopher
organized an inventory of what she considered “essential home
kitchen tools,” promoted them under the Pampered Chef name and
began showcasing them at in-home cooking demonstrations called Kitchen
Shows. There are more than 67,000 independent Kitchen Consultants
across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany.
Tahsha contacted the company directly about becoming a consultant.
Her six month old child is now three and Tahsha says she makes about
$10,000 a year more selling Pampered Chef two days a week than she
did working full time as a teacher.
She says, “Since I’m in management, I get a little extra.
A consultant becomes management by bringing in five new consultants
and hosting two or three kitchen shows a week.”
In addition to the freedom of selecting when and how often she works,
Tahsha appreciates the opportunity for travel that Pampered Chef has
provided. “Last year my husband and I went to Rome. The company
paid for all the expenses; we stayed in a five star hotel and were
treated beautifully. This spring, we’ll be taking an Alaskan
cruise that I have already earned. I’m just starting to earn
our trip to Hawaii for next year.”
For those that aren’t interested in travel, Tahsha says the
company will pay for computers, home appliances or home improvement.
Points for these rewards come from sales at shows in someone’s
home. “The hostess buys the food for the group. We usually prepare
two recipes and show how the products can be used. A lot of the Pampered
Chef items have multiple uses. Most hostesses end up getting $100-$150
of free products plus discounts on other things. Most people see more
at the show than they can afford, so many women will host a show to
get the things they couldn’t afford.”
Tahsha says the company makes it very easy to become a consultant.
“There is good training in the kit - videos, cassettes and brochures-
and I do training for my consultants as well. The company lets you
try it out. I have never met a Pampered Chef consultant who lost money.
It costs $90 to get started, but that is $350 worth of products- everything
that is necessary for six shows. The contract is to try it for six
shows. Most people get that back after their first show, or sometimes
by their second. And, even if you hate it, you keep all the products!
Some people just agree to do their six shows to get the starter kit.
”
For new consultants, Tahsha sets up phone appointment once a week
“to talk with them about what went well, what didn’t and
how to grow their business. I tell them ‘You’re in business
for yourself, but not by yourself.”
Tahsha has helped 28 consultants get started in their own business.
“The hours are always the important issue. Everyone makes her
own choice. Most of my shows are week day evenings, because I like
to be off on weekends. The best thing for all of us is that it is
full time income for part time work.”
To Contact Tahsha Crawley, call 304-375-2705 in Williamstown,
WV.
Southern Living At Home - Wendy Redd
A Wood County educator for 29 years, Wendy Redd is quite comfortable
in front of a group with all eyes on her. Although she’s a full
time teacher to fourth and fifth graders at the Trek Center, this
summer she began educating her newest students about how to decorate
with Southern Living At Home products.
Southern Living At Home - Wendy Redd. |
She says, “When my son entered college, I wanted something
interesting and fun to do with my time. I went web surfing a couple
of days before the term ended and came across the Southern Living
at Home. I requested information that came the next day and I was
ready to start by the time school was out.”
Southern Living At Home is a division of Time/Warner’s Southern
Living Magazine. Just two years old, the company evolved from the
constant questions and requests of magazine readers about where to
find featured decorative items. The company’s stated mission
is “to create a feeling of welcome, comfort and beauty in homes
all across America’, an idea that appealed to Wendy.
During the school year, she has been doing two or three shows each
month, but in the summer months that increases to ten. Wendy admits
she’s not in the business to make a living. “I have a
career. This isn’t a job. This is fun. I spent all the money
I made from my first show on decorating items for my home.”
She remains a good customer. “My house is totally Southern
Living decorated! I like doing the shows, meeting new people and interacting
with everyone, but what makes this especially enjoyable for me is
sharing everyone else’s decorating ideas. I change all my decorations
seasonally and for each holiday. At the parties, when I ask ‘How
would you use this piece?’ they give me wonderful ideas. I’ve
had to learn to balance what I spend with what I bring in.”
Consultants buy their starting kit for $199 and agree to do half
a dozen shows in the following two months. The kit includes samples
of all four product lines, hand painted pottery, cookbooks, tin baskets,
catalogs, food items and decorating ideas. Wendy says she made the
investment back with her first party. “The average party brings
in from $500-$700 in sales. The consultant usually receives 25% of
the sales. There are usually twelve to fifteen guests, but the more
the merrier.”
Wendy also does Southern Living at Home parties for non-profit fundraisers,
where all the profits, including her own, go to the church or school
groups. She brings four rolling suitcases with stoneware, iron ware,
copper kitchen items, candles and accessories for every home party
– and usually an apple crisp.
Southern Living at Home has a company based website which consultants
may choose to individualize for just $7.50 a month. Wendy takes advantage
of the site, featuring her favorite products each month. “They
have a wonderful support system. I’ve never done anything like
this before but they offer encouragement and help every step of the
way.”
There’s only one room in Wendy’s house that hasn’t
fully benefited from her Southern Living sideline. “I have my
office in the spare bedroom. Boy, is it in disarray!”
Contact Wendy Redd at 304-422-6146 or 304-615-1491 or visit online
at southernlivingathome.com/wendyredd.
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