Starting your own Home Party Plan Direct Sales Company

I have often been asked advice for women who want to take the next step from being a consultant to actually being the one running the entire company themselves. And there aren't many of us that haven't thought "gee, I could do it so much better."

However, like starting any business, there is a lot of brainstorming that needs to go into it before you ever sign up the first consultant to the opportunity. And it can definitely be overwhelming, especially when all the "little things" start piling on.

And it can be tough to decide how to make it profitable enough for you to run the direct sales business itself, while still leaving plenty of room for your consultants to make money as well - and a desirable enough opportunity so that they will sign up in the first place. And with so many companies closing their doors recently, it can be very difficult to figure out where that balance is.

If you are considering starting your own direct sales business, here are some questions you should ask yourself, so that you can start to make the decisions you need to if you decide to pursue the opportunity further.

• Are there other companies selling the same or similar products?
• What are those companies doing wrong that you can capitalize on?
• What are those companies doing right that you will need to strongly compete against?
• What will your compensation (commission to consultants) plan be?
• How many products will you carry?
• How will you handle inventory and backorders?
• How much inventory will you need to start?
• What about sales tax?
• How will you price your kits? What will be included?
• How often will you print catalogs?
• How will you handle shipping?
• How will you find initial consultants?

Obviously, there are many more questions you should ask, many of which will be handled once you begin doing your business plan. But the above list will allow you to begin thinking seriously about starting your own party plan company, rather than the "wouldn't it be nice to start my own" that so many of us think, but never act upon.

If you are seriously thinking about it, please join in on our brand new forum, General Discussions for Party Plan Company Owners, which is just for those who have started their own party plan company, or those still in the planning or dreaming stages. Feel free to comment on the first few discussions:

• Why would you start your own party plan company?
• Are there niche markets underserved by party plan companies?
• Will you allow online advertising?

And if you have your own questions or advice about starting your own direct sales company, we welcome the contributions!

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