ViSalus, Avon Products Inc., XANGO, RBC Life Sciences Inc.

AL International, Just Energy Group Inc., LifeVantage Corp., RBC Life Sciences Inc., Tupperware Brands Corp.

According to a May 2012 McKinsey & Company consumer shopper and insight report, the functional nutrition category—including vitamin nutrition as supplements and in fortified foods and beverages—is a $225–275 billion industry.

Driven by a Dream
Two years ago, 14-year-old Isabella “Bella” Weems told her parents she wanted a car for her 16th birthday. Her parents made a deal with her. If she wanted to create a business and earn the money, they would match her investment.

The economy is no longer experiencing a recession, but a reinvention. And there is a growing population of people who are looking to the future rather than the past—direct selling entrepreneurs.

The mission is the magic.
Mission is what inspired the creation of unique direct seller TriVita, and mission is what led it to welcome the newest member of its family, the mission-driven Amazon Herb Co. The combined company now can reach even more people with its message of wellness and sustainability as well as the opportunity they create.

Of the most critical business areas specific to the contemporary direct sales business model, the areas of e-communication and e-marketing have experienced the greatest transformation.

There’s a reason that “soccer moms” get so much attention, and soccer moms Gabrielle DeSantis-Cummings and Monica Hillman are prime examples. The two women met on the soccer field when their daughters, in kindergarten at the time, ended up on the same team.

Today, more than ever, entrepreneurs are discovering direct selling. Hard-working people are attracted to the opportunity to start a business, set goals and pursue a better quality of life. As a result, the direct selling industry is growing, with more than 15 million distributors and nearly $30 billion in sales in the United States.

The month of November will be remembered for another presidential election, the results of which are not known as we go to press. What we do know is Thanksgiving, one of our most treasured holidays, is about to be celebrated.

Thirty-One Founder and CEO Cindy Monroe traveled from Ohio down to the 2012 Texas State Fair on Oct. 19 in support of the 100th Anniversary of the Girl Scouts of the USA.

C-level executives attended the first SUCCESS Partners (SUCCESS Magazine, Video Plus, and Direct Selling News) CEO Summit this past weekend at the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach, Calif. They gathered to interact, discuss topics relevant to the current state of the industry, and be inspired by one another.