Nearly 40 direct selling executives gathered at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., for Direct Selling Day on the Hill, Sept. 12, to meet with members of Congress and discuss the importance of small businesses on the U.S. economy.

Avon Products Inc., Arbonne International, Herbalife Ltd., MonaVie, LifeVantage Corp., Market America, The LIMU Company, Lightyear Network Solutions Inc., Educational Development Corp.

Primerica Inc., Nature’s Sunshine Products Inc., AL International, Mannatech Inc., Medifast Inc., Relìv International Inc., Natural Health Trends Corp., Lightyear Network Solutions Inc., Educational Development Corp., Blyth Inc.

Angela Loehr Chrysler, CEO of Team National and daughter of the company’s founder, the late Dick Loehr, is one of a few second-generation leaders in our industry.

We often talk about the flexible hours, sense of empowerment and opportunity to create better lives for themselves and their families enjoyed by direct sellers.

This week AdvoCare announced that they will be the title sponsor for the Phoenix International Raceway's Nov. 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race. The race will appropriately be called the AdvoCare 500.

Fortune has placed Sheri McCoy, Avon’s new CEO taking over from Andrea Jung, at No. 17 on its 2012 list of “50 Most Powerful Women”.

Last week, direct selling industry giant Herbalife made a groundbreaking announcement. They reported their second quarter net sales of $1 billion, which is a 23 percent increase over the prior year. The net income they reported reflected an increase of 20 percent over the prior year.

Oriflame, one of the largest beauty companies in the world, recently announced a partnership with Hollywood superstar Demi Moore for a line of branded cosmetics and accessories.

Over the last week, several companies hosted their conferences, meetings and annual conventions with record attendance and great impact on local economies.

The drop in August’s unemployment rate isn't particularly good news for the economy—it's driven mostly by nearly 400,000 people dropping out of the labor force, rather than more people finding jobs.

Every year FORTUNE Magazine posts its annual list of movers and shakers, called the Top 100 Fastest-Growing Companies.