Changes in the global environment for direct selling companies are happening rapidly on all fronts. Shifting consumer expectations, tighter regulations, increasing digital demands and new competitors are forcing us to examine ourselves inside and out—question who we are, what we’re about and how we want to move forward. We can shrink from these challenges, or […]

Direct selling companies are coming up with creative ways to catch bad actors. As direct sellers, we’re intimately familiar with Amazon’s disruption of the retail market, otherwise known as the Amazon effect. We can’t deny that it’s driven millions of consumers online, giving both brick-and-mortar outlets and other e-commerce sites a serious run for their […]

Does your compensation plan reward the right behaviors? IF YOU’VE ever seen the 2011 film Moneyball, you can recall the premise: Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland A’s (portrayed by actor Brad Pitt), sets out to rebuild his failing team. His strategy: turning to hard numbers to identify the diamonds in the rough who […]

Vigilance, continuous learning are industry’s best defenses against cybercriminals. It has become a painfully common headline: “Cyberthieves breach company’s system, steal credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, birthdates, passport numbers . . .” High-profile corporations such as Target, Equifax and Marriott all have been robbed of massive amounts of valuable consumer data in recent years, proving […]

If you’re too spread out and trying to accomplish too many things, you’re setting yourself—and your team—up for a lot of frustration. If you were to ask 10 middle managers at your company what your organization’s top three priorities were, would all 10 give you the same answers? Or would those answers vary wildly? This […]

Marijuana’s misunderstood sister hemp is projected to be a $22 billion market by 2020, but can it overcome the social stigma and federal regulations that threaten to hold it back? It’s been called the gateway crop. Thanks to its stalks topped with five leaves, hemp shares the same signature look as its intoxicating relative, the marijuana […]