On June 26, 2019, the Preserving Direct Seller Independence Act, H.R 3522, was introduced with bipartisan support. The Act reinforces the status of direct sellers as independent contractors by incorporating the specific language in Section 3508 of the Internal Revenue Service Code on direct selling independent contractor status into the Fair Labor Standards Act. As […]
In conjunction with its annual meeting, the U.S. Direct Selling Association (DSA), announced top honors to the industry’s standout companies at its 2019 DSA Awards gala in Austin, Texas. In addition, the Direct Selling Education Foundation(DSEF) announced three new inductees to its prestigious Circle of Honor. DSA Awards DSA Awards recognize the outstanding programs DSA […]
According to the “DSA 2019 Growth & Outlook Report: U.S. Direct Selling in 2018” released today by the Direct Selling Association (DSA) at its Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas, 2018 saw growth in retail sales, as well as the number of people selling and purchasing products and service through the direct sales channel. Growth & […]
United States Representative Richard Hudson (R-NC) is the new co-chair of the Congressional Direct Selling Caucus in the 116th Congress. The caucus was established in 2015 as a bipartisan forum to build greater awareness about direct selling and policy issues relevant to the business. Representative Hudson will replace outgoing co-chair U.S. Representative Marcia Blackburn (R-TN), who was elected […]
In our January 2019 issue of Direct Selling News, we published a story on some best practices to employ when responding to misleading facts about your company or negative criticism of the industry. The article illustrates that sometimes it’s better to leave things alone because it can just bring more attention to the story. But, there are times when […]
Last week, Washington state Attorney General Robert Ferguson filed an injunction against LuLaRoe, Inc., which the Attorney General described as an unlawful pyramid scheme. The complaint alleged that the LuLaRoe plan violated the Washington state Anti-Pyramid Promotional Scheme statute, made false and misleading earnings claims to potential and existing participants, and otherwise violated the state’s […]
The US Direct Selling Association (DSA) has announced that its Board of Directors unanimously approved the establishment of a third party self-regulatory program. The Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council (Direct Selling-SRC), which will be administered by the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB), is designed to ensure high standards of integrity and business ethics which remain the guiding […]
Lois Greisman, Associate Director of the Division of Marketing Practices, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lauded the establishment of the Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council (DS-SRC) at the Direct Selling Association (DSA) Fall Conference in Arlington, VA. In addition to providing an overview of the January 2018 FTC Business Guidance Concerning Multi-Level Marketing, Associate Director Greisman characterized […]
Photo: U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta at DSA Fall Conference U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta recently recognized the important role independent contractors play in the American economy. Secretary Acosta presented the Trump Administration’s views on independent contractors at the Direct Selling Association Fall Conference held Nov. 12–14 in Arlington, VA. He highlighted the […]
The Direct Selling Association (DSA) announced today that it supports enactment of the Preserving Direct Seller Independence Act of 2018, H.R. 7029. Introduced by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), the legislation would clearly define direct sellers as independent contractors under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) consistent with the Internal Revenue Service Code. DSA President Joseph N. Mariano […]
Photo: Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) speaking to attendees. The Direct Selling Association (DSA) hosted its annual Direct Selling Day on Capitol Hill for independent sellers throughout the United States. More than 150 direct selling distributors and executives representing 14 DSA member companies and 28 states met with Members of Congress during Capitol Hill Day to share personal […]
LifeVantage CEO Darren Jensen was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Direct Selling Association (DSA), the national trade association representing the direct selling industry and advocates on behalf of its 200-plus member companies. The board consists of 22 industry leaders who serve as officers and directors, as nominated and elected by their peers. Jensen […]