Direct sales and MLM companies face an evolving landscape of legal and regulatory challenges that impact how they operate, recruit and promote their businesses. Notably, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) continues to modify its playbook in the aftermath of AMG Capital Mgmt., where the Supreme Court limited the commission’s enforcement resources. Below are three external threats companies may face in 2026.

As recent events on the global trade front have reinforced for all of us, 2025 is moving fast and bringing high levels of change and uncertainty. To adapt, companies need all the tools at their disposal—especially power tools like mergers and acquisitions. This is particularly true for companies in the global and volatile direct selling industry. But like any power tool, merger and acquisition (M&A) strategies need to be wielded carefully.

Risk is not a binary concept; it’s a spectrum. Some entrepreneurs shy away from it, while others embrace it as part of their journey. In the direct selling industry, risk is inescapable.

Direct selling companies face constantly evolving legal and regulatory challenges. Business practices and methods once viewed as compliant may now invite legal or regulatory risk. Here are some areas where companies may be creating unnecessary and avoidable risk.

Issues often arise because laws on the enforceability of restrictive covenants vary significantly from state to state, and the legal landscape is constantly evolving.

Next month, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are expected to meet to reconcile differences in their versions of the Farm Bill. One of the key points to be considered, the legalization of industrial hemp, is being carefully monitored by several direct selling companies looking to take part in what is expected to be […]

LegalShield, an Ada, Oklahoma-based provider of legal plans and a leading provider of identity theft solutions, has announced that funds managed by private equity firm Stone Point Capital LLC have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a majority interest in LegalShield from funds controlled by MidOcean Partners, which acquired the legal services firm in […]

With apologies to Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal, it actually is revolution, not evolution on the table. In this case, I’m referring to a revolution of ethics in direct selling.