Organic beauty products and direct selling - a marriage made in heaven?

Workingmums.co.uk has been looking at the numbers!!

The direct selling industry is defying the recession. According to the Direct Selling Association (DSA), the number of people working in direct selling - a livelihood dominated by women - has risen by 22% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2010. And the prognosis for the future is healthy too. Richard Berry, director of the Direct Selling Associatin (DSA), told Workingmums.co.uk. that the direct selling industry could go up this year alone by 5-10%. ''The whole industry has the potential to expand by 100pc or more,'' he says.

So why has direct selling escaped the consequences of the economic downturn?

The answer lies in the type of products sold - cosmetics, clothes and jewellery. Recent research by Mintel shows that spending on clothes and beauty treatments is holding up well despite the economic slowdown. Mintel research also shows that three in ten women use only natural and organic products where possible and that nearly 40% of consumers claim they haven’t changed organic product purchasing habits because of the recession; a mere 3% have stopped buying organic products altogether.

''There is no fall off in consumer demand,'' says Berry. ''Cosmetics...do not suffer in a recession. They are largely impervious to economic conditions. We have seen the industry perform well in most economic dips we have traded through in the DSA's 45-year history.''

What's the attraction of direct selling?

* Flexibility (you decide the hours you work)
* Work/life balance
* An easy way to start a small business.
* Fits in with family commitments
* Top up family income
* Short-term objectives like Christmas or holidays
* Dip in, dip out
* Temporary income while looking for a job

'It's not the career choice [of graduates] but it does give them an introduction to the world of commerce and shows potential employers they're prepared to work hard,' says Berry.

Skills needed

''You don't need to be a super salesman or a roaring extrovert to start direct selling,'' said Berry. ''But you do have to be prepared to talk to people face-to-face and you have to like meeting new people. You need to be well-organised, but probably no more so than any competent mum.''

The best way to sell anything is to give it your own personal recommendation. If you liked a product yourself enough to buy it, you can give it your own personal stamp of approval by selling it. ''That personal recommendation is gold dust,'' says Berry. ''You don't get that in a retail shop. Most customers really do like a personal recommendation.''

How to get started in the beauty business

Visit theorganicdifference.co.uk and join Neal's Yard Remedies Organic with Sue. "I've been in direct selling for 15 years and I love sharing my knowledge of how to make the business work. Come on in! The water's lovely."