Make More Money by Working From Home

Sept. 20, 2007 — -- Not long ago we featured a segment on starting a direct-sales business to make money from home. The response on the "Good Morning America" message boards and through e-mail proved that many of you were eager to tap into this opportunity, while others were already doing it and looking for ways to grow their businesses.

According to the Direct Selling Association, last year there were more than 15 million direct-sales representatives in this country, which is an increase of more than a million people over the previous year. Many of those people are content earning the median income of $2,500 a year, while others want to generate that figure per month.

One woman I met, Jeanne Wildman, a Longaberger direct seller, says she went from making about $200 a month to generating 10 times that much: a whopping $2,000 a month. Almost 20 percent of all direct sellers are now making more than $20,000 a year, so we know it is indeed possible to reach any financial goal that you set for yourself assuming you're ready to put in the work.

Do something daily. I received e-mails from more than 100 women who are in the $20,000-a-year bracket and each of them say they've reached that milestone because they contribute to their business daily.

They don't just dream about making money, they take action every single day to make that money. It could be contacting customers about re-orders. It may be networking and socializing outside of their homes where they always talk about their business. For some it's as simple as meeting someone new at the hair salon and passing out their business cards. Just about everyone says they're constantly focused on planning future parties because the primary sales forum is getting friends to host parties, where people are invited to socialize and shop. Bottom line: Work isn't just on their minds, it's also in their actions.

This follows the direction once offered by Mary Kay Ash who would motivate her sales force to maintain written lists of the six most important things to do each day. The focus then was on achieving daily accomplishments, just as it is today.