Britney Vickery, Founder and CEO, Initials, Inc.

For more than 25 years, DSEF’s Campus Days at colleges and universities across the country have connected direct selling executives with students and educators to advance understanding of our industry.

The Foundation’s most recent Campus Event on March 27 provided a powerful venue to shine a light on direct selling—both as a channel of distribution and as an entrepreneurial and opportunity. Connie Tang, CEO, Princess House, and Britney Vickery, Founder and CEO, Initials, Inc., were featured presenters during the University of Georgia’s (UGA) Thinc Week—an annual campus-wide initiative designed to inspire entrepreneurship among students and faculty.

Connie Tang, CEO, Princess House

“Participating in the UGA Thinc event was an exhilarating experience to meet, see,
hear and talk to tomorrow’s entrepreneurs,” Connie said. “The opportunity to share insights to what independent business ownership means in our direct selling world hopefully opened their eyes to how our industry can be a vehicle to achieving their goal of being in business for themselves, which they might not have otherwise considered.”

DSEF Board Member and UGA Professor Dr. Brenda Cude hosted the Foundation presentations as part of “Start Something…On Your Own,” an event for undergraduate students in five different courses at UGA as well as students from Athens Technical College.

Britney and Connie shared their “real world” experience with more than 400 students who will be among tomorrow’s entrepreneurial and business leaders.  “The enthusiasm, encouragement and strong personalities of these powerful women are so inspiring!” one student said. “I have always had an interest in starting my own business but was afraid to try as I don’t feel ‘smart enough.’ After hearing these women, I am motivated and driven to ask for help and live my dream.”

Britney and Connie capped off their visit with a panel discussion attended by more than 130 students as well as UGA faculty and staff. Rich McCline, Senior Public Service Associate for UGA’s J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, moderated the panel.

“It was a remarkable day!” Britney said. “Not only was I given the platform to talk about being an entrepreneur, but I was also able to show students how I harnessed my passion for entrepreneurship through a very unique business model. Many of the students knew someone who had sold products through direct sales, but they had no idea how large and far reaching our industry was.”

Here’s something you don’t hear every day: “FTC Commissioner Praises Direct Sellers”

That’s exactly what a reporter from The Hill wrote after attending DSEF’s April 6 event at the National Press Club in Washington, DC: Consumer Protection: A Multi-Industry Conversation on Ethics & Self-Regulation.

The event featured opening remarks from Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and panelists from several industries—including Direct Selling Association President Joe Mariano.  “This public forum not only demonstrated our industry’s commitment to ethics, it embodied the Foundation’s mission to advance understanding of the direct selling business model and our industry’s leadership role in consumer protection,” said Gary Huggins, DSEF Executive Director.

Federal Trade Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen

The roundtable discussion on consumer protection issues and the role of self-regulation was moderated by George Washington University Professor Howard Beales, former director of the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection. Joe was joined on the panel by Lynne Omlie, Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) Senior Vice President, Secretary & General Counsel;  and C. Lee Peeler, Advertising Self-Regulatory Council (ASRC) CEO and Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) Executive Vice President of National Advertising.

Kicking off the discussion, Commissioner Olhausen described ingredients necessary to successfully protect consumers. “Consumer expectations for transparency and corporate responsibility continue to evolve, so too must the framework used to safeguard the public,” she said. “There are three elements that must be present to provide effective consumer protection: law enforcement, education and self-regulation. I like to think of it as a three-legged stool. If any of these factors is missing or not functioning effectively, the stool will at best be off-balance and at worst, topple over.”

Introducing the panelists, Dr. Beales noted there is no “one right way” for industries to self-regulate and Lee Peeler agreed.  “Today’s discussion is an excellent opportunity to share best practices in three successful self-regulation models and how we might adjust our approaches to better meet the needs of consumers,” he said, adding that the hallmark of effective self-regulation include clear standards, transparency, accountability, industry support and adequate funding.

All three panelists stressed the importance of adapting to changing consumer needs and market atmospheres. “It is critical that we continue to perfect our Code of Ethics” Joe Mariano said. “Later this year, we will further strengthen these best-in-class consumer protections by introducing greater transparency around enforcement and enhancing protections against false earnings claims. We choose to lead by example so every direct selling company in the United States has an incentive to do better by its customers. That’s why today’s discussion is so important.”

Lynne Omlie shared anecdotes from DISCUS’s self-regulation efforts, noting that all complaints they receive are resolved within seven days of being logged. She touted the evolution the council’s code, saying, “Our Code is a living document that has evolved over time as social mores and technology change, reflecting our industry’s steadfast commitment to effective self-regulation in both traditional and emerging marketing platforms.”

Panelists: Lynne Omlie, Distilled Spirits Council of the United States Senior Vice President, Secretary & General Counsel; Joe Mariano, Direct Selling Association President; and C. Lee Peeler, Advertising Self-Regulatory Council CEO and Council of Better Business Bureaus Executive Vice President of National Advertising.

Thirty-nine people attended the event, including CBBB staff, consumer protection leaders, local county regulators and representatives from Amway, Herbalife and Mary Kay. Attendees received DSEF’s Consumer Protection Toolkit, created to support the FTC’s in their efforts to educate the public about fraud, deception and unfair business practices in the marketplace. The kit includes various resources from the FTC and other state and local consumer organizations, as well as materials highlighting the consumer protections measures afforded by DSA’s Code of Ethics.

As the panel discussion drew to a close, DSEF Executive Director Gary Huggins told attendees that the morning’s discussion marked the first of many such Foundation events as part of its work to advance understanding of direct selling and promote the industry’s commitment to ethics, consumer protection and self-regulation. “American consumers deserve the highest level of ethics from companies they do business with. A commitment to effective self-regulation by industry leaders is critical to safeguarding their rights,” he said. “We thank FTC for its tireless work on behalf of consumers and look forward to continuing to work with regulators and industry colleagues to ensure consumer protections remain a fundamental goal.”