DSEF launched the Fellows Program to support educational and research efforts to foster a deeper understanding of the direct selling channel and its impact. We now have more than 130 Fellows around the world from a wide range of disciplines – management, marketing, economics, entrepreneurship, sales, consumer studies – and provide them a rich offering of benefits and opportunities.

DSEF warmly welcomes our newest Fellows:

Dr. Jessica Hurst
Iowa State University
Associate Professor in the Apparel, Events, & Hospitality
Management Department

Dr. Liang “Rebecca” Tang
Iowa State University
Associate Professor in the Department of Apparel, Events, & Hospitality Management

Dr. Jennifer Zarzosa
Henderson State University
Assistant Professor of Marketing

Mr. Zachary Moore
The University of Louisiana-Monroe
Doctoral Candidate and Instructor of Agricultural Business
Agricultural Business Program Coordinator

Ms. April Kemp
Southeastern Louisiana University
Doctoral Candidate and Instructor of Marketing and Supply Chain Management
Marketing Internship Coordinator

Dr. Scot Squires
Central Michigan University
Professor and President of the Union of Teaching Faculty

Dr. Ellen Bolman Pullins
The University of Toledo
Professor of Marketing and International Business

Dr. Ying Liao
East Carolina University
Associate Professor in the Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management

Dr. Anne Balazs
Eastern Michigan University
Interim Dean

Dr. Mohammed Shaki
Saint Leo University
Assistant Professor of Management in the Donald R. Tapia School of Business

DSEF launched the Fellows Program to support educational and research efforts to foster a deeper understanding of the direct selling channel and its impact. We now have more than 125 Fellows around the world from a wide range of disciplines – management, marketing, economics, entrepreneurship, sales, consumer studies – and provide them a rich offering of benefits and opportunities.

DSEF warmly welcomes our newest Fellows:

Dr. Yulong Li
Associate Professor of Marketing
Simmons College

Ms. Joanne Cao
Assistant Professor of Marketing
The University of Southern Mississippi

Dr. David Altounian
Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship
Associate Dean of Academic Programs
MBA Program Director
St. Edwards University

Dr. Crystal Scott
Associate Professor of Marketing
University of Michigan-Dearborn

Dr. Mathew Joseph
Emil C.E. Jurica Distinguished Professor of Marketing
St. Mary’s University

Dr. Minjeong Kim
Associate Professor in Merchandising
Indiana University-Bloomington

Dr. Sally Fortenberry
Associate Professor
Director, Center for Merchandise Education and Research
Texas Christian University

Dr. Sebastian Hohenberg
Assistant Professor of Marketing
University of Texas at Austin

Dr. Cathy Curran-Kelly
Associate Professor, Management and Marketing
University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth

Dr. Jeananne Nicholls
Professor, Marketing and Management
Slippery Rock University

Dr. Scott Swain
Associate Professor of Marketing
Clemson University

Dr. Brian VanderSchee
Professor of Marketing
Aurora University

Dr. Diana Haytko
Marguerite and Guy Howard Professorship in Business; Professor of Marketing
Florida Gulf Coast University

Amway’s 2018 Global Entrepreneurship Report examines intrinsic and extrinsic factors that impact potential entrepreneurs. The data is based on survey data from nearly 50,000 people across 44 countries. Here are five of the most important findings to get a high-level overview of this year’s results (source: Amway).

1. The global business environment has room to improve to be entrepreneurship-friendly.

Nearly 50,000 people were asked about different aspects of entrepreneurship, including technology availability, the education system, taxes, rules and regulations, and their country’s economic situation. As you might expect, there remains great opportunity to improve the global business environment. Unsurprisingly, people don’t find their country’s taxes manageable (only 33 percent do), nor do they think their country provides easy-to-understand rules and regulations (only 24 percent do).

2. One of the most significant barriers to starting a business is the fear of failure.

It’s hard for people to start a business because they are afraid to fail. Less than half of people surveyed say they’d be willing to risk failure to start a business. Possibly, it’s because people see starting a business as a giant endeavor — a significant commitment. And it can be. However, there also are ways to start a business that are relatively low-cost and risk-free – direct selling is one of them.

3. People need the most help raising money for their business idea.

When asked about different areas respondents would need help with when starting a business, raising money rose to the top, at 23 percent. In the traditional business scene, you’re investing a lot of your personal money, asking friends and family for support or pitching investors to finance your business. In direct selling, the average cost of a sales kit is just over $100 and includes a 90 percent buy-back guarantee.

4. People prefer to build a team, rather than work alone.

When asked whether people prefer to work alone or hire people, the majority (57 percent) opted for building a team. In direct selling, you can create your own business – work independently or develop a team.

5. Personal service still matters

In today’s digitally connected world, personal service is still significantly valued. The research found that 75 percent of people prefer to service customers personally than digitally. This trend remained consistent with even the under-35 demographic, countering the common perception that millennials prefer virtual interaction over interpersonal and indicating that personalized service is still highly valued around the world.