Archive for June 13th, 2012

Greater Dallas Youth Entrepreneurs, Direct Selling Industry Executives “Go the Extra Mile” to Benefit Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE)

Greater Dallas Youth Entrepreneurs, Direct Selling Industry Executives “Go the Extra Mile” to Benefit Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE)

(GRAPEVINE—June 3, 2012) In an effort to bring to life the Inspiring Entrepreneurs theme that marks the Direct Selling Association’s (DSA) 2012 Annual Meeting, the Direct Selling Education Foundation (DSEF) is today kicking off the Entrepreneurs in Action Walkathon to benefit the Greater Dallas Chapter of Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE).

The walk promises to raise support and awareness for NFTE, which is dedicated to helping at-risk youth from throughout the greater Dallas region: 1.) stay in school; 2.) recognize business opportunities; 3.) plan for successful futures. Coming on the heels of NFTE’s Youth Bizplan Challenge, held Friday, June 1, 2012 the walkathon kicks off the DSA’s three-day Annual Meeting and allows NFTE program participants to share their business ideas with DSA member executives, most of whom are entrepreneurs who have built careers working with the world’s top brands.

“NFTE works to give disadvantaged youth the belief that they can positively affect their own futures, and the direct selling professionals we have met through DSEF have amazing entrepreneurial success stories that inspire our kids,” says NFTE Greater Dallas Executive Director Laura Maczka. “Because our kids learn that they have the potential to use businesses to change their life circumstances, we share so much in common with direct selling, which is driven by the spirit of entrepreneurism.”

At the beginning of the walk, participants will be issued pedometers to measure their activity not only during the official walk event, but also during the entire three-day period of the DSA annual meeting. Prizes will be awarded in three categories: Most Miles Walked, Daily Challenges and Most Pledges Collected. The grand prize is a 2-night stay at the Aria in Las Vegas with spa certificates for two. The first place winner will receive a 2-night stay at the Peabody Orlando, and the second place winner will enjoy a 1-night stay at the Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs with golf for two.

“Young people need inspiration and mentoring to show how entrepreneurism can lead to brighter futures, and we in the direct selling industry are uniquely suited to helping kids crystallize this vision,” says DSEF Executive Direct Charlie Orr. “Inspiring entrepreneurism is central to everything we do, and supporting efforts that give kids the necessary skills for creating their own business plans—in essence, helping to shape them into the entrepreneurs of tomorrow—is where we want to be. DSEF is proud to support NFTE’s efforts to make entrepreneurism a catalyst for positive change in kids’ lives.”

The Entrepreneurs in Action marks the first walkathon for DSEF, which in the past has hosted a toy drive and organized a beach cleanup as part of its annual charitable efforts. The event is sponsored by DSA member companies and suppliers Herbalife, ALHI, The Pampered Chef, Silpada Designs, Scentsy Family, VideoPlus, USANA, CUTCO, 4Life, The Hartford, John A. Parks Co., Inc., Team National, Mary Kay, Beachbody, Vantel Pearls, WineShop At Home, GNLD, Oxyfresh.com/21Ten and MaCher.

NFTE Background

Founded in New York in 1987, NFTE currently has 11 affiliate offices throughout the United States that provide programs that inspire young people from low-income communities to graduate from high school and to learn the necessary skills for creating their own business plans—in essence, helping to shape them into the entrepreneurs of tomorrow.

About DSEF

The Direct Selling Education Foundation (DSEF) was founded in 1973 to serve the public interest by advancing the direct selling industry’s support of consumer rights and protection, education about the industry, ethical leadership and individual economic empowerment. Through its partnerships with consumer advocates, educators and students, public policy officials, and members of the small business and entrepreneurship community, DSEF engages and educates the public on the ways direct selling empowers individuals, supports communities and strengthens economies worldwide.

Blog

Creating Great Ideas For Your Business

Have you ever felt unable to come up with a new idea? It can be frustrating when you feel that everything has already been done before. Creating great ideas doesn’t have to feel this way, and it can be done by tapping to your own experiences and previous ideas. Read on for some ways to get started.

Break down your niche market even further and fill in those needs. Niche marketing is an effective way to stand out from your competitors. With some research and preparation, you can find a smaller segment of your market to focus on and provide solutions to those customers’ needs. For example, one direct seller of travel packages decided to create a niche out of her love of homeschooling by tapping into her family’s experiences combining travel and learning. This is a great niche since there are many families throughout the country who home-school their children, but at the same time, it is a very specific market and need that is being fulfilled. Start with what you know, do some research online and in person (customer surveys, interviews), and segment your target market.
Improve upon old ideas. Perhaps there is something you have tried in the past that didn’t work as well as you had hoped. Instead of scrapping the idea altogether, go back and evaluate exactly how or why it went wrong. Maybe you tested out a new activity at your home party designed to spark interest in your opportunity, but it fell flat. Consider your audience, your presentation, the level of difficulty, the fun factor, etc. How could you make it better? By improving upon old ideas, you may be able to come up with something completely new and much more effective.
Combine ideas. Sometimes our ideas don’t work well on their own, but combined with each other, can help some aspect of the business tremendously. Many direct sales companies ship all the products ordered at a home show directly to the hostess. From a guest’s perspective, it all becomes a waiting game about when the hostess gets around to contacting you that your order is in, or when she is available for the guest to pick it up or drop it off to her. In a lot of instances, the process of getting the product to the guest can be complicated and time-consuming. One consultant had an idea for the hostess to send a text message to her guests when the order arrives in the hopes that it would speed up the process. However, this idea relied too heavily on the hostess actually sending the text. Instead, the consultant combined this idea with another idea for a contest; she contacts the hostess around the time of the expected shipment to make sure it arrived, and then the consultant sends out a text to the guests that the first one to get her order receives 10% off the next purchase. Get creative by recycling and combining past ideas.
Collaborate with others. There is a multitude of ways to collaborate with others for a mutually beneficial outcome. Consider direct sellers from other companies as well as local businesses related to yours for a starting point. For example, a local weight loss center opened their doors to an independent makeup consultant to set up her table in their lobby once a week. Every time someone came in for a weigh-in appointment, the consultant had an opportunity to demonstrate some products and offer a “total makeover” to celebrate the customer’s weight loss. This helped the consultant reach a new and more populated customer base, and it helped the weight-loss center stand out from its competitor down the street by offering an extra service. Use your networking skills to join forces with others and brainstorm ideas that will benefit both parties involved.

How have you generated some great ideas? Please share with us in the comments section below!

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