Direct Sales is a Booming Business - Over $125 billion in 2010

Having fun at a Tomboy Tools Tool Party

There is a buzz in the news about the booming business of direct sales.  The Direct Selling Association reported over $28 billion in U.S. direct retail sales in 2009 and over $125 billion in revenue in 2010 in 150 countries through more than 75 million men and women.  In the June 24, 2011 Wall Street Journal’s 40-page supplement on direct selling, financial advisors and investors are both seeing direct selling companies with new eyes, focusing on the efficient business model, rapid growth, and generally low on-going capital investment after the initial surge. 

Products and services delivered directly to customers through personalized presentations that are often educational, entertaining, and certainly social have enabled direct selling to thrive for decades even through recessions, including this latest one.  Large companies are downsizing and people are looking for new jobs, opportunities and ways to supplement their income. Home party opportunities can be a fun and profitable home based business.

Over 16 million men and women earn income through direct sales in the U.S. (over 75 million worldwide) and over 78 percent of the American public has bought goods or services through direct sales. There is no better time to get involved in the home party business.  Direct selling offers people the skills and tools to create new income opportunities – to venture out on their own as entrepreneurs and grow in confidence versus being consumed by the fear associated with a shrinking job market.  

A career in direct sales is a great way to help pay for that new car you have always wanted, or that special vacation you’ve been dreaming of, or to help pay for your children’s school tuition or extra bills. The beauty is that a career in direct sales could result in an annual “vacation of a lifetime,” year after year. 

Tomboy Tools created this company to offer quality, lightweight, ergonomically designed tools and education through in home parties and our website.  What we never envisioned was that women from all over the world would visit our website and tell us their stories and become our guides.  We have been so touched by the stories we have heard from women who told us about trying to maintain their living spaces on their own, afraid of what they didn’t know, and the difficulties they faced. 

The reason for this is simple, the timing is perfect with the growing trend of women becoming more and more involved in DIY (Do it Yourself) projects. There is also a growing trend of single women buying houses at the rate of 2 to 1 over men.

Now it is a necessity for many women to do basic home projects and maintain their home on their own:

• Women spend $80 billion on home improvement
• 77.9 million Females (U.S.) undertook a home improvement project in the past two years
• 80% of household purchases are decided by women
• 1 of 3 women (17% of total population) consider themselves Do-It-Yourselfers (DIY)

Tomboy Tools is a perfect fit with this growing trend. We show women that these projects and repairs are not rocket science.  When each of us at Tomboy Tools quit waiting on someone else and began to gain the skills and confidence to tackle projects ourselves, we discovered something interesting.  It empowered us! 

With a little knowledge and the right tools you can go a long way. Saving money and time, along with increasing your confidence level is priceless. It’s come full circle for many and they are thankful they took that first step. 

(U.S. Census Bureau, Home Improvement Research Institute, Wall Street Journal, Direct Selling Association & Tomboy Tools, Inc.)