Is Now the Time to Hire Yourself?

With companies slow to hire, and high-paying jobs harder to come by, Kathleen Deoul—entrepreneur, million-dollar business owner, and author—shares why NOW is the best time to start your own business. Welcome to the You Inc. economy.

Many years ago I started my own business, and saw it grow into a multi-million dollar corporation, serving many Fortune 500 companies and defense contractors. It took years of my life to build the company to those heights, with grueling long days. Eventually, the schedule and stress took its toll, and I got sick.

After nine years of suffering with Fibromyalgia, I found a product that changed my life, and a better way to be in business. I sold my company and have never looked back.

Why would I turn my back on corporate America? Well, I did it for the same reasons that many of the 15 million people in the US who have embarked on careers in direct selling did: I wanted more flexibility, greater earning potential, and a better way of life. And I found that (and more) in network marketing.

Just what IS network marketing? Actually, you have been doing it—a lot of it—most of your life. Have you ever recommended a great book or movie? How about a good restaurant? Yep, you’ve engaged in network marketing (or word-of-mouth marketing), just without the benefit of payment for your advice.

Network marketers use high quality, value-priced specialty products and recommend them to others through “conversation marketing,” or “word-of-mouth advertising.” It is a global phenomenon. More and more business analysts and leading economists agree that it is the only true wealth-building vehicle left for the average person. For many of us, it may be the only way of achieving our dreams and securing our financial futures.

In today’s economy, network marketing is an explosive growth industry, generating an estimated $115 billion in sales annually. Some call it “the people’s franchise,” because it harnesses all the entrepreneurial power of a franchise, but at a cost almost every American can afford.

It’s easy to see why. The average business franchise can set you back anywhere from $85,000 to over $1 million, while the costs associated with network marketing range from $29.95 to join to up to six hundred dollars for starting inventory.

If you are like most Americans, you have very little money saved; you’re probably operating pretty much from paycheck to paycheck. The truth is, for most people today, the financial future is bleak. If you are old enough to qualify for social security, the average check is around $1,100 a month. Can you live on that? If you’re young enough to save, you may be wondering if it’s safe to invest in the stock market.

So what does network marketing have to offer? Network marketing produces “residual” or “leveraged” income. Corporate America pays their dollars in exchange for your hours. The hours are always too numerous, and the dollars are never enough.

Residual income means you are being paid bonuses and commissions (and more) on all the new memberships and purchasing activities that are taking place in your organization. It only makes sense that being paid on the efforts of many, many people is far more rewarding than relying upon your own efforts to put food on the table.

Network marketing is a way to hire yourself, be self-employed and have a business you can do from home (or anywhere). You don’t have to carry inventory, you don’t have to manage employees or have any overheads, and you get great tax write-offs while the corporate office keeps all your records, provides marketing materials and gives you a website.

You also get instant access to a global business, with growth markets around the world, protecting you from economic worries at home. And you can do it all from your bedroom or kitchen, with a telephone and computer.

I was 49 years old and ill when I entered the world of network marketing. I did not have a college education, but in a few short years I was earning more money than most college educated people do.

And I was doing it working from the comfort of my own home where I could enjoy raising my daughter and share in her life instead of being locked in gridlock commuting on the highway that consumes the time of so many parents.

The key is to find the right company positioned in the right market. Look for a company that is transparent and trusted, with unique products positioned in a growth industry.

Today I’m a 68 year old woman that most companies wouldn’t even think to hire. Thanks to network marketing, I don’t have to fear my future, I can create my own. Take a look at network marketing and consider yourself hired.