Every month, they announce which companies are getting the biggest buzz in relation to the others.

For the month of October, the biggest gainers were Nuskin (27.2%), Scentsy (21.5%), SeneGence (12.1%), and Enagic (11.2%).

The winner for #1 popularity in terms of searches and inquiries is (drumroll)…Avon!

Forbes Article On Mary Kay

In it, the authors are talking about businesses you can start up for less than $5,000.

They have some pretty cool ideas too.  What really got my attention was the following except:

“Direct selling is serious business ($30 billion in the U.S.), and the country’s 14 million independent agents can make good money. Big names that will pay you to go door-to-door (emphasis mine) include cosmetics companies like Mary Kay and Avon, as well as houseware firms like Home Interiors & Gifts.

At Mary Kay, a starter kit runs $100 to $200, plus shipping and tax, and includes product samples, brochures, catalog and trays and mirrors; agents bag 50% of every sale. A Home Interiors & Gifts representative needs to pony up between $39 and $129 (depending on the level of merchandise) to get started, while it costs $10 to sign up as an Avon representative–though you’ll have to pay for catalogs and product samples.”

The reason this got my attention was the one sentence in the middle – that big names will pay you to go door-to-door selling their stuff.

Now, I love Forbes magazine.

And I obviously dig the direct-sells industry.

But really. Door-to-door?

I didn’t think people even considered that a viable option anymore!  To my knowledge, the network marketing industry upgraded to “friends and family” a long, long time ago.  And even as tired and antiquated as that model is, it’s leaps and bounds ahead of door-to-door selling.

About the only thing that works selling door-to-door is Girlscout cookies.  And that’s only because they are so addictive they should make the governments controlled substances list.

My advice – if you’re looking to get exercise, sell door-to-door. If you’re looking to create income, learn how to market effectively.