For most of my adult life, I have had my own business. I worked about a year and a half as an associate at a Long Island law firm before hanging my own shingle. Financially the rewards are far better but it is so much more than that. It is the opportunity to make a difference; to nurture an idea and see it grow. Not that starting a traditional small business is not without risk. As a matter of fact, starting a traditional small business is hard work with massive capital requirements both in time and money. And, it is so easy to see all that hard work vanish in the wake of a destructive force like a recession. My successful real estate law practice fell apart after the real estate bubble burst in 2007.
Suddenly set adrift, I needed to figure out my next move. I was not interested in learning another area of law and developing a new practice. I was tired of the rising expenses of rent, salaries, and all the other incidentals that add up in a big way. Strangely enough, I turned my eye to Direct Sales. The Direct Sales business is financially lean and extraordinarily efficient. Not only is the overhead extremely low, but the time and expense of product development, manufacture, storage and shipment is undertaken by the company. My job was to market the products and create a customer base in addition to introducing others to the opportunity and then training and developing them. This was perfect – I ran my own successful business for 15 years. I knew what it took to start a business, build up a clientele and reach success. Helping other women build their own businesses was something that would fill that emotional hole left by the closure of the law firm.
With so many direct sale companies out there, how do you choose? I used the head/heart approach. Whatever company I decided upon had to make fiscal sense (head). But, I had to love the product so I could be genuine and authentic (heart). For me, the perfect fit was Miche Bags. The interchangeable handbag was patented, which meant I was not competing with other direct sellers nor retail. The only way a consumer could get their hands on an interchangeable purse is through an authorized Miche M-Bassador. Fashion is consumable and trends come and go seasonally. Miche Bag customers would buy new Miche Faces or Covers as they are released, creating return business. There are only about 2000 Miche M-Bassadors nationwide and that number is centered in the mid-West and South; the Miche presence in the Northeast was still in its infancy. Most of all, I fell in love with the concept. To not have to dump out the contents of my purse to change my look was mind-blowing to me! I felt as if the concept was created just for me.
So its been a little over 3 years since I joined Miche. I hit a top level of Executive Director in 18 months and my team is still growing and developing. I am actually having FUN! I have a whole new family of Miche sisters all over the country. I’ve been to places I have never traveled to before. I have grown as a person through coaching and keynote sessions. Looking back, I cannot imagine not being a Miche Ambassador.
If you want to find out more about Miche and the Opportunity, I would be more than happy to discuss it with you.
