2/10/25: Direct Selling is a Small Business

One of the most frustrating parts of what I do is seeing people who think this isn’t a real job.  Don’t get me wrong, this rarely feels like work, PaperPie has been a great vehicle for my passion of books, reading, and literacy, but it is still angering and frustrating when people raise their eyebrows at what I do.  So quick, let’s get some terminology out of the way:

Direct Selling Company:  A business that sells products or services directly to consumers outside of a traditional retail setting. Instead of operating through brick-and-mortar stores or online marketplaces, these companies rely on independent representatives, consultants, or distributors to market and sell their products—often through in-person interactions, home parties, social media, or one-on-one relationships.

Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) Company:  A type of direct sales business that compensates its independent representatives not only for the products they sell but also for the sales made by people they recruit into the company. This creates multiple levels of commission-based earnings.

Both of these models are legal, and neither are the same as a pyramid scheme, which is illegal! 

Direct Sellers are entrepreneurs and small business owners.  They are men and women who rely on their chosen industry to support their families.  These are individuals who put food on the table, put roofs over their head, pay for kids’ art classes, with the income from their business.  Me working my PaperPie business is no different than the person who goes out the door to their 9-5, except I might like my job more!

 I cannot speak for everyone, but here has what my business has given me over the past 7+ years:

1. A sense of ownership of something.  I LOVE that my family can help me in this business, but at the same time, I love that it is mine.  I am my own boss and get to work my business on my schedule in my own way (within company standards).
2. A sense of purpose.  This country has a literacy crisis and if you read my blog from last week, it feels like our government and “concerned citizens” want to do their best to worsen that crisis and leave our next generation of adults in the dark.  I have an opportunity to bring high quality, affordable products to families where they are, whether it is online or in person.
3. A sense of community.  Relationships have always been hard for me.  Trust is an issue, leaning into people has felt like weakness, forget about showing emotions.  I found a group of women through PaperPie, and especially in my smaller Book Practitioner team, who have cheered me on when I wanted to achieve something big.  They’ve also been my shoulder to cry on when things have gone off the rails professionally, and they were there for me during tough times personally.  They have done everything over the past 7 years to make me believe people are worth trusting.
4. A sense of leadership.  I can be honest, I have a small team, but I don’t love being a team leader.  I love teaching, training, coaching, encouraging, but I don’t love being a leader.  My team has given me an opportunity to lean into what I do love without having a huge team. 
5. A sense of worth.  I became a semi-SAHM in early 2024. I do have another stream of income, but this is what I love.  Doing “book things” gives me focus during the day and something to be excited about.  I’m a task/achievement-oriented person so when I achieve something I get to feel pride.  Mostly, I love that my daughters get to see me do what I love and be happy and not drained by a regular job that doesn’t feed my passion.  They know you can do what you love if that is what you want to do.

Here’s the point, this is just what my Direct Sales Company has offered me; what it has offered thousands of others over years and year, who can imagine.  Before you put on your judgey pants, remember that your PaperPie/Pampered Chef/Tastefully Simple/insert company here, are small business owners and entrepreneurs and deserve the same respect that the shop down the street does.  Everyone is just doing their best to do what they love and serve their families, communities, customers, and teams.  In today’s world, we need to spend more time lifting each other up, rather than trying to bring each other down.

If you want to chat more about what PaperPie has done for me or the perks, feel free to email me at melissa.thury@gmail.com