Scripture to Memorize
She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
Proverbs 31:24–25
Passage to Read
And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God.
Ecclesiastes 5:19 NLT
Guided Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for all you’ve given to me. You are a wonderful God. You are El Shaddai, the God of more than enough. It is a good thing to receive wealth from you and the good health to enjoy it. Holy Spirit, give me enough wisdom not to sacrifice my health to get wealth; otherwise I’ll end up spending all that wealth to regain my health! I want to be wiser than that. Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change and courage to change the things I can, so that I can enjoy my work and accept my lot in life. I know this is a gift from you. In fact every good and perfect gift is from you. Thank you, Lord. Amen.
The Proverbs 31 woman was a saleswoman. She made linen garments and sold them, so she was a manufacturer. But she also supplied sashes to the merchants, which may imply that she was also a distributor for other manufacturers. Many Christian women develop valuable business skills with direct selling companies like Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, and Creative Memories. These companies offer great opportunities for women to earn money from home while doing something they love, whether it’s makeovers, cooking, or scrapbooking. Perhaps even more important, they provide on-the-job training and professional development. I have friends who’ve earned a steady income with a direct sales business for twenty, thirty, and even forty years.
The best part about joining forces with an existing business is that you don’t have to start from scratch. They’ve already researched and developed the products. They’ve already created all the promotional material you will need and, in some cases, will even provide you with your own website for a very reasonable fee. Personally, I think it’s a fabulous way to go. The Direct Selling Association includes hundreds of business opportunities, one of which is bound to reflect an area that might interest you. You can check out their website at www.dsa.org.
In direct selling companies, the person who does the work earns the money. You are rewarded for your hard work in direct proportion to your accomplishments without regard to gender, race, education, or any other consideration. Mary Kay has more than four hundred women who earn a six-figure income each year and many of them do not even have a college degree.
Whichever direct sales company you choose, remember the 80/20 rule applies here as it does everywhere else. The top 20 percent of salespeople earn 80 percent of the money. That’s true in every corporation. Your first question, then, is, Can I make it to the top 20 percent? Maybe, maybe not. So the second question is even more important: Is the business successful enough that the remaining 80 percent can earn a decent income? If it’s a billion-dollar corporation, which many of these companies are, then ordinary 80 percent–types can earn a nice stream of income. Not enough to buy a yacht or retire in Tahiti, but even if you earn just a few hundred extra dollars a month, isn’t it worth it? That’s a few hundred dollars you can invest. Just $250 per month, beginning at age forty, will yield $330,000 for your retirement. The fact is almost anyone can earn $250 per month with a reputable direct sales or network marketing company. And many people do much, much better.
The Proverbs 31 woman was active in product sales. You might want to seriously consider following her example. Even if you work only one night per week, you can surely earn some extra money for the family, and it will force you to develop your skills as a businesswoman so you can ensure that your trading is profitable.
Affirmation: I enjoy my work.
Practical
Explore the possibility of investing some of your time and energy in building a direct sales business.