Douglas M. Lane, CFA, is a securities analyst with more than 20 years of experience covering companies that employ the direct selling business model. He leads a boutique equity research firm, Lane Research, focusing on those companies. His website is www.laneres.com, and he can be reached at doug@laneres.com. The six publicly traded direct selling companies […]

Medifast, Inc., a Owings Mills, Maryland-based  manufacturer and distributor of clinically proven, healthy living products and programs, yesterday reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2017. “Our financial results exceeded our expectations and we are pleased to report a strong finish to the year with revenue through our OPTAVIA Coaches model […]

Whether it’s a presentation during an in-home gathering, an impromptu meeting over coffee after work, a Facebook party or something else, direct selling representatives have more options than ever for sharing their respective products and business opportunities. What is it that moves a prospect to become a trialist and, ultimately, a customer? Clearly, the seller’s […]

Click here to order the December 2017 issue in which this article appeared. In This Issue: The Most Influential Women in Direct Selling Bringing Gender Parity to Direct Selling  Advocating for the Direct Selling Community  Navigating the Millennial-Driven World Sticking to a Winning Business Model Leading with Passion and Commitment Launching New Products and Segments Recruiting and […]

Click here to order the December 2017 issue in which this article appeared. In This Issue: The Most Influential Women in Direct Selling Bringing Gender Parity to Direct Selling  Advocating for the Direct Selling Community  Navigating the Millennial-Driven World Sticking to a Winning Business Model Leading with Passion and Commitment Launching New Products and Segments Recruiting and […]

Owings Mills, Maryland-based Medifast Inc., a provider of healthy living products and programs, has announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2017. Revenue increased 12.6 percent to $77.2 million from revenue of $68.6 million for the third quarter last year. “Our third quarter results reflect some early successes of our strategic growth […]

Several direct selling companies, such as OPTAVIA and Team Beachbody, have made it their mission to help combat the obesity epidemic in America. Others, such as Herbalife, USANA and Amway have conducted extensive research to understand the dietary habits of consumers and offer products to encourage balanced nutrition. It appears their efforts will be needed […]

In 1995, Newsweek magazine published an article by astronomer Clifford Stoll in which he stated that the Internet was a passing fad, and that in two or three years hence people would find little value there (Clifford Stoll: The Internet? Bah! Newsweek, February 27, 1995). Acknowledging his incredibly inaccurate prediction 11 years later in a […]