With one out of every five small businesses failing before the end of their first year, opening and running your own business is an enormous challenge. According to a new Groupon survey, it’s even tougher for female entrepreneurs with more than half of respondents, 56 percent, saying that they had to overcome greater obstacles than […]

United States Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) visited the 60 employees at the Princess House Distribution Center located in Rural Hall, NC. The Direct Selling Association, national trade organization for the direct selling industry, works with members like Princess House—and executive leaders such as Connie Tang, Princess House CEO and DSA Vice Chairman—to identify opportunities to meet their elected […]

Medical Marijuana, Inc. (OTC: MJNA) has announced that NFL veteran Bryan Barker has become a spokesperson for its subsidiary Kannaway®. “We believe that our partnership with Bryan Barker will help us spread awareness about the wellness benefits of CBD,” said Kannaway CEO Blake Schroeder. “We look forward to sharing his story and hopefully encouraging others to consider including CBD in their lives.” Barker is a […]

Dallas-based Stream continues to expand its footprint and stay at the forefront as a leader in the direct selling industry. Stream Founded: 2005 Headquarters: Dallas, TX Top Executive: Mark “Bouncer” Schiro, CEO Annual Revenue: $958 Million Products: Energy (electric and gas), wireless, protective and home services Dallas-based Stream was founded in 2005 by Rob Snyder and Pierre […]

This is the Year of the Independent Contractor, and it is important to recognize that direct selling’s most significant advantages over traditional retail are the independent contractors who have personal, trusted relationships with customers that are virtually impossible to replicate in traditional or online retail. Protecting our independent salesforce and their ability to build a […]

Bellevue, Washington-based SimplyFun, LLC., publisher of award-winning educational board games,recently marked a milestone of 200 award wins when their new Language Arts game, ARTributes, earned a PAL Award in May 2018. SimplyFun games began winning awards in 2005, one year into the company’s operation. Since then, the company’s games have continued to be honored, including three […]

SimplyFun LLC., a Bellevue, Washington-based publisher of award-winning educational board games, has reported that for fiscal year ending December 31, 2017, the company doubled sales and tripled the number of new Independent Consultants joining the salesforce over 2016. The company attributed the growth to key strategic initiatives, including the execution of a new brand strategy […]

In Washington, D.C. and across the country, there is an association for everything. Each industry, product or interest group has its own agenda. And there is an association to advocate for each one of those agendas on all levels of government. For Americans, it seems only natural to stand together and advocate for a point […]

Dallas, Texas-based Stream (formerly Stream Energy), a provider of connected life services, recently launched its line of energy services, in addition to wireless, protective and home services, in Delaware. This is the company’s second energy expansion in 2017, following the opening of the Illinois market in September. Delaware is the eighth state added to Stream’s […]

Click here to order the December 2017 issue in which this article appeared. I look back over 2017 with great pride at what the DSA team accomplished on behalf of our industry. We brought member company executives together to share their advice and concerns, to support our vital advocacy efforts, and to commit to ever-higher ethical standards […]

Click here to order the November 2017 issue in which this article appeared. DSA’s mission is to police, promote and protect its members. That’s how we ensure a landscape in which direct selling companies can operate effectively and ethically while protecting consumers from bad actors. A large part of this mission is the work DSA does with […]

Dallas-based Stream (formerly Stream Energy), a leading direct selling company and provider of connected life services, recently launched its line of Energy Services, in addition to Wireless, Protective and Home Services, in northern Illinois. Illinois is the seventh state added to Stream’s growing energy retail provider footprint, which includes Texas, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, […]