Alliance helps home-based sales
By Deborah Adamson
Advertiser Staff Writer
After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, Waynella McNeil lost her management job at Northwest Airlines. That's when the Lanikai grandmother of seven decided to become an independent distributor for a nutritional multilevel marketing company.
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"I had to think about what I had to do and I wanted to stay in Hawai'i," she said. "I chose network marketing. I could stay at home and I literally can do what I want. It's freedom to work when you want to and the potential for maximizing your income is much greater (than in a regular job)."
Waynella McNeil works at home in Lanikai as a distributor for Unicity products. She relies on the Direct Selling Women's Alliance in Kailua for support and networking.
McNeil's business is called Aloha Health and Wellness, a distributor for Utah-based Unicity International. One of her most popular products is a breast self-exam pad.
The 55-year-old makes money from product sales and commissions on sales made by people she recruits. But when McNeil needed help in keeping recruits motivated, it was difficult to turn to her superior far away in Texas. The company itself didn't provide ongoing support.
That's when McNeil turned to the Direct Selling Women's Alliance in Kailua.
The group provides support, training, education and networking for direct sellers such as McNeil. In addition, the organization offers health insurance at group discounts.
Co-founded a year ago by Kailua resident Nicki Keohohou, the organization has 3,000 individual and corporate members worldwide. In Hawai'i, the group serves 125 members. The organization is geared primarily toward women, but a fifth of the membership is male.
Although direct sales might sound attractive, the Better Business Bureau of Hawaii recommends researching carefully before getting involved. Check the company's record with the BBB and verify its money-back policy on inventory. It's a red flag if it refuses to refund distributors for unsold merchandise within a reasonable period.
Also be careful of programs whose profits mainly come from recruiting members instead of product or service sales, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Also, beware of high earnings claims and plans that require you to stack up costly inventory.
Worldwide, there are 44 million direct sellers, of which 74 percent are women.
"Most people in Hawai'i have a home-based business. Because they're trying to make ends meet, they're doing something on the side," Keohohou said. "Direct selling can be selling something at the swap meet, selling real estate or selling manapuas at the corner."
It also includes selling Tupperware at home or selling Mary Kaye cosmetics. Keohohou said the Alliance weeds out illegal pyramid schemes or fly-by-night operations. A dead giveaway, she said, is if they don't offer a 90 percent money-back guarantee on unsold merchandise.
Anita Carmona of Kaimuki joined the Alliance looking for camaraderie from other women in her profession in Hawai'i.
Carmona is a distributor for Las Vegas-based Cell Charge, which provides credit card processing services by phone. She's also a "consumer advocate executive" for Consumer First in Cincinnati. Her job is to recruit Hawai'i businesses to offer discounts for people who register with Consumer First.
After a year of direct selling, she said, she's just breaking even.
"It's a little struggle in the beginning," Carmona said. "But I'm optimistic for the future."
Reach Deborah Adamson at dadamson@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8088.
