Jamie Gerdes of Sioux Falls is hoping a $150 investment means she can leave her full-time job and stay home with her 10-month-old son, Boston.

"He's my first baby, and he's almost a year old," said Gerdes, 26. "I feel like I'm missing out on things."

So Gerdes looked into home-based businesses and discovered Uppercase Living, a company that creates decorative lettering and embellishments for homes.

"It's fairly new to our area, and a lot of people haven't heard of it yet," Gerdes said. She signed on as a consultant and bought her startup materials last month; she has booked three shows and will earn a 20 percent commission off whatever she sells.

Nationwide, home-based sales are on the rise and most often involve women. But earning a living with a home-based direct-sales business isn't always easy — nor are the companies always legitimate.

According to the Direct Selling Association's latest numbers, 14.1 million direct salespeople made more than $30 billion in sales in the U.S. in 2005. That's up from 2002, when 13 million salespeople made more than $28.7 billion in sales.

The numbers include person-to-person sales and people who sell their products to a group of people in someone's home, association spokeswoman Amy Robinson said.

More than 80 percent of direct sales involve women, said Nicki Keohohou, co-founder of the Direct Selling Women's Alliance, an online education and support group based in Kailua, Hawai'i.

People sign up to do home-based sales for different reasons. Some women with young children want more interaction with adults. Other women are looking for personal development.

The main motivator usually is money, Keohohou said. For moms especially, it's a way to supplement family income and allow them to stay at home with their kids.

But direct sales can be difficult, Johnson said.

"To develop a direct-sales business, you have to get out there, meet with clients, do the parties," Johnson said. "You have to get a little tough. You do hear a lot of 'no's' in this business."

The median income for direct salespeople is $2,400 a year, or $200 a month, Robinson said.

"If you're looking to make a lot of money, though, it certainly can be done," she said. "But these people are working full time."

Krys Maynard knows how tough the direct-sales business can be.

Maynard, a 34-year-old stay-at-home mom in Sioux Falls, is one of only a few Jordan Essentials representatives in South Dakota. But without many relatives nearby whom she can call on to host a party, it's difficult — and she hates making cold calls.

Maynard also still is working on recouping her startup costs of $89. That money bought her $89 worth of the bath and body care products, a company Web site for a year and access to the corporate office for any information she needs.

Experts warn anyone considering home-based businesses not to fall for claims of easy money by promoters of so-called pyramid schemes. Such scams typically require a large up-front investment.

In a pyramid scheme, there is actually no product being sold, Keohohou said.

If the offer sounds too good to be true, it's quite likely that it is, said Jim Hegarty, chief executive officer of the Better Business Bureau serving South Dakota, Nebraska and western Iowa.

"Earning $3,000 a week for 10 hours of work sounds great. Who wouldn't want that? But ask specific questions. Find out how many people in this area are making a substantial living, and get documentation and references."