The Avon lady is one of the most iconic images of women’s entrepreneurship. For over 120 years, representatives have gone door-to-door, selling beauty products to neighbours, colleagues and friends.

Recently, the direct selling industry has been booming in the UK, no doubt due to households struggling to make ends meet and needing a little extra income to get by on.

According to the Direct Selling Association (DSA), there are currently over 400,000 direct sellers in the UK, a rise of 20,000 people since 2009. The industry generates £2bn worth of sales annually in the UK.

In simple terms, direct selling is where goods are sold directly to consumers outside of a fixed retail environment, like a shop. In the UK, the industry sells anything from cosmetics (think Avon) and cook wear, to home interiors, books, food and fashion.

Traditionally, it was mostly women who sold to each other. A way to make money at a time when women did not go out to work and keeping the home was a full-time job. Increasingly, due to the financial downturn, the typical face of the average direct seller is changing – with more and more students, people from different backgrounds and countries and men getting involved.

The DSA says that the uptake from the youngsters has been particularly significant. As generation Y struggles to pay off university fees in a low employment environment along with a desire to be their own boss, the increase in direct sellers among them is perhaps no great surprise.

Lynda Mills from the DSA says: “For many people, direct selling can offer the perfect way to balance work and family life. It offers complete flexibility – you can work as many hours, when and where you choose, to fit around your own life and commitments. When you start direct selling you are effectively running your own business, so it’s very much a case of what you put in, you get back out.

“As well as providing an ideal way to work for mums, increasingly students and retired people are topping up their income by becoming direct sellers. There has also been a recent growth in multicultural direct sellers. People moving to the UK are ideally placed to offer products to friends and neighbours in their own communities.”

So how can you get started in direct selling?

Firstly, you’ll need bags of motivation. With something like direct selling, you get out of it what you put in.

Follow this advice, from the Direct Selling Association, to get you started:

Pick a product you feel passionate about

Direct selling encompasses a huge variety of companies and products here in the UK. Whether it’s children’s books, cosmetics and toiletries, cook wear or wellness products, potential direct sellers need to choose a company that sells products they are genuinely interested in and can relate to. This enthusiasm will then come across when selling, making it much easier and more fun. The Direct Selling Association website has a list of all DSA approved member companies, so this is a good first step to finding the right company for you.

Work with a DSA member

When considering a direct selling company to work with, it’s important to make sure they are a reputable and responsible firm. By choosing a DSA member company, direct sellers and their customers can be safe in the knowledge that they are working with a reliable firm, which works in line with the DSA’s code of practice.

Getting started

Once you have chosen a direct selling company (think Avon, Oriflame, Kleeneze, Stella & Dot), you can sign up and begin selling their products to your friends, family, colleagues or neighbours.

It’s cheap and easy to get started – no company should ask you to pay more than £200 for a starter kit (which often contains products to a much higher value) and many companies charge nothing for this. You will then be paid a percentage of the value of the sales you make.

Build your network

The next step is to start looking at your community and working out who you would like to sell to. Start by drawing up a list of family, friends, neighbours and colleagues who might be interested in your chosen product. If each of your contacts involves a friend or neighbour, the list quickly grows and newcomers to direct selling are often surprised how quickly they can build up their contacts.

It’s all about people

First and foremost direct selling is all about people and one of the reasons that the industry continues to thrive is the very personal, unique service it offers. Many direct sellers love the social aspect of the industry – whether it’s throwing a party for friends, chatting with other mums on the school run or popping round to a neighbour’s for a cup of tea.

Achievable goals

The amount of money you earn through direct selling is relative to how much time and effort you want to invest into your business – you may want to increase your hours to reach a specific goal or cut back completely during certain times of the year. Unlike most jobs, you will see the direct benefits of the work you put in. The key thing is to set yourself achievable goals.

It can also be very motivating to meet other direct sellers and share experiences, so take advantage of the regular opportunities to meet other direct sellers within your chosen company.