A Statement of Purpose

About a year ago, my father returned from a business meeting with a folder full of Market America information and a broad, mischievous grin. When you take an intelligent, creative man and tie him to a mindless job, you can end up with some interesting results.

In my father's case, all of that excess mental energy transforms into some of the most thought-provoking, though often unrealistic, business plans. I wasn't surprised by his description of this new opportunity, but I was touched that he wanted my advice. I've always enjoyed being his sounding board.

I spent the next 2 months dissecting Market America, but I never went to a meeting or presentation. If there is one thing I learned in college, it is that fabricated research can be dressed up and sold for an "A" while a brilliant breakthrough, poorly communicated, is worthless. I read the literature and did the math for myself.

To make a long story short, I ended up giving Market America my blessing when I got back together with my Dad. I also told him that I wanted to give it a shot. I've always wanted to run my own business, and if nothing else, this would be good practice. I didn't have to quit my day job and the total investment was under $1,000, so I'd consider that a reasonable risk (luckily my husband agreed).

In doing my research, I found plenty of information of the UnFanchise Business Plan and Market America as a company, but there were surprisingly few writings by people with actual experience. I didn't just want theory - I wanted to see the plan in action! Where were the war stories? And what was the learning curve for someone more familiar with numbers than interacting with people?

I want to document my experiences as a Market America distributor. It may help others in my position and it will keep me honest in my efforts. I plan to publish approaches, product reviews, examples of what works for me and what doesn't. I hope to hear advice and stories, not just from Market America distributors, but from anyone with experience or ideas about direct selling and marketing. Wish me luck :-).