Publisher’s Note
Important rulings and votes affecting the channel draw near
In this month’s issue, we continue our commitment to keeping you up to date on the maneuverings of regulatory agencies that set the boundaries, standards and rules by which our channel must abide.
With the assistance of the most experienced legal minds in the direct selling sector, it is my objective to break down important legislative and regulatory news into concise and informative updates so that you can stay ahead of the curve on these complex matters.
Communication is key to discovering and bringing you the news
Hello direct selling community! I am thrilled to introduce myself as the new Publisher for Social Selling News and am even more excited about the opportunity this will provide me to work with, speak with, and, hopefully soon, meet with you—the driving force behind this exciting and dynamic business channel.
Change is the one thing we can always count on
“The only constant is change,” said Greek philosopher Heraclitus about 2,470 years ago. Wise words that capture the reality of our times.
For the upcoming year, there are many changes we are wondering about in our channel: Will the new administration encourage more regulation of direct selling companies via the Federal Trade Commission or other regulatory bodies?
How will the pandemic influence in-person gatherings and person-to-person selling in the coming months?
Will the vaccine allow us to “get back to normal?” What is normal?
New year begins with lots of good news for the channel
Economic turmoil, political chaos, a frightening global pandemic, an overdue social justice movement and more #metoo revelations, murder hornets and wild fires, masks, social distancing, remote work, online school and isolation.
Though many uncertainties remain for 2021, to be sure, most of us are just glad 2020 is over. There’s something satisfying about packaging up the past in a neat little 12-month box and putting it away to focus on the year ahead.
2020 saw tumultuous ups and downs and helped reshape our channel forever
As is generally the case with adversity, especially prolonged adversity, new opportunities arise. Some of the situations we could not have forseen at this time last year have actually created positive outcomes for many companies in the channel, including increased sales and enrollments.
The new world is fueled by customers who prefer to shop online
This month we are reporting on yet another company that has made the decision to stop its multi-level compensation plan program (see “Univera Drops Distributors,” page 15).
In this case, it appears as though multi-year declining sales drove the company’s decision to move to a solely e-commerce business. Since the company is private, we don’t have a lot of insight into the decision-making process.