Entrepreneurship

Inclusive Entrepreneurship … with low risk

Entrepreneurship is at the core of direct selling’s DNA. It is so deeply rooted in our business model that it has become synonymous with direct selling itself. Many of our member companies started as individual of family businesses, sometimes in such modest premises as the back of a garage. Most direct sellers chose a direct selling activity for the freedom and flexibility it gives them – from planning their work to building a career the way they want, at the pace they want.

At a time where inequalities in access to employment are increasingly documented – gender, background and education remain strong determinants of a person’s career – we are proud to say that anyone can become a direct seller. Direct selling overcomes the barriers to success and provides a fair, flexible way for many to set up their own business – and start-up costs are virtually inexistent as companies carry the inventory risk. For us at Seldia, entrepreneurship is a political statement. Our direct sellers work on an independent basis, running their own micro-business with guidance, training and support offered by our member companies.

Direct selling is also one of the few sectors where women can drive their own business and manage a project from A to Z – without the need for intermediaries – defining their own goals, objectives and work schedules in the way they want. Almost 9 out of 10 direct sellers are women, who come from all ages and backgrounds. From students to new mothers or recently retired women, direct selling offers an easy entry-point to create their own business.

Seldia supports women entrepreneurship in a variety of ways. In 2013, the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (www.womenentrepreneurshipplatform.org) was created by Seldia, to facilitate cooperation between the all the women entrepreneurship associations across Europe. In 2017, the WEP separated and became an association in its own right. Seldia and WEP co-organised lunch debates in the European Parliament, thus creating a forum for discussing policies and programmessupporting women entrepreneurs