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Ken and I split up for most of the second day of the Direct Selling Association’s annual meeting so that we could best take advantage of the various topics covered in the offered workshops.  There I listened.  I took notes.  And I anxiously waited for some of my burning business questions to be answered.  As the first and only company focused on selling licensed apparel and accessories via direct sales, LikeWear draws upon the knowledge and talents of both my husband and I who co-founded the company.  However, neither of our formal educations or work experiences includes direct sales.  Our company began on a grass roots level modeled after what I was successfully doing as a “hobby”.  And as such we’ve had to make up the company’s rules as we go (and grow).  We have a consultant and a board of advisors but there are still several questions, specific to LikeWear and our hybrid business model, for which I was hoping to get answers.

Why are there are so few clothing companies involved in direct sales?  Is it possible to grow a new direct sales company organically, rather than starting as an established business that moves into the channel, or by recruiting experienced network marketers with pre-existing downlines?  Is there a proven reason why we shouldn’t be somewhat of a hybrid of a hybrid direct sales company that not only offers our independent sales reps several ways to sell directly to consumers but also allows our reps to sell to boutique retail stores as well?  Etc. etc….

Luckily we were able to learn from and relate to a lot of what was being said in the various workshops we attended.   We also were able to walk around, meet and get ideas from several of the supplier companies who had set up booths to advertise their respective products and services (we took advantage of it all!).  And I was really impressed that as “first timers” we had been scheduled to lunch with luminaries Madolyn Johnson and Tracy Burton of Signature Homestyles.  They were warm, approachable and open to answer any and all questions we threw at them.  In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they thought of Ken and I all afternoon – ya know, as their stomach’s growled in hunger.  We kept firing off the questions and they were so forthcoming with their experiences and advice that they didn’t have much time to eat!

So when all was said and done, Ken and I fought the DC rush hour traffic to get home. Needless to say, I had plenty of time to not only reflect on our trip and my apprehension regarding this getaway, but also to examine some of my underlying  concerns for LikeWear.  Like most entrepreneurs, I have wrestled with brief bouts of self-doubt and vulnerability - especially in regards to our timing.  I’ve thought how unjust it seems that we had this business idea on a slow burner for so long, and then we turn up the heat (translation: my husband leaves his job to work on LikeWear full-time) just as the economy falls, along with the stock market (and our friends and family round of financing!), into the worst recession the country has seen in decades.  But, if I gained nothing else from our attendance at the DSA’s annual meeting, I was taught, shown and practically hit over the head with the message that in fact, as a direct sales company, we are in exactly “the right place at the right time.”  That notion was like the parting party favor for me - something to inspire and play with once I had returned home.

While our uniqueness in the channel may make it difficult to find a company to model ourselves after and avoid pitfalls from, I am confident that it is this distinctiveness that will help us to gain awareness and stand out from the crowd.  And as a direct result of this trip, I also believe, given the current economic climate and the resulting influx of women looking to get into the work force that we will be able to attract women who had not previously been looking to direct sales as a career option.  That’s a powerful concept and one I intend to keep reminding myself of.

So, were my greatest fears for the trip realized?  Well, I had more than a few awkward business small talk moments, but we also met some really great people.  Did we find an angel investor?  No, but we made a bunch of connections that will hopefully lead us to one that will have more to contribute than just a check.  And did I have all of my burning questions answered?  Not entirely, but I definitely feel a lot more educated about the industry that we now call our own.  Even though I was arriving back to my office swamped with orders, calls to return and emails to reply to after being gone for a few days, (and I was more exhausted upon my return than I was before I left - as if that was possible!), Ken…I humbly admit, you were right.  Was I glad that we were “first-timers” at the Direct Selling Association’s annual meeting you ask?  Undeniably absolutely.