Advice please help me pick

[woolystockings]

Hi. I would like to set up my own home selling business. I trained as a make up artist a few years ago but never pursued it. I now have an office job. I want to eventually work completely for myself. I have looked at scentsy, bodyshop and younique. Has anyone done any of these? Can it be successful? Which should I pick? All help and advice gratefully received. I really want to find a new thing for me this year something I can build on. Thanks everyone x

If you work for any of those you're not working for yourself. Body Shop is basically ok for pin money but you're becoming part of an over-subscribed pyramid scheme if you decide to work for Younique, Scentsy, Forever Living or any other MLM.
There's a couple of brilliant threads about MLMs on the Money Matters board, if those don't put you off, nothing will.
You have a brilliant skill if you're a trained make-up artist; there's a huge demand for skilled wedding make-up artists right now and it's the sort of thing you can start doing at the weekend without it affecting your day job, until you know you've got enough experience that you can start doing it full time.
Don't go near an MLM; it's all lies and is likely to end up costing you more than you'll ever make.

Thanks I understand what you are saying but I see people on fb who seem to be doing well with it, scentsy in particular she has even earned holidays abroad. Yes I am fully trained mua but I have no kit so I was thinking should I sell make up based products so that I can demonstrate them. It could also help me build a make up business but then I dont know I I want to be stuck having to use one brand of makeup. I am desperate to find my niche in life im fast approaching 40 and still don't know what I want to do. I have good people skills so that's what made me think of direct selling. I dont want a hobby I want something to make a career out of. I'm afraid to jump into something else that will fail. I have read lots online and there seems to be bad and good reviews. Just don't know where to go from here. Sorry for long post x

They all seem to be doing well because they're told by the company/their 'up line' to fake it till they make it. The only way anyone makes any more than a few pounds a month is if they recruit under them and then earn from them and the people under them and so forth; classic pyramid scheme.
Dig deeper and the holidays are never free; the Younique 'cruise' is four days of hard sell from those above, plus you have to pay for your own return flights to Miami; not exactly a perk in my book.

You will never get to make money from your talent doing something like this because it's just hard sell. Plus with something like Younique you have to cough up £69 for an overpriced and minimal 'kit' before you even start. You could spend that on brushes and more without having to sign a 30-odd page contract to boot.

Have you considered approaching an employer like Bobbi Brown? All of their counter staff are trained artists and my own wedding make up artist had so much training from them she was able to set up on her own.

Take a look at this -

www.wordpress.com/timeless vie

Have you also thought about approaching theatre companies for work? Weddings as above, great idea, plus school proms and birthday parties.

Sorry, www.wordpress.com/timelessvie

Don't go down the MLM route. What you see on Facebook is staged.

I agree with geordiebadger please take another route, do not go down the mlm route (and I'm speaking from personal experience, it may seem like a good idea now, but you will lose money)

We're not trying to upset you, everything you see on fb is a set up to draw people in to joining. Please think long and hard about it.

A lot of these companies give you targets each month (they say they're not targets) but if you don't achieve them they can take your 'business' away from you or if you've worked up the marketing plan and then have a bad couple of months (maybe you're poorly and have to take a break) they can put you back to the level you were at when you joined. How disheartening is that (I know that younique can do that)

Thanks everyone good advice. Need to find another route I think x