Real Voices and Hard Facts from the DSA’s 60th Anniversary Conference
We were delighted to take part in the DSA UK’s 60th anniversary conference and awards held at Chesford Grange on 1 May. As part of that we took the opportunity to ask direct sellers from across the UK a simple but powerful question: Why do you love direct selling? Their answers, filled with passion and authenticity, reveal the heart of an industry that is both personally transformative and economically significant. Here’s what they said, supported by the latest research from the Direct Selling Association UK.
“I personally love the flexibility that it gives me. I’m in love with the community it creates. I work with amazing people, get to meet people, it’s just brilliant. I love everything about the community and of course, the money. Being able to project your earnings, being able to work your hours however you want, I just love it.”
Flexibility: The Core of Direct Selling
Direct selling is the UK’s largest provider of part-time earning opportunities, with an estimated 320,000 people running their own businesses around their existing commitments and importantly, choosing their own hours. This flexibility is especially valued by parents and carers:
“I have four children, all girls, and I love to be able to be there every morning when my older two teenagers go to school. I’m there with my two little ones who are one and two, we get to do fun things all day together and I work around them. I get to work on something that I love around making my family the priority.”
Research shows that 42% of direct sellers in the UK have school-age children, and the most popular time for working is between 9:00am and 2:30pm-perfect for fitting around a school day and a busy family life.
“Having spent 25 years in the corporate world chained to a desk, I love the fact that I can pick my son up from school, I run my own calendar, I’ve got the flexibility to work the hours I want and control my own income as well. The effort I put in determines what I get out and I love that.”
Empowerment and Earning Potential
Direct selling empowers people to control their income and work-life balance. The average monthly income for a direct seller in the UK is £833, with 73% earning up to £1,000 per month. Most sellers (51%) have another job alongside their direct selling business, using it as a flexible way to supplement household income. This is especially important during times of economic uncertainty, as more people seek ways to boost their finances without incurring extra costs like commuting or childcare.
“Well, what I love about the direct selling industry is the simple way we take ordinary people and we make them extraordinary. I’m a nobody, I’m a nothing. I was homeless, I was sleeping on a friend’s chair. I have no qualifications. If you go to work and you work hard, you can be anything you want to be. And through that I’ve gone from sleeping on the friend’s chair to being the president of a global organisation. I don’t know which industry actually offers that type of transformation and direct sales does that. And that’s what I love about it.”
Ayo Olaseinde, President of Saladmaster
Opportunity for All
Direct selling is an inclusive industry. In the UK, 93% of direct sellers are women, and 38% are educated to degree level or higher. The sector welcomes people from all backgrounds and ages (91% are over 35), offering a pathway to entrepreneurship and personal growth regardless of previous experience or qualifications.
“What really kind of drew me to the industry and keeps me connected to it is that community. It’s that sense of everyone is welcome, everyone can achieve, everyone is supportive, so supportive of each other. I think one of the things I love about the Direct Selling Association especially is how every single company supports every other company. It genuinely is lifting the individual and the company up to better the communities in which they work.”
Community and Support
The sense of community is a defining feature of direct selling. Whether it’s mentorship, friendship, or shared celebration, sellers consistently highlight the industry’s supportive and collaborative nature. This is reflected in the DSA’s own approach, fostering openness and collective success among its member companies.
“The power of personalisation and human touch in a relationship where customers want to buy from a person is powerful. Personalisation, tailored advice and delighting customers with exceptional service is the power that the direct selling industry offers to consumers…”
Personal Touch and Customer Trust
Customers value direct selling for its quality products, personal recommendations, and tailored advice-benefits that are difficult to find in traditional retail channels. This human connection is at the heart of why the sector continues to be relevant and trusted.
The Numbers Behind the Stories
- 320,000: Number of direct sellers in the UK
- £908 million: Annual retail sales generated by DSA member companies
- 73%: Direct sellers earning up to £1,000 per month
- 93%: Percentage of direct sellers who are women
- 42%: Sellers with school-age children
- 51%: Sellers who also have another job
- Top reasons for joining: To work from home, for flexibility, and to be their own boss
The voices from the DSA’s 60th anniversary celebration are a powerful reminder that direct selling in the UK is more than just a business-it’s a flexible, empowering, and supportive community that helps ordinary people achieve extraordinary things – growing businesses and growing people. Here’s to the next 60 years!