term security or financial
freedom. A journalist who
was having difficulty finding
a position, Ms. Brohman
wanted immediate gross
profit. She needed the money
now, and she wasn't inter-
ested in sponsoring.
"I like Mary Kay because I
enjoy makeup," she said.
"We sell makeup but we also
teach people how to apply it.
We hold skin care classes,
and we offer personal ser-
"I don't think you
see as many Jews
yet because Jewish
families have
stressed professions
to their children.
To them, any multi-
level business is
less than
acceptable."
01
vice, the kind you aren't go-
ing to get at a drugstore
counter.
Ms. Brohman, formerly of
Novi and now living outside
of Columbus, Ohio, said for a
person who is new to sales,
any business requires a gut
check before sales calls are
made. "It's really difficult
for me to sell," she said. "I
was scared to tell my family
and friends. I was em-
barrassed. I had a very good
job and career as a jour-
nalist. When I told people I
was in Mary Kay, they'd
say, 'Mary Kay?' Selling
cosmetics?' This isn't what I
pictured doing."
Rena Meyers, a teacher liv-
ing in Southfield, has work-
ed in the Tupperware busi-
ness since 1972. Like Ms.
Brohman, she was new to
selling. She said, though,
that if a person really be-
lieves in the product they
are selling, the sales go
much easier.
"I was skeptical when I
was first asked to do this
business," she said. "I was
looking for the catch. Now,
19% years later, I'm still
looking for the hidden catch.
I love this business. You can
create your own hours, and
you can make very good
money."
Ms. Meyers has worked
both part-time and as a full-
time area manager for Tup-
perware. She has held par-
ties in the homes of Jews,
Christians, Arabs, every-
body. She added that she
doesn't have to prove the
quality of Tupperware as in
other, lesser-known direct
sales businesses. For Tup-
perware distributors, it's
more of a question of up-
dating customers about new
products, she said.
But Ms. Stillman says
that while direct sales
groups are successful and
pay the bills, sponsoring is
the way to go for the long
term.
"I wasn't financially needy
when I got into Shaklee,"
she said. "What appealed to
me and mattered to me the
most was the self-worth
issue. I wanted my own
money and I wanted a sense
of independence.
"Now," she continued,
"years have gone by and I
have a business that is self
perpetuating. I couldn't kill
it with a stick. It's reached a
point where it's just going to
keep growing." ❑
Images distributor
Mel Niser shows
literature
explaining the
steps to success.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
27