The Direct Seller's Podcast
The Direct Seller's Podcast
Why Network Marketing Might Just Be Your Starting Point (Not Your End Game)
This one’s a heart-to-heart. If you've ever felt like you're meant for more, but you're scared of stepping outside your network marketing biz, this episode is for you. Rachel shares why network marketing was a brilliant first step—but not your final destination. It’s time to start building the rest of the house.
🔑 Key Takeaways:
- Network marketing is a vehicle, not the destination. And if the vehicle breaks down, you need a backup plan.
- Feeling burnt out, bored, or unfulfilled? That doesn't mean you're ungrateful. It means you're human—and maybe it's time to grow.
- Building something of your own doesn't mean you're abandoning your team. It means you're expanding.
- Your brand is your staying power. You don’t own the products or comp plan, but you do own your brand.
- Creating a digital product isn’t about leaving—it’s about protecting what you’ve built. Rachel walks you through how to start small and build something powerful on the side.
- You are more marketable than you think. And the skills you’ve gained in direct sales? They make you wildly valuable.
💡 Links & Mentions:
- Want to learn how to create your first digital product in 14 days? DM "free training" on Instagram @rachelaperry
- Grab the free 90-day action planner by messaging "podcast" on IG
🙌 Closing Reminder:
Network marketing gave you the foundation. Now it’s time to build the rest of the house. You’re not abandoning what you’ve built—you’re expanding beyond it.
Hang out with me more!
Send me the message PODCAST over on Instagram at @rachelaperry and I’ll send you my "Parties-Optional Profit Plan!"
For Additional Resources for Direct Sellers:
www.rachelaperry.com
Welcome to the Direct Sellers Podcast, the podcast for direct sellers who are ready to get uncomfortable, build their business and grow a team while changing the face of the direct sales industry. I'm your host, rachel Perry. Join me as we get real and talk about all the things you need to kick some serious direct sales booty, from overcoming limiting beliefs to sharing the exact strategies you need to attract the right people who become customers and beg to join your team. I've got you covered, girl. I'm going to be your new BFF when it comes to balancing life and kids while building your direct sales business with poise, peace of mind and, of course, a good set of fake eyelashes. Let's get started. Hello, my friends, welcome back to another episode of the Direct Sellers Podcast. I'm your host, rachel Perry, and I'm just putting on lip gloss, so bear with me while I put it on, because y'all my lips are so dry. Also, if you could see this video and maybe, like, I recorded it as a video, yet I don't put it anywhere what I mean to you guys, I mean to put it on YouTube. Suddenly, there's going to be like an influx of episodes that go up onto YouTube, but anyway, in the background you can see my wigs, y'all my wigs are back. If you didn't know, if you didn't know, I used to be part of the tag team and we did wigs all the time and then, if you heard my episode I guess it was last week I talked about or I don't even remember when it was, but I just talked about how I kind of lost that part of me when I left the partnership with Amanda, and it's back, y'all it is back, and I have two wigs in the background and they are making me so happy. They are making me so happy. And I yesterday did the stupidest reel, the stupidest skit. It was about Ellie, who loves to recruit people. She talks about the business everywhere and she was going to the bathroom. She talks about the business everywhere and she was going to the bathroom. She was on the toilet, public bathroom, definitely. I can't miss Y'all what is happening to me.
Speaker 1:When I was sort of planning what I was going to share, this just popped into my mind and I think just hear me when I say this is coming from a good place, it's coming from a place of encouragement, but I am going to rock the boat a little bit. I've been saying that a lot recently, but I need you to hear this Okay, your network marketing business may not be your end game, and I have to say you know, I was in direct sales for a long time and when I and I've really only been with one company really solidly like focused on my business I mean, I've signed up for discounts and stuff, but I've never really sold anything else. So I was with this jewelry company and I was. I knew that I was going to be in top leadership. I was going to retire my husband and that was what my future was going to be. This was it and, spoiler alert, this was not it.
Speaker 1:I did not climb the ladder into top leadership. I didn't get. No, I really did not. I was a leader, but I was not a top leader by any means. I was like probably at the bottom of the ladder. I wasn't at the bottom bottom, but I wasn't, you know, far up. But that's okay, because that was never my end game. That was never my end game. That was just a springboard for where I am today. It was just a starting point.
Speaker 1:I have shared this before. My journey in direct sales has been nothing less than transformational, and it has for so many of you as well. We grow so much, we learn so much about ourselves, we learn so many business skills when we're building our network marketing businesses. But, my friend, it may be time for you to grow even more. What if this network marketing business of yours was just the entry point, not the destination? What if, what if and if you're feeling a little nudge, you're feeling a pull towards something more. I want you to understand I believe you know that's a God wink or that's that there's a reason you're getting that push and it's not selfish. And you know, if you are a leader of a large team, it doesn't mean that you're denying your team. It doesn't mean that you're not loyal to your team. It just means it's time to grow and that's growth right. And it doesn't mean you're quitting your business. It doesn't mean you're letting your team down. You're still there, but maybe you're just stepping out a little bit more.
Speaker 1:I hear this all the time and I know I felt this when I was in direct sales and that was kind of like this I don't know this, this belief. Well, this, we're taught to be grateful, taught to be grateful 100%. I 100% agree with that. Like gratitude is so massively powerful and we have so much to be grateful for. But you know what and we have so much to be grateful for. But you know what, when you're burnt out and when you're bored or when you're feeling unfulfilled, that doesn't mean that you're being selfish and it doesn't mean that there's something wrong with you. That's very normal. And I'll tell you, I'm gonna be totally honest.
Speaker 1:When I started building the tag team with Amanda, I had been feeling very unfulfilled in my direct sales business. I was feeling tired of the home parties. I was feeling tired. It wasn't lighting my fire anymore. I didn't realize that. It took me a long time before I actually quit doing direct sales. Like, amanda and I were running our direct sales businesses and the tag team for several years, but it got to the point where we were like, okay, I, I don't, I can't do both anymore, and so that was hard for me, but it was time.
Speaker 1:But that's not what I'm saying. I'm not saying you have to leave your network marketing business. I'm just saying what if you're ready for more? Like what if it's time to sort of spread your wings a little bit? And sometimes we have these fears Like if I build, if I, if I do something like this. Like if I were to, if I were to, create this digital product that you keep talking about, rachel, won't my team feel like I'm abandoning them? Or won't my team feel like I'm letting them down? Or won't my team feel like I'm not being loyal? But what if, instead of looking at it through that lens, what if, instead, you think, okay, wanting more isn't betrayal, it's wisdom, it's me evolving right. Like, wanting more doesn't mean that what you've built isn't good, it just means that that's not all there is.
Speaker 1:Network marketing was a brilliant first step for me, and I believe it's a brilliant first step for you. And, yes, there are going to be leaders who do this for a very long time, and this is their bread and butter. But what I want you to understand is, in the world that we live in now, and with the I don't know unreliability of this industry, I think it's really unwise to put all your eggs in one basket. So let's look at network marketing as a first step. Okay, it's taught you leadership. It's taught you how to grow in confidence, how to build your confidence, how, how to sell, how to serve, how to show up.
Speaker 1:But, guys, I've said this before and I'll say it again until I'm blue in the face you don't own this business, you don't own the products, you don't control the comp plan, you can't predict what's going to happen. Corporate's making moves and oftentimes you don't know about them. Even if your company is super transparent, they don't tell you everything, they can't tell you everything, they cannot tell you everything. So I just want you to understand it's. You don't own this. Hopefully you have been listening to me and you have are building a brand, because you do own that. And hopefully you've been listening to me and you have downloaded your email list, because once you do that, you do own that.
Speaker 1:But I want you to understand how important it is to start thinking in this different direction, because what happens if your network marketing company changes something like something big? Okay, I had, I had a client reach or a follower reach out to me the other day and say, okay, well, my company is shifting and they've taken my downline away from me because I didn't reach a minimum or something what Like. I understand that in order for you to be in leadership, you need to do a certain amount. I get that right. That's how we protect against the pyramid scheme situation. But to have your downline taken away. That to me does not seem right.
Speaker 1:But I want you to think about the vehicle versus the destination. So, like the vehicle is your network marketing business, the destination is who knows. It's something bigger than that, because what happens if the vehicle breaks down? Are you still going to be able to get to that destination? Is there a way for you to keep going? There needs to be right. You need to be able to call Uber, you need to be able to call for a cab, you need to be able to call do OnStar, whatever it is right. What is your backup? How are you going to keep getting to that destination?
Speaker 1:Because, listen, my destination, like I said before, was being in the top leadership, being on stage training. Well, I was right about the training lots of people and getting up on stages and things like that. That's what I really wanted. I just didn't know at the time that the vehicle that I was going to be traveling in to get there was not my network marketing business. I didn't realize that my network marketing business got me part of the way, but it didn't get me all the way, and that's okay. It just means that I grew out of that vehicle.
Speaker 1:Does this make sense? So let's figure out if you're ready for what's next, because, listen, sometimes you're not going to be ready, and that's okay, it's okay. Maybe you're listening to this and you're like I feel you, rach, I get what you're saying, but I that's not. That's not where I'm, I'm not ready yet, and that's okay. But maybe you're feeling a little bit disconnected from your business right now, but you're showing up because you know you have to. Or maybe you've been thinking of other ways to make some extra income, but you feel a little guilty about thinking about that. Or you're just overwhelmed because you don't know where to start. Or you feel like, am I quitting, am I giving up? Or maybe you keep hearing yourself say there's got to be more, or I'm just tired of this, or my team is driving me crazy.
Speaker 1:I remember I had a student who was like she would be so annoyed with her team all the time because they weren't working. And I'm like, girl, is this how you're talking to your team? Because of course they're not going to work. But she was just so burnt out and so annoyed by the whole thing. She ended up building something else. Her company actually ended up closing, but she rode that wave to the end, but she did have something that she'd already built so she could lean back on that, and it was sister. It was time for her.
Speaker 1:Okay, maybe you're craving, like, more creativity, more ownership, more freedom, maybe you just like it's that more, but you're scared to let go of what's familiar. Hi, that's me, and I was just sharing the story on on one of my free trainings that I do weekly, fyi. I was teaching them the steps to build a digital product in 14 days and get it out there in 14 days, and I was sharing about how, for the past four and a half years, I have avoided the this direction that I'm going in this teaching network marketers how to build something of their own. I've been avoiding that. I've dabbled in it, and then I backed off and gone to what I know what's familiar, because there was a fear. There was a fear of doing something new and doing something that I was excited about but failing at it, because in my mind I was like, oh, but I always have this, this is what I really want to do. I would tell people that Eventually, this is what I want to do. Eventually, I'm going to be doing this, and I remember I had a coach back in January go, why aren't you doing it now? And I was like, oh, why am I not doing it now? And then I realized it's because I'm afraid, or I was afraid. I was afraid of doing it and either failing or it not working. But you know what? I'm doing it and I feel more fulfilled than I've ever felt and I truly believe that's because I'm in my zone of genius. I'm doing what I was meant to do. Right, and hear me when I say this doesn't mean that you have to quit your network marketing business and it doesn't mean that you are leaving your team or abandoning your team. It just means that you are expanding, you are considering building something alongside your network marketing business. Right, for once, you get to decide. It's not dependent on what someone else is deciding for you. So I want you to think about this, and this is something you can do today that isn't too scary, and that's to really lean into building a brand, a brand that outlasts your company, meaning like when you are have grown out of your company, or when something you know happens in the company changes, or whatever. You have a brand that's not going anywhere. The company gave you skills. Right, you learned skills through being a network marketerer. But your brand sister is what's giving you staying power? What you've learned in your as you've built this network marketing business of yours makes you more marketable, not less more.
Speaker 1:And I've told the story before of how recently I was wondering if I should go and find a job, because my husband's job is a little uncertain right now and he really pays the mortgage, right, his job provides the mortgage payments. And I was like I don't have anything to offer, like I was a teacher 19 years ago. But now what? And I'm like Rach, you have literally built ChatGPT told me this. You've built two six-figure businesses. Here are all the skills that you have. And I was like, oh dang, I am marketable. But I think that's what we don't realize. We're like, oh, but I'm just a direct seller, I don't really have anything to offer. That is so not true, y'all. That is so not true. You have so much that makes you marketable.
Speaker 1:And building a digital product of some sort isn't replacing your network marketing business, it's protecting it. It's protecting your brand. Okay, so let me just give you like a bird's eye view of what it looks like to build a little digital product of your own, okay, so you're going to figure out what is your more like, what is your zone of genius? Where is your experience? What assets do you have? What do you already know? What are you already doing? What does your audience want?
Speaker 1:Okay, then you're going to start small. That's what I teach inside your backup plan. We're going to start really small. We're going to create a small, a tiny I say tiny, but mighty digital offer. Okay, something small. It might be a mini course, it might be a guide, it might be an ebook, it might be a podcast. That you're.
Speaker 1:You're going to sell just one shift, that's all you're going to do, and then you're going to grow it. You're going to grow your audience. You're going to sell just one shift, that's all you're going to do, and then you're going to grow it. You're going to grow your audience. You're going to grow your platform. You're going to grow your messaging, and I can help you do all of that. That's how it starts. It doesn't have to be hard, it doesn't have to be overwhelming.
Speaker 1:Okay, but listen, I'm going to say this again and I go ah, like that, because, because I, I don't. I think if someone had told me this, I would have been like, what? Like, shut your face. But network marketing was never meant to be your ceiling, my friend. It was your floor, the foundation, but it's time to build the rest of the house, like, and I think I really, truly believe, if you're listening to this, you're meant to be listening to this. This message is for you, so I'll say it again so, network marketing was never meant to be your ceiling. It was meant to be your floor, the foundation, and now it's time to build the rest of the house. Now it's time for you to grow.
Speaker 1:I'm so excited, you guys. I'm so excited, you guys. I'm so excited for you. I really am.
Speaker 1:Listen, if you are interested in hearing more about the free training, just dm me free training and I will tell you when the next one is. It's it's literally like a 30 minute training where we just chat. It's very casual, very chill, and I will give you the three steps that you need in order to build and create that digital product so you can sell it. All, right, my friend? Okay, listen, I appreciate you and I really appreciate you listening, like, so appreciate it. I think we've had some new listeners recently and that just makes my heart so happy. So thank you and listen.
Speaker 1:I'll be back next week for another episode, avi, but until then, take care and God bless. Bye, friends. That's it for this episode of the Direct Sellers Podcast, but our fun doesn't have to end now. You'll catch me hanging out over on Instagram between episodes and I'd love for you to join me. So hop into my DMs. I promise you're not getting any hate girl messages and I promise I'm not going to be asking you to weirdly buy anything. Send me the message podcast so I can send you my free 90 day action planner, because who doesn't love a good template?