BLOG
Amway Advocates: Direct Sellers on Capitol Hill
Amway leaders and Independent Business Owners (IBOs) know the value of our business and how direct selling is positively impacting over 40 million Americans nationwide.
We also know that if we don’t share our own stories, others will tell it for us. This is why it is important for the people who participate in and benefit from the industry to share their experiences with lawmakers and advocate for policies that support entrepreneurship.
This year’s Direct Selling Day on Capitol Hill – when direct sellers meet in-person with policymakers and key staff members – was an opportunity to do just that, and just so happened to coincide with a major legislative win for the direct selling industry.
On September 17th, as direct sellers from across the country gathered in Washington, D.C., the House Committee on Education and Workforce on the same day successfully reported the Direct Seller and Real Estate Agent Harmonization Act out of committee. The bill aims to protect direct sellers and realtors as independent contractors under The Fair Labor Standards Act.
This achievement marked the most significant legislative victory in a Congressional authorizing committee for the industry in decades. Building on the momentum created by this win, the direct sellers had 85 meetings on the Hill with policymakers encouraging them to co-sponsor, support and pass this legislation into law. These individuals also educated Senators, House Members and their staff about their businesses and the impact they are having in their communities.
This milestone vote demonstrates that advocacy works and that the annual Day on the Hill, hosted by the Direct Selling Association (DSA), is one of the major avenues through which direct sellers are able to communicate the channel’s impact to their lawmakers.
Amway has been an active leader in this industry initiative for over a decade now, and last week 14 Amway Independent Business Owners (IBOs) and eight employees joined other direct sellers in the Capitol for this highly-anticipated event.
Amway’s role championing small business ownership extends beyond the halls of Congress. As the number one direct selling company in the world, Amway has been lowering barriers to entrepreneurship for prospective business owners since its founding 65+ years ago.
Amway’s direct selling model offers a low-risk, high-impact opportunity for Americans to explore business ownership without facing the hurdles and costs of starting a product line from scratch. While IBOs can develop their own business goals and plans, Amway provides them with the products, supply chains, personal online storefronts, education and a community of support they need to build a business – bringing entrepreneurship within reach for many.
Supported by Amway, the ~290,000 IBOs in the U.S. have gone on to generate over $350+ million for the U.S. economy since 2016.
Economic impact aside, Amway – and the industry as a whole – is making entrepreneurship more accessible to Americans who are increasingly looking to participate in non-traditional work opportunities. Offering a flexible pathway to earn supplemental income while pursuing one’s passions, Amway is meeting the growing demand for these types of opportunities – especially among the younger, entrepreneurship-minded individuals in our modern economy.
While advocacy is a year-round objective at Amway, DSA Day on the Hill is a major priority as it allows Amway IBOs across the industry to connect and engage with others in the industry and with our nation’s decision makers. Although unfamiliar to some, direct selling is not a small industry and last week, those on the Hill made sure the channel’s significant impact was known in Washington.