BLOG

Small Business Month: Making Business Ownership Accessible

Picture a small Michigan town in the 1950s. Two boyhood friends, Rich DeVos and Jay Van Andel, believed that everyone should have the opportunity to build something of their own. They put that belief into practice by starting new ventures, taking risks, failing, learning and trying again. From that entrepreneurial grit, Amway was born – a company built on the idea that everyone deserves a shot at business ownership.

As we celebrate Small Business Month in May, we reflect on more than 65 years of Amway’s legacy of supporting entrepreneurs and helping make business ownership more accessible.  

Since its founding, Amway has worked to lower many of the traditional barriers associated with starting a business. The company’s direct selling model offers a low cost, lower-risk way for aspiring entrepreneurs to explore business ownership without taking on the substantial costs and operational burdens that often come with launching a company from scratch. 

Rather than requiring individuals to grow ingredients, manage logistics, or design complex infrastructure on their own, Amway provides an established ecosystem that includes products, supply chains, personal online storefronts, and a complimentary first contract year, allowing Independent Business Owners (IBOs) to focus on building customer relationships and growing their businesses.

Amway also recognizes that access to business ownership is about more than affordability. Guidance, education, and support can be incredibly important for those exploring this opportunity for the first time. That’s why the company offers more than 130 training courses and learning resources designed to support IBOs at every stage of their journey. Combined with no inventory purchase requirements, these tools help address some of the most common challenges aspiring business owners face, including upfront costs, uncertainty, and lack of access to mentorship or business education.

Just as importantly, Rich and Jay believed in offering support that could help reduce some of the risks and uncertainty that often prevent people from taking that first step toward building their own business.

This belief still resonates today, at a time when 72% of Americans are seeking additional income and more flexible work opportunities. Currently, Amway supports more than 266,000 IBOs across the country as they pursue small business ownership on their own terms.

Small Business Month is a time to celebrate the 31.7 million small businesses that make up the backbone of the American economy – and to recognize the evolving pathways that are making business ownership more attainable, as well as the individuals and ideas that have helped reshape what that journey can look like.

Learn more about the pathways to starting your own small business by becoming an Amway IBO at weareamway.com.