Wardrobe Consulting: A fashionably-fun extra income job

Four weeks a year, Etcetera Consultants converted their home to an upscale boutique and tend to the fashion needs of businesswomen, busy moms and corporate wives.

Women with a fashion flair, who enjoy entertaining and/or helping others, are finding working from their own home for a company like Etcetera clothing line from New York City-based The Connaught Group Ltd. is the perfect solution for them!  Four times per year, Etcetera consultants open their own homes for appointments for a personalized shopping session to order the upcoming season’s styles and fashions. The line offers clothing sizes 0-16, with a beautiful range of casual wear, sleek suits, sassy skirts and darling dresses.

It’s one of hundreds of direct-sales businesses that women operate out of their homes every year, and a small part of the $30.8 billion-and-growing direct-sales industry. And in a different time, that might be the end of the story.  But it seems that despite an economy that has battered the balance sheets of many companies, direct-sales businesses like Etcetera are outperforming their retail counterparts. And it’s not an anomaly.  In an average year, direct sales performance follows the overall economy, but recession years are a boon for the industry, according to Washington, D.C.-based trade group Direct Selling Association.

It’s partly because this form of self-employment requires very little startup funds and involves little risk, which becomes an attractive option when jobs become scarce. It’s a great opportunity for moms, women who want to re-enter the workforce, or the professional with an entrepreneurial spirit. Working for Etcetera also allows women to keep their lives involved in their community and social activities.

Women who are busy professionals such as lawyers, CPAs, sales professionals, etc. all find this an attractive option to working long hours without the benefit of spending time with their families or for themselves.  It is an ideal opportunity to start with another professional or friend, too.

Area Development Manager, Lynette Earley said top performers can earn full-time salary, with part-time, flexible hours.  Some women around the country even make six-figure salaries selling the garments, which start at $90 for casual tops and scarves, $150 for skirts and pants and can go up to $225 to $425 for jackets. That means that despite a minimal startup cost, a consultant could recoup her initial investment selling fewer than a dozen items.

“Florida is one of our most lucrative markets,” said Earley, who added that 10 women currently sell the Etcetera line in the Central Florida & east coast beach areas.  “Florida overall has some of the top sellers in the country.”

Etcetera recognizes that an influx of new consultants accounts for much of the recession-year growth within the company, but Earley says their customers find a quality in Etcetera that brick-and-mortar retailers do not have.

“I think customers like the comfort of coming to a home to shop and not having to go to a mall and go store to store to store trying to coordinate their outfits — which can be depressing,” Earley said. “Not to mention, sales associates pressure you and there are sales signs and merchandise everywhere. With Etcetera, you come to a home that is low-key, non-stressful . . . and we make sure you are in love with every piece you buy!”

In addition to the personal attention that many Etcetera focuses on, more consultants are finding that educating the customer on their product, how to wear it, how it is made, and offering general knowledge of the fashion industry is also a big hit with customers.

To learn more about how to join the Etcetera team, contact Area Development Manager Lynette Earley at 407.222.8397. For a sneak peek at the designer sketches and to learn more about the company, visit Etcetera’s public web site at  www.etcetera.com.

photo credit: Linda Shulman, etcetera salewoman