You constantly face a multitude of expenses: rent, car, energy consumption, costs for your children (school meals, books, sports or leisure activities, babysitting, even tutoring...), not to mention all the furniture, objects, and products of all kinds needed to furnish and maintain your home. You don’t need accounting books or financial advisors to know that you need more money. Your bills are piling up, your income is hit hard by inflation. Every day, you notice more and more that your salary isn’t enough. You don’t have enough money to treat yourself to the holiday rental or the trip you dream of. But how can you make ends meet and increase your income from home?
One idea to get some extra money would obviously be to get a hefty pay raise, but in times of crisis, let’s be realistic! You could also change careers, or at least, try to take on a paid side activity or offer services... but all that seems risky, almost insurmountable. You browse the web, spend time on countless online sites, but you lack practical advice and find it hard to see things clearly. It’s true that it’s difficult to spot the right solutions among all the part-time job offers online... most of which, let’s be honest, are not very transparent in how they work or pay.
So, why not start as a self-employed entrepreneur (as a micro-business), to easily get a supplementary income legally, with no risk of scams? Whatever your background, your current salary, or even the skills you use in your job, you’re certainly able to offer your services to businesses or individuals, to make ends meet and earn those few hundred euros you regularly miss.
Basically, you want to earn more money by working from home or nearby, to avoid wasting time and money on long car journeys? You also can’t consider an activity that requires a lot of space because your home is already cramped? Then, direct sales from home seems to be, among the various job market solutions, an idea worth exploring to get real extra income—several hundred euros a month—without turning your life upside down or your home inside out.
The direct sales sector is especially open. It offers real opportunities to original and dynamic personalities, even without specialized training or technical skills, unlike what’s required for web jobs (like dropshipping) and, more generally, all tech professions.
Are you passionate about fashion? Do you love beautiful things and enjoy giving others ideas on how to dress well? Why not make it your job, at least as a side gig? Elora, a leading company in home fashion sales, has created an information blog to introduce you to the different solutions, services, offers, and careers available in this booming field. You’ll probably find the article or video that gives you the push you need. Then it’s up to you to get in touch and prove yourself in a new job!
DIRECT SALES: THE SOLUTION TO BOOST YOUR INCOME WHILE WORKING FROM HOME
Despite the rise of the internet, with all its networking platforms and e-commerce sites—especially Amazon and its countless shops (a business booming thanks to dropshipping!)—direct sales from home still has a real place in the buying process for individuals. It meets their need for a quality human connection, for original offers, to enjoy a satisfying... even magical, shopping experience!
Statistics confirm this trend, as the sector achieved a turnover of 5 billion euros in 2021. If people keep turning to an independent direct sales consultant (VDI) instead of buying products directly online, it’s because they want a practical, but above all, personalized service. They’re tired of international platforms and their standardized products, as well as the lack of after-sales service and disappointing return policies on most sites. Many are turning away from the web because they want a product range, service quality, and extra information if needed... all in line with their values and preferences!
Especially in the highly emotional world of fashion, people love discovering a brand’s creative line during a lively, friendly get-together, rather than remotely on the internet, through impersonal platforms or soulless shopping sites. They love being able to see and touch the products, spot the colors and materials that suit them, and choose accessories and items that add a unique, refined touch. It’s much more enjoyable to shop in a private, safe setting than to scroll online or watch a video tutorial on your phone!
Clients also appreciate being able to work directly with their consultant to find the best way to receive their products. It’s much more motivating than getting caught up in an automated dropshipping system, which asks them to schedule home delivery on unreliable platforms or drive to pick up parcels at odd addresses: like a pickup box in a shopping center parking lot, for example.
As mentioned earlier, in most cases, you’ll need to be a micro-entrepreneur to receive the extra income from your direct sales activity. The micro-entrepreneur status (also called auto-entrepreneur since its creation in France in 2019) is practical and very easy to set up online: just register on the dedicated government platform, using your home address, and the paperwork is minimal. Unlike being a retailer, you don’t need to register with the Chamber of Trades. As for your income declaration, it’s also very simple, since your sales commissions are added to your salary each year for automatic income tax calculation.
This status offers you solutions, among other things, to organize your schedule according to your needs and constraints. So it seems easy to do this activity alongside your main job to supplement your income, without jeopardizing your employment, at least at first. If, in the following months, you decide to make it your full-time job, you’ll have enough experience to make an informed decision.
Good to know: as a micro-entrepreneur, you can organize your work from home. You prepare your business at home, using your own skills and ideas. The key, of course, is to offer your services to a good partner company. This company should first and foremost allow you to resell original, inspiring, and in-demand products and items that aren’t already sold at low cost on every web platform. It should also provide you with training, to complement the knowledge you’ve gained personally or in previous jobs or assignments.
Of course, you’ll need to have a commercial mindset, good communication skills, and ease with people. But your new job will be a springboard, helping you develop your abilities and gain extra professional skills. You’ll then be able to create an exciting business that generates regular income!
In this kind of activity, you don’t have to invest money. You don’t need to rent or set up an office, a shop, or a reception space, since you’re the one meeting with clients. And you can also limit car trips if you manage your business smartly: it would be a shame to eat into your earnings with crazy fuel or car rental bills!
Finally, depending on the contract with the brand you represent, you won’t necessarily have to buy products to resell them. At Elora, for example, the first collection is loaned to you and the initial training is free, included in the partnership deal. So there’s no risk of losing money when you start your business.
THE MISSIONS OF A FREELANCE FASHION CONSULTANT AT ELORA
The job of a fashion consultant is based on two main missions.
The first is to find new clients (who can be your friends!), so they agree to host a product presentation. Good to know! Whether they own or rent their home doesn’t matter, since by letting you organize a sale at their place, they’re simply lending you their home as a friendly gesture. In return, after the sale, they receive the ready-to-wear pieces of their choice from the latest collection, which can be worth several hundred euros as a gift.
The second mission is to professionally and warmly host the gatherings organized at your hosts’ homes. The fashion consultant (also called a personal stylist) highlights the new Elora clothing line and gives attendees ideas to refresh their wardrobe, advice to improve their look, and tips tailored to their body shape... The goal is to create a close relationship, often complemented by a blog run by each consultant at home, sharing their personal ideas. In short, it’s about offering each client tailor-made solutions and services, to develop a relationship that’s as friendly as it is commercial, based on trust—not just money.
Know that the 1,300 Elora fashion consultants are fully fulfilled in their roles and delighted to have discovered this rewarding business, which allows them to enjoy themselves while earning extra income. Completely satisfied, many have even chosen to do this work not just as a side job, but as a full-time activity... And they all have skills, ideas, and enthusiasm to spare!
ELORA: A COMPANY WITH MANY ADVANTAGES FOR SELF-EMPLOYED ENTREPRENEURS
Elora is a committed company, dedicated to supporting its team members so that, as micro-entrepreneurs, they quickly become independent—without ever feeling alone. Elora aims to build a “win-win” relationship, far beyond immediate, short-term earnings.
That’s why Elora is committed to:
- Making it easy to join the network and providing training,
- Helping them quickly supplement their salary and generate real extra income,
- And supporting their skills development as they progress in their roles.
The company assigns a mentor to each new fashion consultant. This mentor supports them during their first weeks, either in person or remotely via the internet (including video conferences), to provide training and help them reach their desired income level quickly.
It’s important to know that a Fashion Consultant earns over 20% of the monthly sales revenue. They can also, if they wish, attend training sessions at seminars or online via a dedicated platform, with video tutorials, to improve their skills in prospecting, project or commercial management, and gain professional expertise.
Beyond the money earned, being a consultant for home fashion sales, as practiced with Elora, is truly a source of personal fulfillment. Of course, the income from this business is a great benefit! It’s clear that the need for money is often the initial motivation to start this kind of work, but once you’re in the field, the job turns out to be exciting and friendly.
Ideas flow once the training phase is over and your schedule is set. In fact, the relationship with clients is rewarding in direct sales. Even more so with Elora, where the quality of service and offers is top-notch. The collections are trendy, updated each season, with clothing, accessories, and fashion items worthy of haute couture brands.
What’s more, what really adds to the appeal and motivation within the teams is that the company’s guiding principle, beyond just business, is still People. Indeed, if today the activities of big platforms like Amazon and other web giants are criticized, it’s mainly because of their lack of respect for employees and, more generally, their lack of eco-responsibility.
Are you looking for a side activity to boost your income?
Offer your services as an independent direct sales consultant to the Elora team. Visit our website to apply and discover all the information about this career on our blog.
