Avon Calling!

When I was a kid, the Avon lady came to our house all the time. Mrs. Wilson was tall and thin and had very short hair and cat eye-shaped glasses. I think she was an “older” woman, and by that I mean older than my mom. She always wore a pencil skirt and a jacket and heels. And I seem to remember her wearing a pill box hat but I don’t think she really did.

I loved it when she came to our house. She and my mom would sit at the dining room table and I would sneak a chair up next to my mom. I tried to be unobtrusive but I loved all the make-ups and lotions and creams and it never took long for me to be right in the way. And who can forget those adorable bottles of fragrances shaped like teddy bears or steam ships? Irresistible!

Well, I am now officially an Avon lady, too. :) I’ve gone through my first campaign and thanks to some great family and friends I even had some orders. Of course, the biggest order was mine because I needed to stock up on supplies to get started.
I’ve started this venture because I’ve been out of work for just over a year. I, along with 17 former co-workers, was laid off in October of 2009. After that happened I could only ask myself, “What now?”

I never thought I’d be looking for work for this long but here I am. The single upside to my unemployment is that I’ve had the opportunity to be at home with my 6-year-old son. And as time has gone along, I’m loath to give that up. And though I’m still looking for full-time opportunities, with the encouragement of my husband, I thought this would be a good time to launch a business.

So, why Avon? Well, a look at their web site gives you a ton of reasons why it’s a fabulous company that supports women and women’s issues. But for me it’s because they have products I believe in, name recognition and all the support one can use. Plus, I learned a few things along the way. (See below.)

Selling Avon today is a lot different than in Mrs. Wilson’s day. That’s for sure. And while the door-to-door customer contact is still probably the best approach, one can also shop online. Each Avon representative has the opportunity to have her own e-store. This is mine. And if you shop in her e-store you can opt to have your order sent directly to you or you can choose to have your Avon representative bring it to you.

Plus, as an Avon representative today, I have access to the Internet. And that’s what this blog is all about. I’m excited to try some of the Avon products I’ve not tried before and tell you what I think about them. I’m also starting a new business so I’ll try to bring you along on that journey as well.

8 THINGS I DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT AVON BEFORE

1. Avon was founded in 1886 as the California Perfume Company. The name was changed to Avon Products in 1939.

2. The Avon Foundation was founded in 1955 with the goal of improving women’s lives, and today we are proud to be the largest corporate philanthropy dedicated to women's causes globally.

3. In 1989 Avon was the first major cosmetics manufacturer to announce a permanent end to animal testing in the safety testing of its products.

4. In 1991 Avon was the first beauty company to bring the alpha hydroxy (AHA) technology to the mass market.

5.Avon U.K. launches the company’s first women’s health care initiative to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer in 1992.

6. A year later Avon launches its first women's health care initiative program in the U.S. with the "Breast Cancer Awareness Crusade" enlisting over 500,000 U.S. Sales Representatives to raise awareness and funds through the sale of 'pink ribbon' products.

7. In 2003, Avon launched their mark. brand. It was created in celebration of young women making their ‘mark’ in the world today.

8. 2004 brought the Avon Foundation’s new domestic violence program, Speak Out Against Domestic Violence with celebrity spokesperson Salma Hayek