PALMETTO — When Kurt Cummings was handed a “Success From Home” magazine by a man during an airplane flight several months ago, his first reaction was politely telling the man he wasn’t interested.
Cummings already had a job as a teacher and wasn’t interested in investing in a home-based, “network-marketing” type of business.
“There are good companies that say you are going to make a lot of money, but you have to invest a lot of money,” he said.
But Cummings decided to take a second look. And more than six months later he has been a part of 5linx, a company that sells internet, telephone and security services. On Saturday he was one of 30 vendors, from cosmetics to natural foods and service-related products, at the Home-Based business Expo at the Manatee Convention Center, promoting their companies.
The Home-Based Business Expo was organized by Malaika Morris, who operates Pre-Paid Legal Services from her home. With so many people out of work and even looking for ways to supplement their income, Morris saw the expo as a good opportunity to introduce people to “network marketing.”
“There are always job fairs, but never anything specifically for people that want to earn extra income,” said Morris. “Especially with the economy, there are not a lot of jobs out there. I wanted to give people an option to make additional income.”
Morris has been an independent associate with Pre Paid Legal Services for more than a year and said it provides about $30,000 in income a year for her and her 2-year-old son. She hopes eventually to earn much more from selling pre-paid legal service packages for a monthly membership fee.
Morris saw the expo as helping people in her community who are struggling to make ends meet.
“If they are losing their jobs, at least they can do this until they get another job,” she said.
Cummings credits the change of career to changing his life. He is working toward making a six-figure income as an area representative for 5linx, he said.
“For me it simply made sense,” said Cummings. “This opportunity is going to allow me to help people on a bigger scope.”
Angela Alfonso’s home-based business experience all started with a home spa party, much like a Tupperware party, she said. The first year, she became the top recruiter for BeautiControl, a Tupperware company that sells spa and beauty products. She has been doing it for the past four years and now makes more than $74,000 a year. “I joined to get the products,” said Alfonso. “It changed my life.”
She also has earned a new car and been on numerous trips, something she never thought possible with the struggling economy.
“I’m booming,” said Alfonso. “With the recession, not everybody’s going to go out and get expensive treatments. They would rather do it at home. Our sales are fabulous.”
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