Have you ever thought about participating in a niche business of direct selling? Many label this as Multi-Level marketing. If you believer there is no money in directing selling or being a part of a multi-level marketing company you should think again.

Many people of made great money in multi-level marketing with direct selling. Some of the most notable profitable companies are multi-level marketing companies. You have heard of Avon, Am Way, Mary Kay, Primerica, and Tupperware Brands to name just a few.

Well how do you think they have become the power house companies they are today without direct selling. Direct Selling has grown worldwide and the scope is enormous to most peoples imagination.

According to DirectSellingNews.com (DSN), direct selling has enormous potential for small businesses to grow their business. The DSN list the Top 100 Direct Selling Companies in the World. See if you recognize any of these names. I have only listed the Top 20 so to view the rest of this article go to the link above. Maybe you can find a niche business opportunity for yourself within the direct selling market. Check out #16 in this list for a successful business opportunity.

Avon Products Inc.
Sales: $10.3 billion
Country: USA

Avon is the founder of modern direct selling and the acknowledged world leader in cosmetics, fragrances and toiletries. Avon’s well-known product lines include Avon Color, Anew, Skin So Soft, Advance Techniques Hair Care and Avon Wellness.

Wholesale Corporate Revenue: $10.3 billion
Marketing Style: Person-to- person
Compensation Plan: Single level and multi- level
Products: Beauty, fashion jewelry and apparel
Markets: 100+
Distributors: 6.2 million
Employees: 42,000
Headquarters: New York, N.Y.
Year Founded: 1886
Stock Symbol: AVP—NYSE

2. Amway
Sales: $8.4 billion
Country: USA

Amway, under parent company Alticor, is maintaining its might in the industry. Its product banner includes Artistry cosmetics and skincare products, Nutrilite nutritional products and loyalty-inducing household products. Amway independent business owners work through the company’s e-commerce network.

Wholesale Corporate Revenue: $8.4 billion
Marketing Style: Person-to-person
Compensation Plan: Multi-level
Products: Personal care, beauty and home care
Markets: 80+
Distributors: 3 million+
Employees: 13,000+
Headquarters: Ada, Mich.
Year Founded: 1959

3. Vorwerk & Co. KG
Sales: $3.58 billion
Country: Germany

Vorwerk is an 80-year-old, family-owned, German-based company that has always focused on the direct selling channel. Products include household appliances as well as high-quality cosmetics. Vorwerk & Co. KG is a global group that includes JAFRA Cosmetics, which reported sales volume of more than $500 million 2009.

Wholesale Corporate Revenue: $3.58 billion
Marketing Style: Person-to-person and party plan
Compensation Plan: Multi-level
Products: Cosmetics and home appliances
Markets: 61
Distributors: 530,000
Employees: 23,000
Headquarters: Wuppertal, Germany
Year Founded: 1883

4. Mary Kay Inc.
Sales: $2.5 billion
Country: USA

Mary Kay Inc. was founded by the now-legendary Mary Kay Ash to give women more options. She struck a chord with the motto “God first, family second, career third.” Today, that message adjusts across borders and cultures to make the company one of the largest direct sellers of skincare products and color cosmetics in the world.

Wholesale Corporate Revenue: $2.5 billion
Marketing Style: Person-to-person and party plan
Compensation Plan: Single level and Multi- level
Products: Skincare products and color cosmetics
Markets: 35
Distributors: 2 million
Employees: 5,000
Headquarters: Addison, Texas
Year Founded: 1963

5. Natura Cosmeticos SA
Sales: $2.4 billion
Country: Brazil

Natura is the cosmetics giant born in Brazil. Corporate social responsibility is one of its core emphases, and its more than 900 products help consultants earn a living. Natura also has operations in Argentina, Chile, Peru, Mexico, France, Venezuela and Colombia.

Wholesale Corporate Revenue: $2.4 billion
Marketing Style: Person-to-person and retail
Compensation Plan: Bi-level
Products: Personal care products and fragrances
Markets: 8
Distributors: 1 million+
Employees: 5,000+
Headquarters: São Paulo, Brazil
Year Founded: 1969
Stock Symbol: NATU3.SA—São  Paulo

6. Herbalife Ltd.
Sales: $2.3 billion
Country: USA

Herbalife sells nutritional supplements and weight-management and personal-care products. Its extensive product line has gained a following and credits success to scientific backing. All of its products have been developed by scientists, physicians and nutrition experts, including Nobel laureate in medicine Louis Ignarro, Ph.D.

Wholesale Corporate Revenue: $2.3 billion
Marketing Style: Person-to-person
Compensation Plan: Multi-level
Products: Nutritional supplements, and health/fitness, wellness, personal-care, skincare and weight-management products
Markets: 72
Distributors: 2 million
Employees: 4,000
Headquarters: Los Angeles, Calif.
Year Founded: 1980
Stock Symbol: HLF—NYSEa

7. Primerica
Sales: $2.2 billion
Country: USA

Primerica provides financial products and services, including term life insurance, mutual funds, variable annuities, loans and other services to 6 million clients. The company dates to 1977 when it began a crusade to transform the life insurance industry. Previously owned by Citigroup, Primerica is now publicly traded.

Wholesale Corporate Revenue: $2.2 billion
Marketing Style: Person-to-person
Compensation Plan: Multi-level
Products: Financial services
Markets: 5
Distributors: 100,000
Employees: 2,000
Headquarters: Duluth, Ga.
Year Founded: 1977
Stock Symbol: PRI—NYSE

8. Tupperware Brands Corp.
Sales: $2.1 billion
Country: USA

One of the first party plan companies in the world, Tupperware Brands Corporation today is a global direct seller of storage and serving solutions for the kitchen and home. Brands include Armand Dupree, Avroy Shlain, BeautiControl, Fuller, NaturCare, Nutrimetics, Nuvo, Swissgarde and, of course, Tupperware.

Wholesale Corporate Revenue: $2.1 billion
Marketing Style: Person-to-person and party plan
Compensation Plan: Single level and multi- level
Products: Storage and serving products; beauty and personal-care products
Markets: 100
Distributors: 2.4 million consultants; 1,800 distributors
Employees: 13,000
Headquarters: Orlando, Fla.
Year Founded: 1946
Stock Symbol: TUP—NYSE

9. Oriflame Kosmetiek B.V.
Sales: $1.8 billion
Country: Sweden

Oriflame is the market leader in more than half of the countries where it operates. Though it has no U.S. presence, it operates in Mexico and Central America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. The company offers a wide range of high- quality beauty products.

Wholesale Corporate Revenue: $1.8 billion
Marketing Style: Person-to-person
Compensation Plan: Multi-level
Products: Beauty products
Markets: 62
Distributors: 3.3 million
Employees: 7,000+
Headquarters: Stockholm, Sweden
Year Founded: 1967
Stock Symbol: ODI-SDB.ST—Stockholm

10. Forever Living Products*
Sales: $1.7 billion
Country: USA

Forever Living is the world’s largest grower, manufacturer and distributor of aloe vera, and this inspires them to make environmental responsibility a priority. The company offers a complete line of aloe vera drinks, skincare products and cosmetics, as well as a full line of nutritional supplements and products from beehives.

Wholesale Corporate Revenue: $1.7 billion
Marketing Style: Person-to-person
Compensation Plan: Multi-level
Products: Aloe vera drinks, skincare products and cosmetics, nutritional supplements and Forever Resorts
Markets: 142
Distributors: Not available
Employees: 9.3 million
Headquarters: Scottsdale, Ariz.
Year Founded: 1978

11. Nu Skin Enterprises Inc.
Sales: $1.3 billion
Country: USA

Nu Skin Enterprises Inc. is a global direct selling company operating in 48 international markets throughout the Americas, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Going far beyond cosmetics, toiletries and fragrances, Nu Skin sells more than 200 products through three distinct brands: Nu Skin, Pharmanex and Big Planet.

Wholesale Corporate Revenue: $1.3 billion
Marketing Style: Person-to-person
Compensation Plan: Multi-level
Products: Personal-care, nutritional and technology products, anti-aging skin care and nutritionals
Markets: 50
Distributors: 760,000+
Employees: 1,200
Headquarters: Provo, Utah
Year Founded: 1984
Stock Symbol: NUS-NYSE

12. Pola Inc.*
Sales: $1.03 billion
Country: Japan

Pola sets the standard in Japan. It is the nation’s fourth-largest cosmetics company and the biggest direct seller. Pola products include cosmetics, skincare, personal-care and nutritional products sold in department stores, retail stores, through mail order and door to door.

Wholesale Corporate Revenue: $1.03 billion
Marketing Style: Person-to-person
Compensation Plan: Single-level
Products: Cosmetics, skincare, personal-care and nutritional products, fashion and jewelry
Markets: 16
Distributors: 100,000
Employees: 1,049
Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
Year Founded: 1929

13. Belcorp/L’Bel Paris
Sales: $1 billion+
Country: Peru

Belcorp/L’Bel Paris focuses on women. It has more than 500,000 independent beauty consultants in 15 countries and 18 Latin American specialty stores. They sell the well-known L’Bel, Ésika and Cyzone brands.

Wholesale Corporate Revenue: $1 billion+
Marketing Style: Person-to-person and party plan
Compensation Plan: Single level
Products: Skincare, fragrance, makeup, body care, hair care
Markets: 15
Distributors: 500,000+
Employees: Not available
Headquarters: Lima, Peru
Year Founded: 1949

14. Miki Corporation*
Sales: $969.2 million
Country: Japan

Miki Corporation began as a textile importer and seller. Today, it is a multimillion-dollar seller of supplements made from prune extracts, of household cleaners, personal-care items and much more. The company has “sales agents” in Japan, Taiwan and Malaysia.

Wholesale Corporate Revenue: $969.2 million
Marketing Style: Not available
Compensation Plan: Not available
Products: Foods, cosmetics and household products
Markets: 3
Distributors: Not available
Employees: 270
Headquarters: Osaka, Japan
Year Founded: 1964

15. Melaleuca Inc.*
Sales: $879 million
Country: USA

Melaleuca Inc. sells more than 350 products, including personal-care items, cosmetics, household cleaning supplies and vitamins to consumers through a network of sales representatives, as well as catalogs and websites.

Wholesale Corporate Revenue: $879 million
Marketing Style: Person-to-person
Compensation Plan: Single-level
Products: Personal-care products, cosmetics, cleaning supplies and vitamins
Markets: 18
Distributors: Not available
Employees: 1,200
Headquarters: Idaho Falls, Idaho
Year Founded: 1985

16. Ignite Inc.
Sales: $845 million
Country: USA

Ignite Inc. was founded in 2004 by parent company Stream Energy to meet the changing needs of consumers. With energy-service deregulation, more choices exist for consumers and entrepreneurs, and Ignite seeks to meet the needs of both.

Wholesale Corporate Revenue: $845 million
Marketing Style: Person-to-person
Compensation Plan: Multi-level
Products: Electricity and natural gas
Markets: 1 (Texas and Georgia in USA)
Distributors: 150,000
Employees: 275
Headquarters: Dallas, Texas
Year Founded: 2004

To learn more about this Business Opportunity and how to make money and save people money doing it click on this link: Business Opportunity

17. MonaVie LLC*
Sales: $785 million
Country: USA

Introduced in January 2005, MonaVie develops and markets scientifically formulated, premium-quality nutritional products, featuring an exclusive blend of açai berry and other nutrient-dense fruits. MonaVie is designed to provide consumers with the antioxidants and phytonutrients they need to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.

Wholesale Corporate Revenue: $785 million
Marketing Style: Person-to-person
Compensation Plan: Multi-level
Products: Foods and nutritional products
Markets: 12
Distributors: 1 million+
Employees: 450
Headquarters: South Jordan, Utah
Year Founded: 2005

18. Omnilife*
Sales: $750 million+
Country: Mexico

Omnilife Manufactura S.A. de C.V. is owned by ultimate parent company Grupo Omnilife S.A. de C.V. The company has independent consultants in 23 markets in South America, North America, Central America, Asia and Europe.

Wholesale Corporate Revenue: $750 million+
Marketing Style: Person-to-person
Compensation Plan: Multi-level
Products: Nutritional supplements, weight-management and beauty products, beverages, cosmetics, fragrances
Markets: 23
Distributors: 4.5 million
Employees: 400
Headquarters: Zapopan, Mexico
Year Founded: 1992

19. PartyLite (Blyth Inc.)
Sales: $621.6 million
Country: USA

Beginning with a single line of bayberry candles, PartyLite is, today, the world’s largest direct seller of candles and home-fragrance products. Blyth Inc. became the parent company in 1990. In select markets, consultants also offer Two Sisters Gourmet foods.

Wholesale Corporate Revenue: $621.6 million
Marketing Style: Party plan
Compensation Plan: Multi-level
Products: Candles, candle warmers, flameless fragrance, home accents, personal-care products and food products
Markets: 14
Distributors: 64,000
Employees: 1,250
Headquarters: Plymouth, Mass.
Year Founded: 1973
Stock Symbol: BTH—NYSE

20. NOEVIR Co. Ltd.
Sales: $613.9 million
Country: Japan

The Noevir Group consists of 13 companies, headed by Noevir Co. Ltd. in Japan. With five domestic—and eight international—subsidiaries, Noevir is developing a global business. The Noevir Group distributes its portfolio of brands through a variety of channels, including direct sales, retail and business to  business.

Wholesale Corporate Revenue: $613.9 million
Marketing Style: Person-to-person, retail and business-to-business
Compensation Plan: Not available
Products: Skincare, body care, nutritional supplements and cosmetics
Markets: 8
Distributors: Not available
Employees: 1,085
Headquarters: Japan
Year Founded: 1964
Stock Symbol: 4916/TYO SE

Starting a niche business to make money online is fairly simple if you have the right information and tools. You can search and search the internet for information just to find what you are looking for is not what you expected.

From a niche business idea to designing a website, to something as simple as selecting a product to sell on your website can be intimidating. Recently I was reading some posts and forums online and the same thing kept being asked over and over again. How do I know what I need if I have never done this before? Are there specific steps to starting an online business? What do I need to start an internet business making money? Doesn’t anyone have a step-by-step process? Well allot of it will be trial and error.

I have spent numerous hours studying, researching, and a bit of trial and error over the years with various business. What I have found in all these ventures are specifics that I need to start my online businesses. I have used many different products to create sites, spent money on coaching, mentoring, training, online classes, and much more just to find out there are specifc foundations that must be present to be successful.

Some mistakes that many starting an online business have found was lack of focus. When you try to focus on too many things you become distracted and don’t accomplish anything.

“If you chase two rabbits, both will escape. – Chinese Proverb”

Starting a niche business takes focus, motivation, and work. Actually starting any business takes that. First off you must have an idea. That is a no brainer but then again if you have never done this before how would you know. There are many ways to come up with a niche business idea. You can read more on business ideas for your niche business in the Niche business Ideas categories.

After you have your idea then that is when the work begins. You must research your niche for profitability, decide on a domain name, web host, funding, marketing campaigns, and much more. This website provides most of the information you will need to start an online business. Browse through the articles, products, and resource page for loads of information that was selected specifically for starting a niche business.

Not only is focus a key to starting a niche business but treating the business like a business also is an important factor. Unless you treat it like a business you will not “own it”! It is a business and you must treat it like it is a business, make time for it, and work on growing your niche business.

Too many business owners fish in the widest and deepest pools’ trying to be all things to all people. Offering a broad range of products and services to a broad audience and never really create the waves that lead to tremendous profits. By positioning yourself at the top of a smaller, well defined pool (or niche) you will set your business apart from the competition and create a profitable business.

Here are five proven ways to create a profitable niche business.

1. Define Your Market

Research the needs and challenges of your target audience and capitalize on those needs. Understand the community and develop solutions that appeal to a specific group. For example – Understanding Social media in Small Business is a need of the small business community, a niche market would be to develop a product or service that teach small business owners how to use social media in their business.

2. Create Your Product or Service

Based upon the needs of your target audience, you want to create a product or offer a service that addresses those needs. Many start with developing their products first without researching if there is a market for it. First define your audience and establish there is a demand for a new product and then develop it.

3. Create Your Brand Promise

The brand promise is a statement of what your customers can expect every time they engage with your company and is the center of your business. When a brand stands out with a strong promise that deliver value consistently, the value of your offering increases and customers will be willing to whip out their wallets and pay for your products.

4. Become the Expert

Position yourself as an expert in your niche and become the “go to guy” for this product of service. Showcase your knowledge and expertise by writing articles, participating in forums and providing tips, techniques and strategies in short, succinct messages via popular social networking sites.

5. Create specific messages direct to your niche

Business is conducted on an emotional level. Now that you have identified your market, built a community around your offering, you must communicate with your target market frequently. Develop specific messages targeted towards your niche market appealing to their emotions and demonstrating your benefits. It takes 7 times before somebody is comfortable enough with you and your expertise to buy from you so be specific, be credible and offer extraordinary value.

No matter if you are a retailer, service professional, internet marketer or mom and pop shop, you stand for something. There is a reason that you went into business and a reason why you want your business run a certain way. Building a brand starts with defining what is your core purpose and the inherent promise you are making to your customers and delivering value every time. Isolating your niche in your area of expertise and bringing solutions to a targeted group will keep the cash registers ringing every time.

Kellie D’Andrea is the creator of the BLAST Marketing System and teaches small businesses how to attract and retain more customers. She offers free marketing seminars every Monday during “Marketing Mondays” on a variety of different marketing topics. You can register for these free classes at http://www.kelliedandrea.com/blog