Our guest speaker today was Ellen Castelli from Thirty-One Gifts, Trendy & Affordable Gifts, Totes & Bags.  Thirty-one is a successful industry leader in the direct sales, party-planning sector. 

What she likes about being an independent sales consultant…

• The harder she works, the more money she makes – unlimited earning potential
• Job security [she has a job, as long as she doesn’t violate any ethics policies]
• Flexibility [makes own schedule, is own boss]
• Gets to utilize her strengths [people skills, work ethic] to pursue her passion and see results

Ellen spoke about the direct-sales business model, analyzing the competition, marketing & branding, and business operations.  She informed the students that Thirty-One stays successful by staying ahead of industry trends [for designs, colors, etc], having a functional product at a competitive price, keeping costs down [salaries and benefits costs are low due to consultants being 100% commission and storefront overhead costs] and also being active in philanthropy. 

Thirty-One Gives is a socially-responsible division of Thirty-One Gifts, focusing on giving back to the community and improving the lives of others.  Gives has donated over $36 million in cash and products and has been involved with various programs including Ronald McDonald House & Girl Talk.

Ellen also suggested for aspiring entrepreneurs to check out a starter kit called ‘Its my biz’ by Fashion Angels [not affiliated with Thirty One] – see what you think about Entrepreneurship!

We appreciate the time business people take to come educate our young minds and future business leaders.  Thanks Ellen!