When I was working for a technical writing firm several years ago, my coworker and friend tried running a home business.  I was a little skeptical.  Here’s why:

First of all, the business was run kind of like Avon or Mary Kay, in that the seller bought merchandise from the parent company, and then tried to sell it out of their home via parties (Tupperware parties come to mind), mobbing friends and coworkers, and other trust-destroying activities.

Second, my friend confided to me that when people bought clothing from her, she earned discounts on clothing, not actual income.  So her only way to get "paid" was to spend more money herself.

The merchandise itself wasn’t bad, albeit a little overrated and misleading.  The clothing was meant for people who traveled a lot, for example the kind of person who would book a last minute vacation and need a versatile yet minimal wardrobe to take with them.  The idea was that if you bought one entire collection — which generally consisted of a few choices of bottoms, a few choices of tops, and a couple of accessories — you could create more than a weeks’ worth of outfits.  Such a "versatile" wardrobe would enable you to pack lightly, leave at a moment’s notice, and have the ability to dress for any occasion.

As a bonus, caring for the clothing was fairly easy, so that if you were on, say, a Caribbean vacation and had no access to laundry services, you could wash the clothes out in the sink yourself and drip-dry them over the shower curtain rod.

Of course, the clothes weren’t as wonderful as they’d want you to think.  They pilled easily, didn’t fit very well, and weren’t really all that stylish.  I personally couldn’t see any reason why women would want to appear in these outfits, even if they were in the habit of going on last minute all inclusive vacations to cuba or similar places.  Personally, I thought the entire business "opportunity" was a ripoff — and apparently my friend eventually decided that too, because she didn’t keep at it for all that long!

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