Have you been active on any motherhood social communities on Facebook recently? If so, you’ve likely heard about the oft-mentioned ‘buttery soft’ leggings that everyone is raving about. Priced at $25 each, they may seem a bit costly for leggings, especially considering that they are manufactured in China. However, they’ve become extremely popular within these circles, with mothers praising their comfort.
Every so often, another one of my mother friends falls for the charm and becomes a Lularoe consultant. I understand the attraction. The opportunity to earn while staying home with their children and enjoying considerable discounts is hard to resist. Yet, I found myself pondering – is it truly rewarding to be a Lularoe consultant?
Let’s talk about the high initial costs. The expenditure to set up your own Lularoe business is approximately between $5,000 and $6,000. This is sky high for a direct sales company. Such a hefty cost is because you are required to purchase inventory upfront to become a consultant. Unlike Avon, where customers make a purchase through online browsing or catalogues and you pocket a commission, as a Lularoe consultant, you are essentially the customer, reselling to your clients. This model is advantageous for the company as they ensure a confirmed income. Yet, for consultants, this implies a substantial investment.
Lularoe might not necessarily be the optimal pathway for work-from-home opportunities, especially for their consultants. Here are the reasons it may not prove profitable.
Have you considered those excessively stocked items? Successful consultants only address the merits of becoming a consultant, deliberately side-stepping the problems faced by newer members. Lularoe’s reputation is built upon its distinctive patterns, each available in limited quantities. Hence, if a pattern becomes popular, it swiftly runs out of stock. Then what happens to the remaining patterns, which appear week after week but remain unsold?
These consultants often overlook discussing the unsold inventory they end up stuck with. How do you handle the stock of patterns that just won’t sell, especially since you’ve already invested money in them?
Perusing the details hints at the situation. It’s rare to find a consultant openly sharing negative comments about the company, primarily due to the company’s stringent policies barring negativity. The company thrives on positivity alone. It’s not unusual to notice my Lularoe consultant friends presenting a cheerful facade on their shop page, only to encounter their personal turmoil on private pages.
Going through Lularoe reviews, it emerges that some consultants are eager to reveal the reality behind the costly startup costs, unsold inventory, and saturated market. However, their voices are often silenced by the minority of successful consultants who joined before the company’s growth surge.
Joining Lularoe, during its inception, proved to be a solution to many stay-at-home mothers’ financial concerns. However, the company’s rapid expansion in 2016 resulted in an oversaturated market. Consequently, the competition is cutthroat, and success is harder to maintain compared to earlier instances.
Have you ever contemplated becoming a Lularoe consultant? What are your reasonings? Feel free to share.
