Introduction

Abstract Avon Products employs women as both corporate employees and as sales representatives. Employees receive a salary and work at the office while the representatives are independent contractors who work from home and are paid by commission on their personal sales. Avon Ladies visited the private homes of their customers, cultivating a personalized service integral to the corporate culture. Avon, as a direct sales company, has always sold two products. The first was its line of cosmetics, perfumes, and toiletries as displayed in its catalogs. The second, to which Avon also devoted substantial time and resources, was selling the business opportunity and recruiting women to become Avon Ladies. Avon organized its representatives in city or regional sales offices run by salaried managers, and unlike modern multi-level marketing companies, it did not require representatives to recruit. As a leader in the direct selling industry, Avon occupied an influential position in the twentieth-century conversation about women in business and the value of women’s entrepreneurship.