{"id":5945,"date":"2012-03-26T06:45:21","date_gmt":"2012-03-26T12:45:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/?p=5945"},"modified":"2012-03-26T10:56:10","modified_gmt":"2012-03-26T16:56:10","slug":"scentsy-becomes-a-multimillion-dollar-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/2012\/03\/26\/scentsy-becomes-a-multimillion-dollar-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Scentsy Becomes A Multimillion Dollar Business"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Emilie Ritter Saunders \/ StateImpact Idaho<\/p>

Maggie Clark set up a booth to sell Scentsy at a recent cheerleading and dance competition in Nampa, Idaho.<\/p><\/div>\n

Many Idaho companies issued a fair number of pink slips during the recession.\u00a0 But Meridian-based Scentsy<\/a> didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Instead, the wickless-candle maker grew.\u00a0 It\u2019s ranked among the country\u2019s most promising companies<\/a> by business magazines like Forbes and Inc.com.\u00a0 In just seven years, Scentsy has become a multimillion dollar enterprise.<\/p>\n

Selling Scentsy<\/h4>\n

Maggie Clark started selling Scentsy products three years ago, just as the company started taking off.\u00a0 She recently set up a sales booth at a cheerleading and dance competition in Nampa. <\/p>\n

<\/object> Click Play To Listen<\/a><\/p>\n

Selling at events are her thing.\u00a0 \u201cI feel like I get all my selling done in a short period of time, it\u2019s a lot of work, and a lot of on your feet, and chaotic and crazy, but I get it done,\u201d Clark says.<\/p>\n

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Scentsy<\/p>

Scentsy's revenue went from $140,000 in 2004 to $535 million in 2011. (Click the chart to enlarge)<\/p><\/div>\n

Her display is jam packed with those brightly-colored, scented wax bars and the ceramic warmers they melt in.\u00a0 She’s got lotions, room sprays, and even scented stuffed animals.<\/p>\n

Last year, at this same event, Clark sold about a thousand dollars Scentsy products in a day.<\/p>\n

<\/strong>And, she never expected to be doing this.\u00a0 \u201cWho would have thought I would be selling wickless candles as I near retirement age?\u201d<\/p>\n

Clark is one of Scentsy\u2019s 170-thousand independent sellers.\u00a0 It\u2019s a direct sales model.\u00a0 So Clark gets commission on products she sells at home parties and events.\u00a0 She also gets a piece of what her recruits sell.<\/p>\n

<\/strong>\u201cI didn\u2019t have this master plan when is started,” Clark says.\u00a0 “I saw it as a way to make some extra money and it\u2019s gradually evolved into almost full time work.\u201d<\/p>\n

The number of people she\u2019s recruited, and the amount of money she makes, has doubled each year.\u00a0 Clark says when she started, a good month would mean taking home about $500.\u00a0 Now, she feels like she\u2019s failed if it\u2019s less than $1,200.<\/p>\n\n\t\t