Kim Washington, who was recently profiled by the Tampa Bay Times, is a perfect example of a successful direct selling story. Washington quit her job as a recruiting manager for a call center to a be a stay-at-home mom, and six years later has managed to bring in a six-figure salary working for Thirty-One, a direct sales company "that deals in colorful totes, purses and other organizational items."

The 43-year-old Washington has close to 4,000 consultants who work on her sales team and is the only senior executive director for Thirty-One in Pasco County, according to the Times. She has sold Pampered Chef, but she didn't have a passion for it, which led to a friend recommending Thirty-One.

According to Washington, the greatest benefit is that she can set her own schedule and spend more time with her kids.

Washington has seen tremendous success selling organizational products, but there are many different industries taking advantage of direct sales. A new market report, "Corporate Strategies in Direct Selling 2011," showed that there is a renewed interest in direct selling as a distribution channel for beauty and personal care products.