The children's book publishing industry is valued at just over $2 billion in the US, alone. If you have a passion for children's books and promoting children's literacy, can you turn it into a career?
This is the opportunity Barefoot Books offers to its affiliates. With an ever-expanding line of high-quality children's books, puzzles, sing-along CDs, and more, Barefoot Books remains a successful publisher and seller nearly 30 years after its start.
Like other MLM companies, however, Barefoot Books does come with some setbacks for sellers and affiliates. How does it work? Can you make money by joining the Barefoot Books team?
We're always looking for ways to help new entrepreneurs expand their business and marketing savvy. Read on to learn everything about Barefoot Books and find out if this is the right place to grow your direct marketing experience.
So, What Exactly Is Barefoot Books?
Barefoot Books is, at its core, a publishing company of children's books. It was founded in 1993 by two moms, Nancy Traversy and Tessa Strickland, who were looking for ways to make money while connecting with their young children. Over the years, Barefoot Books has published a wide and diverse array of high-quality hardback books for young readers in different age brackets.
In the early days, Barefoot Books was based in the UK and much of the profits came from selling the rights to their books to American publishers. Finally, the two women decided it was time to take Barefoot Books overseas and start selling across the United States. This is when the MLM model took hold.
Now, Barefoot Books offers budding entrepreneurs such as yourself the opportunity to try their hand at selling children's books on their own time.
How Does the Barefoot Books Compensation Plan Work?
There are a few ways that you can go about making money as a Barefoot Books affiliate. Of course, the most obvious way to earn money is by selling books, which you can do through in-person events, social media outreach, and partnerships with schools and libraries. However, Barefoot Books affiliates have another goal in mind: to build up a team of affiliates that sell in their downstream.
Under the Barefoot Books FAQ, they lay out some of the basics of their compensation plan. You can earn 30% commission off of in-person or online sales, 20% commission off of discounted sales to nonprofits and schools, and a variety of bonuses for unlocking certain achievements. (Achievements include hitting a high level of personal sales, hitting a high level of team sales, bringing in new team members, and so forth.)
Keep in mind that in order to start earning money, you have to invest money. Barefoot Books claims to be free to join, but you'll have to purchase a starter pack of books, catalogs, and marketing materials to start selling. It appears that this starter kit costs $159.99.
What Are the Perks of Becoming a Barefoot Books Affiliate?
Perhaps one of the biggest draws to the Barefoot Books direct marketing team is that they're selling real, high-quality products that actually make a difference. Many of their books appear to be award-winning, and all of their products are designed to encourage literacy, engagement with the arts, and cultural awareness. All told, you can feel good about selling these products.
Plus, Barefoot Books offers the same perk that attracts most people to MLM companies: you can set your own schedule. This is appealing for just about anyone, but especially those who have other obligations or other jobs and want to earn some extra income.
Finally, there is a theoretical opportunity for growth. Barefoot Books offers a tiered affiliate network that allows affiliates with consistently strong sales to earn higher commission rates, access more opportunities for bonuses, and more. That being said, it tends to be difficult to climb the ladder of any MLM company.
Is It Easy to Make Money With MLM Companies?
While MLM companies offer plenty of opportunities to make money selling their products or bringing on new affiliates, it's not as easy as it sounds. Why?
Let's take Barefoot Books as an example. First, think about how many children's booksellers are on the market–especially now that things like eBooks and audiobooks are growing in popularity. Second, think about how many people you know off the top of your head who would buy children's books from you.
Automatically, you can see that this won't be easy. That is, not without legitimate marketing skills.
In order to make money with any online business endeavor, you have to understand the ins and outs of digital marketing. You need to learn how to maximize your use of various social media platforms, knock out the competition, and reach buyers outside of your personal social circle. Without these skills, it can be difficult just to break even when you're selling for an MLM company.
Learn the Ropes of Direct Marketing With Legendary Marketer Courses
Like other reputable MLM companies, Barefoot Books offers high-quality products and an honest business model that direct marketers can tap into. They're not con artists. They're honest publishers of children's books offering you the opportunity to bring in some extra income.
That being said, you can only get out what you put in. Without having a strong understanding of digital marketing, you're going to hit a wall with any online business endeavor.
In order for you to develop your skills, you should consider taking a free or paid marketing course. There are a variety of digital marketing courses you can take from businesses that can help you enhance your skills. As of writing this, over 80,000 new marketers have taken the Online Business Builder Challenge (only $7), and that might be a good starting place for you as well.
