With all this talk on Cutting for Business about trademarks (there’s a lot of trademark posts on the blog – click here to see them), I got a great question from a Cutting for Business reader: “Can I sell a branded decal to a consultant for a direct sales company?” The reader is referring to making a personalized item for a consultant of a home party brand such as Tupperware, Roden & Fields, Scentsy, or countless others.
Answer: Each company has their own set of rules regarding custom made products (business cards, shirts, car decals, etc) for advertising purposes. However, in most cases, you can legally sell a branded item to a direct sales consultant – but you’ll need to get a release form from the consultant that is provided by through the company. Once you are given the release form, you will want to file it. This can help protect you in the event that any issues arise. When designing your product, you will want to use official artwork provided by the direct sales company consultant and follow any rules of design that may have been provided.
Hope that helps the next time someone asks you to create a product for a direct sales company. Don’t forget to pin it on Pinterest (just hover over it):
Hi, Christine! Do companies have this form or is it something that we can create? If we create, would we have to have someone other than the direct sales consultant sign it?
This is not something that you can create. Each company will have their own forms and process for this. Yes, someone from the Direct Sales corporate should be providing permission, not the consultant.