Most small-business owners experience a day now and again when they don’t have that fire in their belly about their company.

But if that passion continues to wane, how do you know when it’s time to move on to another venture?

Finding the right fit and then maintaining a zeal for one’s business is one of the keys to a successful small business, no matter the industry type.

It’s especially true for direct sellers—the people who have their own businesses selling manufacturers’ products directly to consumers, either through parties or person to person, in such categories as home decor, jewelry, and beauty supplies.

Some of the better-known names are Avon, Mary Kay, and the Pampered Chef. These individuals don’t have a storefront or staff and have to generate sales on their own—day in and day out.

There also are more of them these days, as people search for new business opportunities for full-time or side work during the recession. As of 2008, direct retail sales in the U.S. totaled $29.6 billion, with 15.1 million salespeople, according to the Direct Selling Association.

The Sacramento region has “a couple thousand, easily,” said Louise Umeki, an Elk Grove, California, woman who is Northwest chapter coordinator for the Direct Selling Women’s Alliance. “This is a very strong area in direct sales and network marketing.”

With unemployment high and pay cuts common, direct sales are booming as a career choice, she said, because startup costs are low and sellers can do it as a side job.

Prospective direct sellers, though, must be wary of teaming up with unproven brands and overstated promises.

Umeki, a direct seller herself, knows when it’s time to move on: “If you are not excited about your business every day, if you don’t attend meetings, if you don’t share your business with everyone everyday with a smile on your face.”

Tough Decision

Sherry DuFault, 53, of Natomas, California, was a direct seller for a home-products company she thought she’d be with the rest of her life.

“I had a team that I loved. They were my family,” she said.

But she had become less than enthusiastic. Consumers could buy the brand-name product through other channels in addition to direct sellers. The brand wasn’t cutting edge. It didn’t offer any new technology. Its durable products last for years, meaning she couldn’t count on too many repeat customers.

“It was a hard job convincing people that they wanted the product,” DuFault said. “You want (to sell) something that everyone wants.”

She was selling $10,000 in product each month.