USANA Health Sciences, Inc. announced today that a third party clinical study led by Dr. David Greene at Australian Catholic University (ACU National) found that use of USANA`s Active Calcium Chewable supplement improves bone health in young girls.

The double-blind, placebo-controlled study involved 20 pairs of identical twin girls, ages 9-12 years old, who were randomly assigned to receive USANA`s Active Calcium Chewable or a matching placebo. The results of the study found that after six months of supplementation, Active Calcium Chewable improved measures of bone mineral content, bone mineral density, and bone strength in these girls.

“We are delighted with the results of the ACU National study,” said Dr. Tim Wood, USANA`s Executive Vice President of Research and Development. “These results confirm the findings of a similar 2003 clinical trial conducted at the University of Utah. The ACU National study design, in which one twin received Active Calcium Chewable while her sister received the placebo, goes a step further and factors out genetic influences.”

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Amway is changing its way. The largest direct selling company in the world, which has emerged a global retail giant over the last
50 years with minimal advertising and no store presence, will soon start product advertisement as it increases its ad spend.

And its showing the way too. The US-based wellness and personal care products firm is part of an army of direct sellers in India that has woken up to the need for complete brand-building exercise through mass media.

Oriflame, Tupperware and Modicare have all started spending more on advertising and even tying up with retailers as India’s Rs 3,300-crore direct selling industry is bracing up for increased competition from traditional players who have added direct selling and e-tailing to widen their reach to rural and semi-urban areas.

Other direct sellers such as international cosmetics brand Jafra and wellness brand New-skin too are looking at advertising their products.

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Economists, politicians, and shoppers focus so much on the massive flood of Chinese imports that we end up paying too little attention to the products, services, and business concepts exported from the United States to China. The vast differential in income between the United States and China has precluded a rampant growth in U.S. exports to China. U.S.-made cars, American doctors, and steakhouses remain far too expensive to appeal to the typical Chinese consumer.

But plenty of U.S. brands have found China to be fertile ground, especially down-market brands that are able to position themselves as aspirational, premium (but not too premium), somewhat affordable products for China’s vast and growing middle class. In America, interest in direct-selling tends to decline among higher-income consumers. But the experience of Mary Kay, the iconic, middle-American direct-sales cosmetics firm, proves that an American direct-sales firm with Chinese characteristics can do quite nicely.

The pink-themed company is a big deal in what Americans used to call Red China. Mary Kay China’s headquarters occupy four stories in Tower 2 in Plaza 66 Shanghai’s fancy mixed-use complex with high-end stores such as Fendi. The spotless, high-gloss offices are filled with images of the bejeweled, heavily made-up Ash and her many maxims in both English and Mandarin, as well as information about the company and its history, beliefs, and values. (There are a few slight changes. A reference to God is changed in Chinese to a more anodyne statement about faith, for example.)

Mary Kay did not have any easy transplant to China upon its arrival in the mid-1990s. Direct-selling didn’t catch on rapidly in a country where knocks on the door could signal something far less benign than the offer of a new moisturizer. And in the Wild West days of early Chinese capitalism, pyramid schemes and Ponzi schemes thrived. When direct-selling was banned in 1998, May Kay retrenched and changed its model. It set up showrooms around the country, paid agents to represent the products, and maintained corporate control of the inventory. In 2006, however, a new law permitted direct-selling. Sales directors must have fixed locations and licenses. And selling in homes is still frowned upon. The company maintains 35 showrooms around the country.

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Recently at the company’s Rising Star Academy in Anaheim, California, Zrii, LLC unveiled the release of Prana, a new one-of-a-kind master training book that will change the way home base businesses run during the start-up learning phase. This ground-breaking manual gives the home-based business novice a step-by-step guide to starting their business in the right direction.

“Too often corporations overload a beginner with excess information,” said Brooks Gordon, Director of Opportunity Marketing for Zrii, LLC. “Prana offers a refreshing approach to network marketing; it peaks interest and offers encouragement while condensing simple prospecting methods for those just starting out. But we didn’t forget about those who are already familiar with the industry either; there is fresh information in this guide for everyone.”

The name Prana is derived Sanskrit word meaning life force or life energy. New distributors who enroll with Zrii will automatically receive Prana in their start kit.

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Donald Trump is synonymous with luxury high-rises, his TV show and his distinctive hairstyle. Now he’s putting his name on a vitamin and health products business whose salespeople make money by recruiting more salespeople.

The ubiquitous Trump is partnering with Ideal Health, a 12-year-old Massachusetts-based nutritional products company, and renaming it “The Trump Network,” though the partners won’t specify what their financial relationship is.

The products will be sold via multilevel marketing — a method of selling products through a network of distributors. Marketers receive commissions for the products they sell, along with a cut from products sold by other salespeople they’ve recruited.

Critics of such programs say that most of the products are bought by the distributors themselves, and that few of the salespeople actually come out ahead in the end.

Trump, characteristically, is blustery in his bullishness. In an e-mail to the Associated Press, he called it a “rescue and recovery program” for people suffering through the recession, offering a shot at extra income. The company hopes the Trump name and image will help sell the products.

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USANA Health Sciences, Inc. today launched its seasonal Vitamin D supplement. The supplement will be available every year from November to March, the months when many people do not get enough vitamin D.

“Recent reports show that populations around the world are suffering from vitamin D deficiency, and there is also evidence that suggests vitamin D deficiency increases during the winter months because of decreased exposure to sunlight,” said Dr. Tim Wood, USANA`s Executive Vice President of Research and Development. “The problem is widespread and increasing, with potentially severe repercussions for overall health and bone-fracture rates. USANA`s Vitamin D supplement is formulated with maximum strength vitamin D to ensure you get the vitamin D you need throughout the winter months in one tablet.”

Vitamin D is essential to bone mineralization and growth and plays an important role in the maintenance of muscle strength and coordination. Vitamin D also supports cardiovascular health and promotes balanced immune function. The current recommendation of 400IU of vitamin D per day may not be enough to prevent vitamin D deficiency during the winter months. USANA`s supplement has 2000IU of vitamin D per tablet.

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‘Tis the season to start shopping for your loved ones, and just as shoppers try to find special gifts for their family members and friends, Scentsy, Inc. has released its Top Holiday Gifts for 2009.

“What makes us different from a typical candle provider is that our candles are flameless, smokeless and soot-free; this means safer candles for family members, including children and pets,” said John Curtis, vice president of communications for Scentsy. The following are Scentsy’s Top Holiday Gifts for 2009:

1. Holiday-Inspired Scents

2. Scentsy Travel Tin

3. Safari Collection

4. D.I.Y. Scentsy Warmers

5. Renaissance Collection

So, how do you purchase these gifts? By going to home parties or visiting an Independent Consultant’s personal Web site. Curtis says this upcoming holiday season offers a great opportunity for residents to have Scentsy parties in their homes, offering people a new way to entertain for the season.

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Goodbye, door-to-door encyclopedia sets. Hello, Pampered Chef parties.

Locally, there is no shortage of the ever-evolving home-based business. From selling skincare products to posting handmade crafts on popular sites such as Etsy.com, starting out on one’s own might be gaining popularity as traditional full-time jobs continue to be scarce.

“A lot of that is, ‘I’m unemployed, I haven’t found a way to be successful,’” ISBDC coordinator Mary Margaret Maule said. “Our classes have been full every month.”

Benefits to operating a home-based business include the flexibility of creating your own schedule, but – depending on the type of job – also come with the pressure to succeed at selling and time management.

“One of your big challenges is, you are your own boss, your timekeeper, your everything,” Maule said. “And it’s easy to get distracted by the other roles in your life.”

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Cutco Sales Representatives (CSPs) with Vector Marketing Corporation recently returned from a corporate retreat where they volunteered with New Orleans Habitat for Humanity in the 9th Ward. More than 100 sales representatives and employees of Vector Marketing spent the day readying New Orleans Habitat homes for their new owners. Activities included roofing, siding, exterior painting and yard work.

In the weeks leading up to the retreat, the CSPs collected donations from their Cutco customers to donate to New Orleans Habitat through the use of a Bubble Bank, a fun and creative way to save money and collect donations. These donations contributed to a total company donation of almost $10,000.

“This is the first year that we incorporated community service into our annual CSP retreat. The response from our representatives was overwhelmingly positive and fits with the company’s philosophy that in order to be successful, you must first help others to reach success,” said John E. Whelpley, president and COO for Vector Marketing Corporation.

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Two years ago, Julie Champion’s world turned upside down when she was laid off from her corporate job. Julie was blindsided along with 1,300 of her co-workers.

“You have all this great work experience and in a flash like that they let you go, said Champion. “They let everybody go and they tell you by email it was devastating.”

Champion then turned to Arbonne, a company that allows you to be your own boss, selling makeup and skin care products through network marketing. It costs $29 to start your own business. Julie said it’s the best money she has ever spent because it allows her to also focus on being a mom.

“It’s great to know in the morning that I get to wake up and see her and she is making me breakfast,” said Emily, Champion’s daughter. “Getting a chance to talk and having her pick me up from school and drop me off.”

Champions said it is the best career move that she’s ever made and she regrets not doing it sooner.

“I make enough money to make my house payment, pay credit cards. Yes, I can afford to put braces on my daughter’s teeth. Yes, I can do that,” she said.

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