| Comment Number: | 522418-09078 |
| Received: | 7/13/2006 9:58:14 PM |
| Organization: | |
| Commenter: | Mark Jamtgaard |
| State: | IA |
| Subject: | Business Opportunity Rule |
| Title: | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking |
| CFR Citation: | 16 CFR Part 437 |
| No Attachments |
Comments:
Dear Commission Members, While I appreciate the intention of this rule change to protect consumers, of whom I am also one, I see the implementation of it as being very detrimental to those of us who are seeking to own and operate a legitimate home based business. We all need to be alert, informed, and responsible for our decisions in the marketplace; caveat emptor. Having been contributing employees in various occupations and in different locales, my wife and I, after much thought and discussion, see honest direct selling as our path to financial security while also helping others. I have gone back to college to get a degree in education and have found the field to be a difficult one to be employed in, (though many speak as though one would have no trouble finding an opening) as hundreds apply for a single position, schools absorb positions rather than fill them to cut costs, and more and more districts lack the funds to have as many quality staff as is truly needed to make sure that no child is left behind. Most of the available jobs in our area do not pay well enough to adequately support a family or to be able to afford the extras that make life enjoyable. We would have to work more than one job just to pay cost of living bills and then not be able to have time for family and friends. Direct selling limits us only to getting out of it what effort we are willing to put into it. The requirements to have a seven day waiting period and ten references of the nearest existing sales people have negative connotations. They will make it considerably more challenging to approach and retain potential prospects (many of whom are skeptical to begin with) and those approached may assume that because storefront and catalog operations do not need to follow these requirements, that the products/services offered may be tainted or otherwise suspect. Being relatively new to direct selling, we have begun to build our business and are seeing positive results. The effects of the proposed rule changes have the potential to seriously hamper the conduct of or even to drive us out of business and thereby eliminate our hopes of achieving goals such as having the freedom to work when we want, where we want, for whom we want, and reaping just rewards. Thank you for your time and consideration of this matter. Respectfully, Mark Jamtgaard Independent Distributor