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**Trademark of Barefoot Books
Barefoot Books
Copyright Jeffrey Babener www.mlmlegal.com
Editor's Note:
Welcome to MLMLegal.Com Company Profiles at www.mlmlegal.com. Here you will find brief summaries of pertinent information about hundreds of MLM, Direct Selling, Direct Sales, Network Marketing and Party Plan Companies. As a general matter, the summary information is derived from Company published information, generally posted at Company websites, public information releases or posts at industry trade sites .*
Founding Story
Barefoot Books was started in 1993 by co-founders Nancy Traversy and Tessa Strickland. The idea came when the women wanted to find a way to be close to their children.
Tessa had three children and lived in a farmhouse while Nancy had her second child in 1993, her third in 1995, and her fourth in 1997.
When they started the Company they had three books to offer to customers that include; The Myth of Isis and Osiris, The Outlandish Adventures of Orpheus in the Underworld, and The Birds who Flew Beyond Time.www.mlmlegal.com www.mlmlegal.com www.mlmlegal.com www.mlmlegal.com www.mlmlegal.com
The motivation behind the books were to inspire children by introducing them to other cultures, improving their appreciation for high-quality art, and helping them to enjoy music as well as language at a young age.
In 1996, the Company had $2 million in sales and practically no overhead since they employed only a couple people. In 1998, they brought their business to Manhattan, NY from London. It wasn't economical for Nancy to travel back and forth on business with four children so in 2000 they closed the NY and London offices and reopened in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 2001, they opened a store near Harvard Square. There they did product testing by asking people to read manuscripts, review covers, and sample art. In 2003, they launched home-selling (www.mlmlegal.com) with 650 distributors. In 2004-2005, the Company grew 70%.Impact on the Industry
Barefoot Books has lowered its impact on the environment by printing the paper their books are made from based on sustainable forestry practices, using boats to ship products instead of planes, recycling paper within the organization, minimizing paper by using mostly phone or the internet for communications, buying office supplies from green manufacturers, using energy efficient light bulbs, minimizing travel, and encouraging employees to "go green".
Barefoot Books has had extensive media coverage since its founding including the Wall Street Journal and Better Homes and Gardens magazine.
Discussion of Products
Barefoot Books offers a variety of educational children's products. Some of the products include storytelling books, craft activities, children's art, writing competitions, music CDs, and storybook CDs.
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Discussion of Opportunity
Representatives are rewarded in several ways with this Company and spiritually, by providing quality literature that enriches children's lives. No experience is necessary; there are low start-up fees and no overhead costs. Representatives can sell products in the home, out in the community, or both. Representatives can organize fundraising events for schools or other organizations. All stallholders receive a free website in which they can use to sell their products. As soon as a representative starts, they are able to earn discounts on products, free products, monthly bonuses, special offers, and commissions on web sales. Other benefits include prizes, incentives, workshops, and get-togethers.
Up-Front Discount Levels are illustrates as follows:
| -Cumulative Personal Sales (retail value) | -Up-Front Discount |
| 1) $0-$749.99 | 20% |
| 2) $750-$299.99 | 24% |
| 3) $3000-$7499.99 | 28% |
| 4) $7500+ | 33% |
| Personal Sales Bonuses goes as follows: | |
| -Personal Team Qualifying (retail value) | -Personal Sales Bonuses |
| $300-$749.99 | 2% |
| $750-$2249.99 | 4% |
| $2250-$3999.99 | 7% |
| $4000+ | 10% |
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Discussion of Distributor Base and Sales Volume in U.S.
Barefoot Books has utilized sales that have surpassed five million dollars. (www.mlmlegal.com) Barefoot Books has hundreds of stallholders.
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Jeffrey A. Babener, principal attorney in the Portland, Oregon, law firm Babener & Associates, represents many of the leading direct selling companies in the United States and abroad.
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