VitaMix Labs

So for a long time now you have been hearing about neighbors, friend, and relatives starting up vitamin supplement businesses. The idea seems tempting, but is there really monetary success awaiting you in that land of Vitamin-C sunshine and CoQ-10 mountains, or will you get caught in a river of generic multivitamins?

Let’s consider the facts.

Our economy is down. There’s very little disputing that, and even by the most optimistic projections, it will likely be several years before we see a substantial recovery. As a sign of the times many people are losing their jobs, and businesses are cutting back on benefits for employees.

So what does all of this have to do with selling vitamins? Well, with all of these layoffs and cutbacks more and more people are finding themselves without health care. At the last count, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that almost 47 million Americans, or 20 percent of the population under the age of 65, were without health insurance in 2008, and that number is steadily rising. As people lose their health care coverage, they are turning to alternative sources of health and fitness, and one of the biggest areas of growth is the vitamin supplement industry.

In a recent article posted by the New York Times, the newspaper reported that a large percentage of Americans are opting for supplements over many more costly prescription medications. The Vitamin Shoppe, one of the largest retailers of vitamins and health supplements in the nation, showed a 20 percent increase in customers in the first quarter of 2009 alone (yes, during a recession), which is 25 percent higher than the increase shown during the last recession in 2001. By all accounts, the vitamin industry is booming, and those with the initiative to start their own vitamin supplement selling business are reaping the rewards.

But isn’t starting a vitamin supplement business time consuming and complicated?

Not at all.

With new drop shipping options, it’s easier than ever to start a vitamin supplement business at home. Many home sellers set up websites and market their product online, responding to orders and emails when they get off of work at their day jobs. And aside from the profits generated by a rapidly growing market, new sellers have the advantage of marketing their vitamins on their own time schedule. This makes selling vitamins ideal for parents who have little time for a second job or people that are just too busy with other things to start up a traditional small business. It also appeals to individuals who are interested in striking out on their own and being their own boss.

However, one of the biggest pros (and cons) of starting a vitamin business, is that your success (or failure) is completely dependent on you. You do the marketing, you do the promotion, you manage how the orders are placed and shipped. This may sound intimidating at first, but this allows you to be completely in control of your own success. In fact, many people have found this so alluring and liberating, that they eventually quit the confines of their 9-5 jobs as their vitamin business took off! With some careful planning and consideration, selling vitamins can cure your financial ills.