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You can take the girl out of the mall, but more and more direct-sales companies are discovering that you can't take the mall out of the girl - and from a business standpoint, why would you want to?

We’re all familiar with the Tupperware party of old, and the archetype of the housewife who wants a little extra mad money. Whether or not that was ever true is open to debate, and it certainly doesn’t seem to be anymore. The direct-sales approach is being chosen more and more by women professionals seeking a valid and fulfilling career in retail.

Companies like Stella & Dot, Avon and Mary Kay were either founded or are currently run by women and rely upon a workforce of mostly female independent salespeople working from their homes. Jessica Herrin, founder and CEO of social selling jewelry business Stella & Dot, told The San Francisco Chronicle in January that her business is based on an overhaul of the traditional perception of a woman worker, and her ability to relate to her customer, who is, in most cases, her peer.

Aree Wichman has been working as a Star Stylist with Stella & Dot since 2011 and has built a team of 45 stylists reporting to her from all over the country. She spends 15-20 hours every week working on her business, hosting trunk shows and selling product online, in addition to raising her children (she also used to teach full time).

Stella & Dot describes itself as a company that "creates flexible entrepreneurial opportunities for women," and Wichman says that's what she likes about her job. She was even able to transplant her business from Chicago to Santa Monica, Calif., and finally to Milwaukee.

It all began when she attended a Stella & Dot trunk show in the summer of 2010 and shortly thereafter decided to host her own.

"The stylist at my personal in-home trunk show mentioned to me what a natural I was with styling friends with the jewelry," she recalls. "At the time, I was super busy and preoccupied raising my two toddlers while teaching full time. However, I knew my family and I would be relocating to a new city for one year as my husband completed his orthopaedic fellowship training in Santa Monica. Knowing I would not be teaching during our year in Santa Monica, I decided to give the stylist opportunity a try."

And, like other at-home salespeople, Wichman finds that she herself is the best advertisement for her product. "I wear Stella & Dot pieces proudly and receive compliments daily. I sell on-the-go in addition to in-home and office trunk shows. I carry my lookbooks wherever I go!" she says.

All Stella & Dot vendors receive 25 percent commission on sales, with an additional 5 percent applied to monthly sales that exceed $2,300. Most of the jewelry and accessories line is priced at under $50.

Katie DeVito is an independent designer with Origami Owl, another social selling jewelry business, this one founded two years ago by Arizona teenager Isabella Weems. At the age of 14, Weems wanted a car, and started a custom jewelry business to finance her dream.

With the help of her mom Chrissy and dad Warren, she got the car – and a direct-sales company that has grown 200 percent in the past six months alone, holding its own against brands like Mary Kay and Pampered Chef. So many women have tried to sign up as independent designers, in fact, that Origami Owl had to enforce a wait list last year.

DeVito owns her own social media and marketing company in addition to her career with Origami Owl, where independent designers hosts parties, called "Jewelry Bars." She finds it to be a more personal way of familiarizing customers with the product, and a selling strategy that fits in easily with her skill set and lifestyle.

"I love that I have the ability to make my own schedule and get to work alongside some incredible people," she says. "I work from home with my marketing company so this fits right in with my lifestyle. I’m able to work as much or as little as I want."

DeVito got into the business when she realized that Origami Owl offered a necklace bearing the letters of her old sorority, and realized that everyday interactions with other women, both in person and on social media, were the best opportunities to make a sale.

"I wore a locket with Delta Phi Epsilon letters in it to my old sorority house...and the girls loved it. I signed up to become a designer right away," she says. "Since Origami Owl are lockets that you can wear, I wear mine every day. That’s the best way to sell the product. Wear it and they will come!"

She hosts parties and attends vendor shows and fundraisers, earning 30-50 percent commission on each other. "Parties are great because people are able to see the product in person."

It’s all part of a new way of developing and marketing product – not every woman will go to a department store of boutique with the intention of buying herself some swag, but if she attends a party or sees a friend wearing a piece she loves, the product has instant credibility. "Who doesn’t love to get together with their friends and shop?" says DeVito.

Wichman agrees.

"Women are challenged each and every day to create a balance between family and profession. Today's world is different than it was," she says. "Women feel the need to be productive and professional while making a home for their family. Stella & Dot empowers women to live the lifestyle they deserve at the pace they desire – there are no glass ceilings! This is the perfect balance for me."