Direct Selling in Michigan: Ada, Fair Haven, Detroit and Ann Arbor
Ada, Michigan, is the site of Amway's world headquarters. The state around it had 10,127,884 residents in the Census Vintage 2025 estimates. This page covers Michigan's direct selling head offices, its small business base, a softer job market in 2026 and the state law on pyramid promotional schemes.
Two health and wellness head offices
Amway lists its world headquarters in Ada, Michigan. Plondo's directory files the company under health, beauty, home care and nutrition and wellness products. So a direct selling company's world headquarters sits inside the state.
Plondo's directory also lists Total Life Changes, with its head office in Fair Haven. Its category covers health, wellness and beauty products. These include nutritional supplements, weight management products, teas, coffee and essential oils.
Both Michigan head offices in the directory sell health and wellness lines. Neither is in Detroit or Ann Arbor, the two cities that come up most in the state figures on this page. Ada and Fair Haven are the only Michigan addresses in the directory today.
Head offices from Ada to Fair Haven
Plondo's directory lists two Michigan head offices: Amway in Ada and Total Life Changes in Fair Haven. Both sell health and wellness products. The list below updates as the directory changes.
Fifteen Fortune 500 names, many in autos
Michigan has 15 companies on the 2025 Fortune 500, according to Axios Detroit. Many of them are tied to the auto industry. General Motors, based in Detroit, is the highest ranked Michigan company, at rank 18.
That is the corporate backdrop for direct selling in the state. A carmaker's head office in Detroit tops the big company list. The direct selling head offices in Plondo's directory sit elsewhere, in Ada and Fair Haven.
September 2026: 27,000 fewer employed
Michigan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.0 percent in September 2026. The rate did not change over the month. Employment fell by 27,000 from August to September, according to the Michigan Center for Data and Analytics.
The shift began earlier in the year. The state's labor force fell by 93,000, or 1.9 percent, between December 2025 and June 2026. For 2025, the 11-month annual average unemployment rate was 5.2 percent.
For a direct selling company recruiting in Michigan, these figures describe a labor force that got smaller during 2026. Any talk with Michigan prospects about joining a company happens under the state's pyramid law, covered below.
983,079 firms and 13,885 exporters
The SBA Office of Advocacy counts 983,079 small businesses in Michigan. They make up 99.6 percent of the state's businesses. They employ 1.9 million people, or 47.7 percent of Michigan employees.
Michigan also had 13,885 identified firms that exported goods in 2023. Direct sellers who run their own businesses here do so in a state where nearly half of employees already work for a small firm.
A record 54,181 at Ann Arbor
The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor reported a record total enrollment of 54,181 for fall 2026. Undergraduate enrollment reached 36,945.
Those students make Ann Arbor a distinct market inside the state. A company selling there faces a population that changes each fall, as new classes arrive and others leave.
Michigan numbers from Census, SBA, the state and U-M
- State population, Census Vintage 2025
- 10,127,884[1]
- Small businesses in Michigan
- 983,079[2]
- Small business employees in Michigan
- 1.9 million[2]
- Small businesses as share of Michigan businesses
- 99.6 percent[2]
- Share of Michigan employees working at small businesses
- 47.7 percent[2]
- Michigan firms that exported goods in 2023 (identified exporters)
- 13,885[2]
- Seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, September 2026
- 5.0 percent[3]
- Change in employment, August to September 2026
- fell by 27,000[3]
- 11-month annual average unemployment rate, 2025
- 5.2 percent[4]
- Labor force change, December 2025 to June 2026
- decline of 93,000 (-1.9 percent)[4]
- Michigan-headquartered companies on the 2025 Fortune 500
- 15[5]
- University of Michigan-Ann Arbor total enrollment, fall 2026
- 54,181[6]
- University of Michigan-Ann Arbor undergraduate enrollment, fall 2026
- 36,945[6]
- Amway world headquarters location
- Ada, Michigan[7]
Act 186 of 2018 and pyramid schemes
Pyramid Promotional Scheme Act[8]
The Act bars any person from promoting or participating in a pyramid promotional scheme. Promoting a scheme is a felony. Knowingly participating is a misdemeanor. The Attorney General can act on reasonable cause, including by issuing cease and desist requirements. This is general information, not legal advice.
This is general information, not legal advice.
Detroit, Ann Arbor and other Michigan pages
State figures only go so far. City pages cover local data for places such as Detroit, where General Motors is based, and Ann Arbor, home of the University of Michigan campus with 54,181 students. Choose a city below for local figures.
A confidential next step for Michigan leaders
Team leaders in Michigan work in a state with Amway's headquarters in Ada, Total Life Changes in Fair Haven and 983,079 small businesses competing for attention. If you lead a team and want to compare other companies, Plondo's placement service is free and confidential. It charges no placement fee. Your conversations stay private, and you decide whether anything comes of them.
Apply confidentiallyCommission and back office systems for Michigan sellers
A Michigan head office needs a commission engine that shows exactly how each payout is calculated, so the plan can be checked against the Pyramid Promotional Scheme Act. The back office should keep clean records in case the Attorney General asks. Replicated sites and AI employees should answer reps in Detroit, Ann Arbor, Ada or Fair Haven without making claims about results.
See Plondo direct selling softwareFrequently asked questions
Is Amway based in Michigan?
Yes. Amway's world headquarters is in Ada, Michigan. Plondo's directory lists it under health, beauty, home care and nutrition and wellness products.
Which direct selling companies in Plondo's directory are headquartered in Michigan?
Two are listed. Amway is in Ada and Total Life Changes is in Fair Haven. Both sell health and wellness products.
Does Michigan have a law on pyramid schemes?
Yes. The Pyramid Promotional Scheme Act, Act 186 of 2018, bars promoting or participating in a pyramid promotional scheme. Promoting one is a felony and knowingly participating is a misdemeanor. This is general information, not legal advice.
Do direct selling companies register with the state of Michigan under that Act?
The sections reviewed, MCL 445.2583 and 445.2584, do not set up a registration or exemption for multilevel or direct selling companies. They apply to any plan that meets the Act's definition of a pyramid promotional scheme.
What was Michigan's unemployment rate in September 2026?
The seasonally adjusted rate was 5.0 percent, unchanged over the month. Employment fell by 27,000 from August to September.
How many small businesses are in Michigan?
The SBA Office of Advocacy counts 983,079. They are 99.6 percent of Michigan businesses and employ 47.7 percent of the state's employees.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates Open source
- SBA Office of Advocacy, 2025 Small Business Profile: Michigan Open source
- Michigan Center for Data and Analytics, Michigan jobless rate remains stable during September (Oct. 15, 2026) Open source
- Michigan Center for Data and Analytics, 2025 Michigan Annual Economic Analysis Report: Labor Force, Employment, and Unemployment Open source
- Axios Detroit, Michigan's 2025 Fortune 500 companies Open source
- University of Michigan, The University Record: U-M welcomes more than 54,000 students for fall term Open source
- Experience Grand Rapids, Amway Welcome Center listing Open source
- Michigan Legislature, MCL 445.2583 Promotion or participation in pyramid promotional scheme; prohibition; penalties Open source