AVON has proved a lucrative calling for a redundant former factory worker.

Debbie Davis was living on the bread-line struggling to pay her rent until she found her niche with the cosmetics company.

Beginning as a door-to-door rep five years ago she has now amassed £7m turnover for Avon and helps to oversee a sales workforce of 2,500.

Such is her new-found reputation that the once shy former Sunderland factory girl was recently asked to front an on-line video masterclass offering tips for sales success.

Her whirlwind success has proved a life changing experience, enabling the 29-year-old to buy her home, add an extension and take exotic overseas holidays which were once a mere pipedream.

"Its unbelievable. To go from nothing to this is amazing.

"I was absolutely skint, I had nothing.

"When I was made redundant in 2004 I needed money - mainly the £400 rent for the house.

"I thought that if I started as a rep and I could find people in my local area who wanted to buy Avon I’d get the £400."

A three-week doorstep blitz saw her surpass her target by £18,400.

As an Avon customer herself, and the daughter of a one-time rep, she was familiar with the product.

"I started off as a sales lady selling the products and then went on to recruit other people to sell them.

"I now have a team of 2,500 people working with me and I made around £250,000 last year."

Her success in cosmetics has also improved her general confidence.

"I found it hard to mix with people in the past, but my confidence has just grown."

She said the masterclass video appearance is the icing on the cake to the transformation in her fortunes.

"To be asked to do the video was such an honour, it’s a massive achievement for me."

Her advice to other would be sales successes is that its no overnight phenomenon.

She puts her success down to hard work, not quitting at the first fall, and gradually building on her business break.

· Her masterclass can be viewed online at avon.uk.com, on YouTube and on Avon’s Facebook site.