Moxie Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 In the past few weeks, I've been asked by two women to "join their amazing team" selling face cream. I'm not sure if I should feel insulted that I look so old that I need anti-aging cream or complimented because I look so damn good I'll be able to sell the stuff well. And, MLM companies are cults. These two women are so friendly if you want to hear about joining the team and rage against "haters" if you aren't interested. their FB pages are full of clever one-liners designed to draw me in. Even photos of their kids playing are captioned with "so nice to be able to watch these darlings play while making money at home". It is a cult, I tell ya!! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 (edited) . Edited February 19, 2018 by ErinE 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Also, buying into an MLM does not make you an #entrepreneur. You aren't a #businessowner. You bought a kit. The end. 27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Also, buying into an MLM does not make you an #entrepreneur. You aren't a #businessowner. You bought a kit. The end. Interestingly enough, my sister recently bought an actual brick and mortar business, not related to MLM. She qualified for the business loan due to her income...from Scentsy. :) I was shocked, actually. I think she does so well with it simply because she is NOT pushy, rarely advertises, and sells through word of mouth and repeat customers. She does lots of advertising for her brick and mortar, service oriented, business. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 I don't do these but some of them are pretty good. I like the products from Pampered Chef, Silpada, and the former Southern Living At Home. When I was thinner I also liked CAbI a lot. I'm not one of those ideal customers who has parties twice a year though. I'm more the kind who looks things over every year or two, attends a previous season sale about every 2 years, and occasionally buys something that really strikes me. I don't really like to shop at malls, so I appreciate the 'bringing the store to you' aspect of these. I don't care for the approach I have seen from the essential oils folks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Also, buying into an MLM does not make you an #entrepreneur. You aren't a #businessowner. You bought a kit. The end. #splurtscreen 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Well I'd firmly contest it isn't an MLM, but to have my Melaleuca business I have to file business taxes, maintain a business license, and in my case I also have to pay ongoing fees for my LLC license/paperwork. I didn't have to buy a kit, either. But I don't sell Melaleuca - don't take orders, keep product, etc. I market for their shopping club for whoever it might be a good fit in either areas of health and wellness or business. Some of these companies are kind of scary. I'll always hear someone out, but a few are like Dr Bronner's Soap label levels of freaky. I have to maintain separate business licenses for my other businesses, except one that is in a field related to my husband's company. The requirements are no different for my marketing business than they are for our engineering firm, race track, fiber arts company, teaching, or sewing machine repair. We pay and file on them all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 On a related topic, my friend keeps inviting me to hear her Isagenix presentation. I know nothing about it, but I admit it seems a little strangely scammy and over promising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaConquest Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Well I'd firmly contest it isn't an MLM, but to have my Melaleuca business I have to file business taxes, maintain a business license, and in my case I also have to pay ongoing fees for my LLC license/paperwork. I didn't have to buy a kit, either. But I don't sell Melaleuca - don't take orders, keep product, etc. I market for their shopping club for whoever it might be a good fit in either areas of health and wellness or business. Some of these companies are kind of scary. I'll always hear someone out, but a few are like Dr Bronner's Soap label levels of freaky. I have to maintain separate business licenses for my other businesses, except one that is in a field related to my husband's company. The requirements are no different for my marketing business than they are for our engineering firm, race track, fiber arts company, teaching, or sewing machine repair. We pay and file on them all. Melaleuca is the worst. You can't even advertise the name of the company on a website. It's all secret secret, hush hush. Otherwise, their big brother "compliance department" will come and hunt you down. Ask me how I know. They will probably find this post, and ask SWB to delete it. They are seriously paranoid. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplejackmama Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Melaleuca is the worst. You can't even advertise the name of the company on a website. It's all secret secret, hush hush. Otherwise, their big brother "compliance department" will come and hunt you down. Ask me how I know. They will probably find this post, and ask SWB to delete it. They are seriously paranoid. If you can't tell them no then you get sucked into their auto delivery and it takes four hundred forevers to cancel the darn shipment. Ugh. I think I had enough dish washing detergent to last 17 years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 I'm sorry you had bad experiences! I had a friend have the same problem, and it turns out her first overview was really incomplete and she didn't understand what she was signing up for and how to make it work for her. This has lessened in recent years as they've improved the overview and made the model more clear, as well as really diversified their product offerings. I'm probably ordering in excess of 110 points or so per month myself, because of everything I switched to ordering through the site. I love them and was a customer before I decided to market for them (I was doing it anyway, because I had such major changes with a few products) but it's not the best for for every family. I edited the rest because I sounded like an infomercial :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Melaleuca is the worst. You can't even advertise the name of the company on a website. It's all secret secret, hush hush. Otherwise, their big brother "compliance department" will come and hunt you down. Ask me how I know. They will probably find this post, and ask SWB to delete it. They are seriously paranoid. Is this the one where you have to practically join a cult and sell your soul from now until forever just to buy a bottle of soap? I have vague recollections of a very convoluted spiel about 6 or 7 years ago where a sraight answer re: trying stuff and forced commitments was not forthcoming. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 If you can't tell them no then you get sucked into their auto delivery and it takes four hundred forevers to cancel the darn shipment. Ugh. I think I had enough dish washing detergent to last 17 years. I should've kept reading. Yeah this sounds like what someone was trying to sell me. Autoshipments and points and blah, blah, blah. I just wanted to know how much it was to buy a bottle of soap. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Also, buying into an MLM does not make you an #entrepreneur. You aren't a #businessowner. You bought a kit. The end. Silly Moxie: you are not an entrepreneur; you are a mompreneur. Glad to set the record straight. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abba12 Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Also, buying into an MLM does not make you an #entrepreneur. You aren't a #businessowner. You bought a kit. The end. Nope, not an entrepeneur, definitely not. Amway seems to be making a comeback in my area, under some new convoluted and merged name with sub-brands or something, but it's still amway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 I had an acquaintance I hadn't spoken to in almost 20 years text me through FB and ask for my phone number to "catch up" Um, no, you don't care about catching up with me.....you want to sell me your new snake oil in the form of pink juice. Nope. Not interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharonM Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 Worst welcome to the neighborhood I ever had was the family that sold Amway. When we politely refused their invitation to join up with them, they told our kids that they couldn't play with theirs!!! Even the Melaleuca "friend" wouldn't waste time with me. Her exact words. But she would send her kids to play at my house for hours a day! To this day I never buy from a mlm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snickerplum Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 On a related topic, my friend keeps inviting me to hear her Isagenix presentation. I know nothing about it, but I admit it seems a little strangely scammy and over promising.I know what they are. My friend sells them. Sigh. They came over to "catch up" and told us all about their business and how they would feel bad if they didn't share this opportunity with us. Super. Fortunately my husband doesn't mind asking blunt/awkward questions. :-)They're powdered vitamins/supplements. Not horrible (I was offered a free sample). ETA: Wait, no. I'm thinking Isotonix. Either way my story is applicable. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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