Should You join an MLM business?
I’ve recently been thinking about joining an mlm business! Here’s why, and whether joining one could be right for you if you want to create an extra income stream.
And if you’re in business (even if you’re not yet)! you might have considered it too because all of a sudden it seems like everywhere you look someone is promoting their mlm; and you’re wondering if it could be a valuable and relatively easy secondary / third / passive income stream.
What Is An MLM Biz?!
If you’ve never heard of it before, a multi level marketing company is one which makes its money by selling products and actively recruiting others to sell the products on their behalf.
Avon is the most obvious example in my mind though many people talk about the disaster that was/ is Amway. I have no idea what Amway is but I’m sure Google could help.
Anyway, as part of the organisation you generally earn commission when you sell a product, when you recruit someone else to sell products, and when someone on your team (or ‘downline’) sells their products, and also when they recruit someone too.
The more people your team recruit, the more products they sell; the more you earn.
Eventually, your income becomes relatively passive so you can kick back and enjoy the fruits of your labour while your team continue to work and earn on your behalf until they can do the same.
Sound slightly like a pyramid scheme? I totally confess to being very anti mlm for this very reason. My fear was that the people at the bottom (those who were weak and been preyed upon by vulture sellers) would be left with nothing or minimal amounts while those at the top reaped the benefits.
Why IS MLM So Hot Right Now?
Well like I said, everywhere I looked, people seemed to be joining mlm ventures. From my very own and incredibly successful business mentors right through to some very close friends, bloggers to wellness advocates to freedom based lifestyle lovers like me, across the globe people in my immediate and wider networks were suddenly talking openly about the benefits of working within an mlm.
All of a sudden, mlm is not such a dirty secret any more that people in serious businesses refuse to be associated with.
In fact with people like Tara Bliss and Leonie Dawson promoting them… they’re actually becoming the opposite.
Should You Join An MLM? Here’s my opinion.
MLM companies are on paper, a great way to make money easily and fast sharing something you genuinely care about.
For example, one company that caught my eye is DoTerra, the natural essential oil company. They are an ethical company who seem pretty intent on doing good in the world. I already use oils at home
*lavender oil for sleep – in the bath and on the pillows
*a mix of lavender and t-tree for a DIY chemical free cleaning spray and room freshener
And so it would be a natural step for me to try their oils and if I loved them, to tell the world about them and the company in the same way I would recommend any product I love.
DoTerra seems like a product and business that I could definitely get behind and support because I’m already using a version of that product anyway!
So basically, I would be getting paid to tell the world about something I believe in (which is what I do already only the services and products are my own rather that somebody else’s) and getting paid to get other people to rave about them too.
Sounds sparkling.
But what about the vulture sellers and those at the bottom of the ‘pyramid’ losing out?
My personal opinion is that those fears are unfounded – not only are there more than enough people in the world for there almost never to be a bottom of the pyramid,
you don’t tend to make much money for signing people up- only when they begin to actively sell and recruit.
So any person with even an ounce of business sense certainly wouldn’t be recruiting people without any skills, or the weak and vulnerable – they just wouldn’t make any money for them– and those without the business sense in the first place probably wouldn’t be joining an MLM company at all.
And the trainings many mlm companies provide about running a business and selling and motivation is literally off the chart- it’s almost tempting enough to join one just for the training in itself to use within my own business – I think the only way you COULD ‘fail’ is if you fail to act upon the trainings!!!
Which is almost the same as ANY business – if you don’t do the mindset AND strategy work, you don’t get the results.
Maybe the fear is that vulnerable people are being preyed upon by ultra-aggressive sellers who just want the cash but seriously?
This could happen in ANY industry, selling ANY product. And most people in mlm businesses are like most people in ANY business – wanting to do good for themselves, their families, and for something they believe in and support.
Personally I would be using it to support existing business models, further develop my network and contact and one (bigger) reason and therefore wouldn’t be aggressively hustling in any major way but using it as a complimentary business asset.
And here’s the main and biggest reason I’ve been considering joining an MLM company’
As someone who has formed a successful lifestyle business where my time is my own and most days I spend all afternoon playing with my kids in the sun on an island in the mediterranean;
I often get asked
I’d love to create a lifestyle based business or where I’m free to travel and life where I like, but I haven’t got a business and don’t know how!
My personal opinion is that if you genuinely know you’d love to run your own business but aren’t quite ready to go it alone- MLM businesses could be an amazing opportunity.
And for that reason alone I support MLM businesses. My personal belief is they could be lifechanging and very definitely be aligned to creating your freedom lifestyle business and / or sit alongside businesses you already have.
Why I’m Not Rushing To Join An MLM
Simple really- I believe in myself more. Last year I went through a year of really divided focus- I did so much personal growth and upheaval as well as physical disruption with so much travelling I felt split in multiple directions.
And right now I want to focus on the things that I have already created, like Golden Tribe, and getting those babies out there changing the world.
And I want to hold myself together with focus on what really matters to me, which is right now, the things that I have created getting into the hands of people who need them.
Because I believe in them. I believe in them more than I could do anything else, and I’m not sure how I can devote precious energies, right now, to something that I have not created.
Whether you should join an MLM really depends on what you want, and what you’re prepared to give it.
For me, I want to focus all of my time for now on my own business (which is kind of why I got into business in the first place).
But I know that to get to this point in business, where I am confident in my ability to earn what I want, when I want; when I can take time off almost whenever I choose; where my time and choices are my own; has taken an incredible journey of self -discovery, personal growth, gaining awareness of in depth marketing skills and strategies. It’s been a bit like climbing a waterfall where you constantly feel like you might slide at any minute.
This journey ISN’T right for everyone. Not everyone is born to be an entrepreneur. And that’s ok.
(That’s better than ok because I also value teachers and nurses and people like the lovely Aristos who manages the hotel bar and brings me over a free cocktail when I go there to work every Monday. Monday night win).
And so irrespective of whether you’re an entrepreneur or not; my belief is that joining an MLM to some degree short cuts the journey to establishing your own income and time freedom, supported by a great network of others doing the same thing, with incredible training and direction.
So would I consider joining an MLM business in the future?
Absolutely. And if you’re considering it too, I recommend checking out DoTerra if you’re a hippy oil lover like me or World Ventures if you love to travel (it’s an exclusive travel club and perfect for those with insatiable wanderlust)
Both can provide viable incomes, give incredible training and support, and can help you in gaining that freedom lifestyle you’re looking for and eventually (another bonus) eventually your income will be almost completely passive as your team grow in strength and number.
Plus, they both sound like great fun and the advocates I’ve met of both (some of my best friends)! are having a blast doing it.
But for me for now…
It’s business as usual. And playing in the sun on this gorgeous island we call home, in the great resort we live on, because ultimately,
I made this.
Nobody else did it for me, nobody else told me what to do or gave me a product to sell; I made it all.
And for now, I’m happy with continuing to grow and deepen in my own purpose of empowering women (and men!) to let go of their stories around money and to live their truth daily; as well as continuing to create and grow my other businesses and write my books and raise two kids and part time homeschool and yeah! when the time is right 🙂
But when the time is right for me to add another income stream into the mix, MLM will be an obvious choice for me.
How about you? What are your thoughts on MLM?
xo
PS Run your own business and want to get your OWN brand of sparkle out into the world on a massive scale? Want to stand out in your industry faster and get more clients?
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Top image via Frances Carlisle Photography
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