What happened to MLM's?

One of my friends is doing the travel consultant one too. “Earn commission on bookings plus a residual income” which seems to mean conning people into setting up as a travel consultant too and taking a percentage of their earnings. All she talks about is ‘my businesss’ or being ‘her own boss’ or relishing her ‘newly found freedom’. Driving me potty and I’m now sadly avoiding her as a) she keeps trying to recruit me and b) it’s becoming increasingly tricky not to say how I really feel about her MLM, including the free training she raves about or meaningless achievement levels as she reaches them eg you’re at bronze level if you recruit 6 people to your ‘team’ etc. That’s quite a rant, apologies. Hadn’t realised just how cross she’s making me with all the nonsense!!

She paid £6k for training....

That's like uni fees level. Was it an accredited course with a recognised and regulated trade body that is transferable?

Sounds pretty dodgy to me!

I don't think Tui are charging their staff £6k to work for them?

I remember going to a JO party at a friend of a friend's house. The woman basically had a strop that we didn't order enough on the night. There was an awful atmosphere and I found it quite upsetting.

Fast forward about 10 years and I was invited to a book group and THE SAME WOMAN was there showing us very special microfiber cloths and stuff. Can't remember which MLM she had moved on to. I left early to avoid the strop at then end when I inevitably wouldn't order!

Seeking out vulnerability is what it’s all about. Prize target has always been mothers of young children and implying they would be better parents if they signed up to MLM. Yet many of us have seen families torn apart by the debt and divisiveness of MLM.

The top bot at Forever Living is posting along these lines today. This is someone who knows that FL has had to shut down its MLM in the US as of last Thursday to avoid a $40k fine for each of the 5,500 income claim lies identified by Truth in Advertising (a US consumer group), passed to the Federal Trade Commission which ultimately saw two directors in the dock in an Arizona court for this and other lies they have been telling the minions for decades. Followed by the arrest of the Head of Forever Living India for dodgy conduct related to running a pyramid scheme. Some of the income lies are repeated by the UK’s top bot. The company is on shaky ground. It’s proven to be dishonest, but she is happy to trick some parent struggling with guilt or with their finances into joining, when she knows full well they will lose a lot more than the price of a starter kit.

I agree. I'm made of strong stuff & like to think I wouldn't fall for this nonsense BUT I remember the 1st day I took my baby to nursery in every detail & the absolute guilt I felt & it was 18 years ago! (For anyone reading in the same position he was absolutely fine at nursery & really benefited from it & was well socialised & ready for school etc). I think this is why it makes me so cross!

There was a Mum on one of my WhatsApp groups who was organising a "Mum's meet up to discuss challenges of motherhood like balancing it with work" and when you read the small print it turned out it was all about her travel MLM. Obviously Mum's who are about to go back to work are super vulnerable and susceptible.

Oh what about that jewellery Stella and Dot? So expensive!

and the pampered chef, Jamie Oliver stuff, virgin cosmetics….

Yeah my sister. I despair. One more reason to avoid her.

The Christmas gift/craft fairs were peppered with Utility Whorehouse, 'Romans' (air fresheners), and Forever Living hopefuls.

yes absolutely. A good coach is worth their weight in gold. You won't become a good one though by buying a coaching programme from a MLM scheme for the low price of 997 quid..

All the MLM huns I know are now opening their own Instagram ‘travel agencies’…

I have a friend who's done multiple MLMs - Younique, slimming coffee, Scentsy. Thankfully she's never given me the hard sell on any of them. She hasn't posted about it for ages, so I'm not sure if she's still doing any of them.

I had another friend who made a big post about how she was giving up her "9-5" to flog Aloe Vera products on a market stall. Loads of ads for that and then it all went quiet. Another friend, unconnected, mentioned her name, as she'd met her at her workplace. Back in the same job she'd made such a fuss about leaving. It's a shame these people don't confess they've made a mistake and been ripped off, but I guess they are embarrassed.

A family friend is a careers coach and has a company coaching head teachers and other educational types. She started as a life coach. Was a head teacher. She’s actually very good at what she does.

Exactly, my sister with her luxe holidays. Because you’re worth it.

The worrying thing about MLM’s is my half sister (even though I don’t speak to her now) is most likely a travel one. I wouldn’t put this past her but she’s a uni graduate so why she’s gone down this route I don’t know. She’s a bit of a WAG influencer type though.

You can't make it up can you? What really pisses me off about this & the whole MLM thing is it is exploitative to females. Do an MLM & you'll never have to leave your poor baby in nursery or do my coaching course to get back to work you lazy worthless cow! You hope people are smart enough to know it's all crap BUT when you are feeling low/guilty/vulnerable that's when they swoop in!

That’s who she is with

@Crikeyalmighty I know that Travel Counsellors (legitimate) have a real time of it trying to emphasise that they are not part of Inteletravel. I also feel for legitimate coaches with industry experience etc, it’s galling when the term “coaching” is beginning to be shorthand for shilling a scam in many people’s minds. I’m a psychotherapist and have the same problem with the increase in MLM coaches who stray into clinical areas offering made up therapy to “cure” all sorts of psychological problems. They’ve come to that area simply because there is more vulnerability and it’s easier to convince people who are struggling to sign up, prime example: Belief Coding.

Yes I watched that. A series would’ve been very interesting. I was so invested in Elle’s story! I re-read it occasionally and suggest it to anyone I know who is thinking about getting involved with MLMs.

@WaneyEdge Younique was definitely damaged in the UK by the Elle Beau blog. It used to be available on a website I was involved with mlmtruth.org and I am going to try and see if I can get access to it again because it is still relevant.

The other thing that did damage to Younique was the BBC documentary The Secrets of the Multimillionaires which is still on iPlayer. The writing was already on the wall for MLM in 2019 when it came out but the exposure really hastened things. That documentary’s real challenge was whittling the evidence down to a 60 minute programme and the makers were genuinely shocked by the tactics they saw and the fear they found about speaking out. They could have made a whole series.

Yes it annoys the pants off her. People ‘presume’ it’s an MLM but it isn’t, she paid £6,000 for some quite intensive training over quite a period of time and then access to the systems . She specialises in large groups - stag weekends, weddings abroad for large parties etc and does ok - she works hard at it though, attends lots of fairs and stuff.

oh yes, I know one

I’ve a friend who’s gone down the Scentsy hole and it’s so cringy. For ages she was all about smoke and soot-free waxes which are SO MUCH BETTER AND SAFER than candles… and now Scentsy are flogging candles.