To not support friends new business venture

[melclaire1111]

Not sure if I'm being a bit unfair or if i should stick with my current stance!

I Have a friend, let's call her B. We have been friends for many years after meeting through mutual school friends and have been through many milestones together (broken relationships, engagements, weddings, buying houses etc)

That's about where the similarity ends tho. B went to uni and came out with a very well paid job which she progressed further into (financial controller type role) I didn't go to uni but instead work in a more administrative role at team leader level, any more responsibility does not appeal to me and am perfectly happy.

We both had DC's within 6 month of each other. B didn't return to work. She was made redundant while on maternity leave and was fortunate enough to be able to stay at home with DC. I went bavk full time after 8 months as financially we needed the money and I wanted DC to go to a nursery setting which they do full time and are absolutely thriving there. B and i have argued about this in the past as she has called me an absent parent for doing this and did once say what was the point in having children if all I did was send them to childcare but we have agreed to have difference of opinions on this!

Anyway b has recently started selling products to a well know MLM company, and is flooding her Facebook with posts about how great the products are and trying to get everyone to buy them. The products don't really appeal to me but I have put a few 'likes on her posts to support her.

Today however I received a message asking if i wanted to buy anything as she was putting an order in today. I politely said no as we don't have much money spare (attempting to move house so all spare money is going towards that as the potential new house needs some work) she then replied saying I was the only one of her friends who hadn't brought anything, she was hurt that I'm not supporting her and if it was me she would be buying everything she could. I told her that I think shes doing really well but the products aren't for my liking (she sells make up, I barely wear a coat of mascara when I go out, for work I wear no make up!) And that I didn't have the money to spend on stuff I don't need!

She then carried in saying that I could order the cheapest item they do (£35) and that would make her happy! I politely declined again and received a massive rant how I was an awful friend and she has now blocked me on everything!

I don't feel I'm being unreasonable but Wasn't expecting her reaction I guess.

Even if she hadn’t been as cruel and stupid as to call you an absent parent it would be extremely unintelligent to have any involvement at all with any MLM style bollocks.

If you choose to spend time and waste energy on someone so nasty and dishonest/thick (no other way to see MLM etc) then it’s on you.

Buying her shit that you don't want having been pressured into it by her is not "supporting" her. If she can't make it work without sympathy sales it's non viable, and that's nothing to do with you.

Ask what her profit is on the £35 item. Make her a present of that amount. The penny might drop.

A friend of mine runs a company selling online, would never expect me to buy from her to prove our friendship - bizarre

Your 'friend' seems anything but and I agree with the other posters who advise yiou to avoid her. You only have her word to go on that all her other F/B friends have bought goods from her. I imagine that if they start at £35 she will not have had too much take-up.

So frustrating - why would you put pressure on a friend to buy something they don't want. I assume the MLM's have targets but even so wouldn't you at least wrap up the suggestion as part of an offer or something. Blocking you is so rude. Don't think her business is going to last long.

I'd have ended the friendship when she criticised you working. What an arsehole.

Why are you 'friends' with this person? I put friends in quotation marks because she isn't treating you like a friend.

Not read the full thread, but she is clearly being a dick. And it sounds like she's historically been a dick to you too. Guilt tripping you about having to return to work out of financial need after you'd had your baby was particularly nasty imo, and fails to acknowledge the spectacularly fortunate position she was in in having the choice as to whether or not she did so.

Friends don't pressure other friends to buy stuff, regardless of affordability. High pressure sales tactics don't meet with my approval at the best of times, but when said sales tactics amount to guilt tripping your friends then that is particularly shitty.

MLMs are the devils work, imo. They are a bit too close to pyramid schemes for my liking and frankly even if I liked the products I'd probably refuse to buy from one on principle!

Stand your ground and please be reassured you are NOTbeing unreasonable.

Really surprised at the amount of people slamming mlm. If it failed to work for you, its because you chose a company you were not invested in or didn't get off your backside to find customers.

That being said, there is no need to badger or berate folk for not buying from you. That will not give mlmarketers the customers you need to build your business and find new agents where the real money is. I suspect your friend has thought her mlm idea was a fast buck and is quickly finding out that mlm is like any other business - you have to work hard to get the return. No excuse for bad behaviour though and she doesn't sound like much of a friend with the current behaviour never mind the absent parent drivel!

demented, MLM is nothing more or less than a scam. Their promises that you can make your fortune just by working hard enough have been proved to be empty time and time again.

Knew it would be MLM

She’s not your friend. Firstly, friends can make different choices like SAHP/WOHP and not feel the need to harshly criticise each other like she has to you. Secondly, friends don’t pressure friends to spend money they can’t afford on shit so they can make a profit.

Block her.

No, if you understand maths you'll know why pyramid sales never works except for the founders. You may also have noticed that all the products are useless and aimed at women. Stinking candles, over priced slap, scammy diet rubbish, ghastly cheap jewellery and so on.

Gift her a link to Elle's blog: ellebeaublog.com/poonique/

MLM isn't a business its an expensive con.

And I too wold have fucker her off after the "absent parent" shenanigans.

And good on your for knocking her back so persistently so far OP - DON'T GIVE IN!!

She needs to get over herself. If buying from her is a requirement of her friendship she isn't a real friend at all. You've obviously supported her by either keeping your mouth shut about her getting sucked into a MLM scam and you've also liked some of her posts directly related to her so called "business". Clearly that wasn't good enough for her that she had to harass you into buying something (anything) just for the sake of buying something from her. You're not a doormat. Don't let her walk all over you control your life by putting you down. Her behaviour is the opposite of a friend. She should've been understanding of your situation like any normal friend would've done.

OOPs missed the bit where she blocked you! The cheek of it.
Read Elles blog I posted above OP - she will be going down in a screaming heap financially soon enough.

Sorry to anyone who works for these companies but I can't stand them. I know the brand you're talking about because one of my friends sell it. One sells some miracle coffee and I thought her request was sincere but she only wanted to sell me weight loss coffee (I'm normal weight!?). Another wants to sell me some kind of magical wrap but I'm not buying. I don't quite understand all of the 'diamond level seller' or whatever it is and 'all expenses paid trips to las vegas' or whatever. There are either hoards of people buying or someone is going to be tied to the companies 'forever' with some sort of binding contract. I had a poor friend who did parties for a popular product but she only lasted about a year with a loss because sge ended up buying everything including customer returns. If it sounds too goid to be true then it probably is.

You're better off with her out of your life by the sound of it. If she comes to her senses one day you may both laugh that you fell out over her getting perhaps a fiver in commission and, hopefully, you'll get a MASSIVE apology. Until then I'd leave her be.

f it failed to work for you, its because you chose a company you were not invested in or didn't get off your backside to find customers.

Total and utter bollocks. Just google some income disclosure statements from MLMs in the US. Unfortunately the MLMs aren't obliged to release this info in the UK.

www.stelladot.com/stylist/IDS

Is the Stella and Dot one. Scroll down past the shite about your commission to the figures at the bottom. 90% of their reps are making less than $4,100 in commission a YEAR. And how much of that commission is on sales they've paid for themselves????

It's a classic MLM tactic to tell people who aren't making money or who more likely are losing money it's because they're not doing it properly or not working hard enough. Never the fault of the business model and the crappy, overpriced products.

I hate MLM. Hate it. It sucks in vulnerable women with promises of untold riches or twee little memes about being a bossbabe or seeing your kids more. And it gives the rest of us who are PROPERLY self-employed a bad name.

The whole industry should be illegal.

@Jux the difference between a mlm scheme and a pyramid scheme is that a mlm scheme has an actual product to sell (ie make up, shakes ect) however with a pyramid the is no actual product, you just take money off one person to pay back the person before in effect.

www.diffen.com/difference/MLM_vs_Pyramid_Scheme

Yes but the product is secondary to signing up more minions into the scheme and getting a percentage of their meagre earnings too. Even Dementedmummy (never has a username been more appropriate) says:

"build your business and find new agents where the real money is"

She isn't a real friend if she has blocked you over this, even though it must be hurtful to be treated like that. But a business is where you find people who want to buy your product - it is not a business if the seller is relying on family and friends to buy things they don't want out of pity.

A few of my friends tried being agents for these cosmetic companies. I didn't buy from any of them. I basically said that the products irritated my sensitive skin and we go prescribed stuff for DC. It was grim why it lasted. The constant samples. The 'thought you would be interested in' texts / emails etc. Fast forward 2 years they've all give up being agents ... thank god

Just because someone has been a friend for many years doesnt entitle them to any special treatment if they start doing things that friends dont do. Your friend turned into a judgemental bitch as soon as she started criticising your decision to go back to work. You WBU to carry on the friendship after that. She's done you a favour and released you from her. Friends who do annoying shit like this are just a waste of time and energy you could be using on making better friends.

I can’t stand MLM they totally change people and it’s so cringe to watch! The products are awful and the words “super” “amazing” “mega” are so over used! You did the right thing in not buying, I always say no