Good morning all ,
Do you remember how this all started for a lot of us, with thread 1, a plaintive cry from kindergartenkop, on the 3rd June last year about being sucked into foreverliving?
How our collective disquiet grew as we delved into the murky depths of FL and then onto MLM business practices generally. How we came to understand the truly monstrous nature of what was standing and functioning across most of the world as well as the UK, in plain sight.
FL operates like a pyramid scheme but how the hell can pyramid-type schemes still be operating in the UK, apparently successfully sucking in downlines left, right and centre?
Where are the business regulators who should be protecting consumers?
How can FL get a Investors in Business Award?
What exactly is the Direct Selling Association? (that FL are a member of and which they say gives them legitimacy 
)
These questions and more began to be researched by individuals reading the thread and eventually we began to find answers. They threw up even more questions though and, before we knew it the first thread spawned a second one, then a third, fourth and, well you get the picture.
To Natasha and Emma and others who have come on this thread in an attempt to justify their businesses, the fact is that, since the first thread was started quite innocently back in June 2015, quite a lot of knowledge and understanding has been gained about MLM business practices, none of it good for almost 100% of adherents, I regret to say.
This is why we are here today shining a light on these dubious businesses and is precisely why you have failed to use your usual persuasion techniques that work so well when you are talking to prospective bots;they don't work here.
We know too much.
We know more than you, in fact.
We see the whole picture, and it's pretty dreadful no matter how you view it 
.
couldn't on the previous thread stated that we were not making a difference and that MLMs were still active and thriving in the UK and worldwide. If that is the case, what's the problem? Leave us alone to waste our time raising awareness, we are not harming anyone, are we?
vego at one point on the previous thread raised that old chestnut comparing the general business model hierarchy (CEO, directors, regional managers, area managers, managers, supervisors etc hierarchy) with the MLM pyramid type model that we so abhor. He/she cited that the MLM model was better because any bots could climb the hierarchy and make more money/be successful.
However, we cannot compare the two models because they are vastly different. Pyramid schemes rely on recruitment of bots to recruit other bots to recruit other bots etc all. These recruits all pay money to their uplines. Therefore only those uplines at the top stand any chance of making any net income (after all expenses are taken out). "Upper" downlines will also make an income from their downlines but sadly their expenses will often mean they are left with a negative net income.
Only those downlines with other residual income (either from their partner or other businesses) will stay the course and attempt to gain that just out of reach future income they are continually promised from their MLM bosses at the top of the pyramid.
This is all beautifully, if horrifically, illustrated by Merchants of Deception a book written by a very "successful" member of Amway.
I was very surprised to read vego's comparison of these two vastly different business models to be honest, because he/she came across as someone with some intelligence. However, I remembered that this comparison is always used to try and persuade doubters who have been introduced to MLM. It probably works for people who have not had the opportunity to do their own research, and also, if a 'friendship' has been forged by vego and their prospect, their prospect will assume that vego is being honest and would not exploit their friendship.
Oops, MLMs exploit friendships and familes all the time 
.