Avon, Tupperware, and Mary Kay.
Chances are, you remember these iconic brand names, catalogs or parties as mainstays from your mom's or grandmother's generations. These are 3 of the MLM [Multi-Level Marketing] OG brands; synonymous with fun, connection, and a chance to earn a little bit of pocket money.
So when did joining an MLM become the frequent subject of a YouTube cautionary tale? If you’ve gone down that rabbit hole, you may be convinced that MLMs are inherently evil. But as a former rep of one of the oldest and reputable MLMs in the country, I personally don’t believe that to be true.
I had an uplifting and positive experience for five years, the cornerstone of which was being surrounded by an encouraging and inspiring group of kind, warm, and absolutely exceptional women. It transformed my life in extraordinary ways.
My MLM experience was absolutely the genesis of this space, and allowed me to begin to believe that I was capable of so much more than I ever dreamed of. I have subsequently wanted to write this article for quite some time, both to pay homage to my MLM to encourage women who were thinking of joining one to give it some serious consideration, as an exceptional MLM experience carries the real potential to be truly life-changing.
However, I also believe and acknowledge that the MLM experience has the very real potential to be a dangerous one, and I would be absolutely remiss and negligent if I failed to talk about that reality.
Therefore, the most important facet of seriously considering joining an MLM is not only to be able to recognize the warning signs of entering into potentially perilous situation, but it is also to adopt a set of clear guidelines for what your own behavior must look like, if you indeed find a brand that checks all boxes on the heavenly checklist. Being vigilant on both sides of the MLM equation will ensure that your experience is a dream, rather than a nightmare.
5 Things To Check Before You Join
Vibe Check
It’s all about your gut reaction. Be honest and observe--how does the brand make you feel? From the pitch of the rep to the product, if you feel that something is off, something most likely is.
Purchase a Product
No matter what anyone tells you, it’s all about the product itself. Ask yourself the following questions, when you are close to finishing the entire product (if you don’t finish the product, again, your journey as potential Rep should probably end here….)-- Do you absolutely Love what you bought? Would you buy it again? Are you interested in buying more from this brand? If the answer is yes to all of these, you should buy again and repeat the same question.
I say three times is a charm to start thinking about repping the brand, but the bottom line is if you are not going to be a dedicated customer of the brand (for the sole reason being that you love what they offer), you shouldn’t be even thinking about representing them.
Attend an Event
If you’ve made it through multiple product purchases, chances are you’ve already been to a brand event. Whether it's a straight-up product pitch or a group activity, take the time to talk to as many of the brand reps as you can. Ask them lots of questions, and gauge their responses. Do they sound sincere? Or do they sound hollow and canned?
You should also try to ask them the same questions, and again analyze their responses.
Are you getting varied answers to questions such as “What makes this brand so amazing?” or “What do you like most about being a rep?” If you start hearing the same answers repeated and again, chances are they are scripted. Red flag for sure.
Finally, do you feel that the members are attempting to make genuine connections? Or they are clearly only trying to sell more product or convert you to a rep? Again if you feel that the latter is true, you should probably politely excuse yourself, and politely refuse further invitations.
Do Your Homework
Now that you have passed the first 3 hurdles, it’s time to do the real work. So it’s time to do some deep digging on the brand you are considering repping. The first question should be, When was the company founded? The longer the company has been in existence, the more reputable they most likely are. But the flip side of that is that most likely, you are less likely to reach the higher ranks a well-established company.
But in my opinion, it's best to go with a reputable established brand over a newbie. To me, a new brand is not really worth the risks involved. Because here is the uncomfortable truth associated with all MLMs: most likely, you will not experience life-changing income in an MLM, and you HAVE to be ok with this before you move forward. If anything, many more women have been victim to predatory companies and have fallen into financial hardship at best, and have literally lost everything including their homes at worst, than have achieved financial independence.
What are the tell-tale signs of a predatory company? One of the first things that you should expect from a reputable brand is that their business model includes as much infrastructure from the company concerning the actual product as possible. In other words, you should be the hype person from the brand, but all sales should be conducted on a company-hosted website. You Should Not be expected to buy ridiculous units of stock and sell product out of your garage.
While exaggerated fiction, I believe that Kirstin Dunst’s performance in the dark comedy series “On Becoming a God in Central Florida” is absolutely grounded in real life MLM horror stories. This along with the documentary on disgraced brand LuLuRoe should be required watches for anyone thinking of joining the ranks of an MLM.
LuLuRoe founders Mark and DeAnne Stidham were found in a lawsuit to be hiding assets in "shell" companies to "hinder, delay, and defraud the creditors”, while they were personally living large. If anything in your research of the company seems shady, it very likely is.
And do not politely say no in this case; these type of findings would warrant a “Hell No”.
Pray, Wait, Trust
Congratulations! If you have made it through these first 4 hurdles with positive results, you are in a wonderful position to take an incredible journey of self-discovery and self-growth, and the potential to make a little bit of "fun" profit on the side!
At this point, I believe that the last step is to sleep on it, and you will have your ultimate answer in the morning.
5 “Be-Attitudes” To Ensure a Positive Experience
1. Never Spend to Achieve a Rank
This may be the Golden Financial Rule of being in any MLM. Anything you buy should be for your own personal use, and because you absolutely love the product.
Not only does chasing a rank most frequently lead to not reaching it, but you may even find yourself in a desperate financial situation due to purchasing crazy amounts of product over time to meet a goal. I witnessed this many times in my MLM--product was purchased to reach a rank or income goal, but ironically, the subsequent income still would not cover the costs accrued. Don’t fall into this common trap of the MLM.
Another prevalent risk lies in the reality that many brands encourage reps to buy lots and lots of sample or “tester” products for parties or demonstrations. But from personal experience, this too can be a slippery slope. The best policy again would be only to buy what you will personally use, and maybe a few other key pieces that you feel best highlight the brand as samples.
I know that this section is starting off like the "warnings" portion of the article, but I feel strongly in my responsibility to protect women as a rep as well. Because even with a reputable brand, your behavior as a rep is crucial to insure that you have a positive financial experience. You want to make some extra money, not lose or--in some cases--hemorrhage it.
2. Let Go Of Outcomes
In life, it seems that the more you chase something, the more it seems to elude you. I truly believe that this is a rather unfortunate law of the universe.
But luckily for us, the converse is also true--the more you adopt a relaxed approach to success, the more that success will begin to chase You.
And I say luckily because the latter approach requires so much less actual toil in order to achieve a result. And that isn’t one of the main reasons that you joined an MLM in the first place? To discover a different way of earning income?
Again, the MLM itself is most likely not going to change your financial fortune. HOWEVER, what you are going to learn is a completely different paradigm concerning money, than the one that you’ve been taught in school. And that is, making money doesn’t have to be a grind.
3. Focus on Self-Growth
This is perhaps the most important piece on your MLM journey. Once you have attended a few brand events, you may notice that a large portion of the education of a Brand Rep involves self-growth/improvement. This is an extremely strong sign that you have chosen a phenomenal brand to rep.
Because beyond just discovering what it takes to become an effective sales rep, developing a growth mindset is the aspect of the MLM experience that is going to echo cross all areas of your life. Having an effective growth mindset-- that embraces change, challenges, and especially failure-- is going to impact and serve you in so many wonderful ways and for all time.
And here is one of the best aspects of being in an MLM if you are lucky like I was. You are going to meet a tribe that is going continue to uplift you as your mindset grows, until you are "spiraling up" in a way that you never could have imagined.
And it here that you will begin to discover not only the best version of you, but that magically, the best version of you is who you have always been, deep down, and all along.
4. Dedicate Yourself to Service
One of the most difficult things about becoming a sales rep is becoming comfortable with selling itself. But if your sales are framed in the light of service, selling becomes not only straightforward and effortless, but you will have uncovered what the true purpose of what any business model should be...
If buying for self-use is the Golden Financial Rule of MLMs, this is the Golden Sales Rule: Always, Always, Always, remember to ask yourself before engaging in any business interaction or sales pitch, "How is the product that I am offering going to best serve other?" . Or similarly, "What value will I bringing to the lives of others with what I have to offer?
Ultimately, and more importantly than, any sale, I believe that it is our soul's responsibility to uplift others along our life's journey.
But here is where things become truly intriguing:
It’s said in sales that you are not just buying a product but more importantly, you are buying from a person or a brand for who they are. You represent the brand, and through your genuine dedication to the service of others, you will again attract success in a way that you couldn't if you were simply chasing paper.
Because again, here is that fortunate irony of Universal Law-- authentic service and providing real value are going to reap a reward. And while the sales may not qualify as "life-changing, they will most certainly be impactful-- to your customer because of the product or service (or opportunity) you are providing, and to you by providing a financial revenue, earned in a different manner than in your 9-5 hustle.
And it is here where you may begin to wonder, if authentic service can yield me rewards in the MLM space, where else can it produce results?? ...
5. Have Fun and Dream BIG
Being a part of an MLM truly has the potential to be one of the most rewarding, potentially profitable, and enjoyable experiences. While there is hard work involved, it is a different kind of hustle than anything you may have experienced before, the most important aspect of which is forging true connections with others. If you are truly lucky like I was, a vast portion of the MLM experience can feel like a celebration of friendship and of life.
But perhaps the most important aspect of attending any party, Tupperware or otherwise, is knowing when to say goodbye. My moment came when my dreams stretched beyond what I was selling, and beyond my 9-5. And when I finally believed that I was worthy of what I dreamt of, of the dreams I had held my entire life.
It is here that I want to be absolutely clear and tell you that being in MLM was not a religious experience for me. If your MLM itself attempts to replace, or goes against the values of, the Universal God [a final warning of the article here], you may be in a cult. And while rare in the MLM space, these are real.
I am not kidding when I say, it's time to run away.
However, my journey of self-growth did inevitably bring me back to my faith in God, in a higher power. That is where I place all of my love and trust, and it is it only through God that I know my divine and perfect worth.
I also want to be completely transparent in saying that changing belief systems regarding yourself, and especially surrounding finances, do not happen overnight. It can take years, but it is absolutely a journey worth taking. I started my MLM journey in 2014, and I left it in 2018 with the seeds of change in my mind.
At the end of the summer of 2019 (alongside my fellow Brand Rep, sister, and best friend @The Sunkissed Quest) started writing this blog.
And in 2024 I took the biggest leap of all: I left my 9-5 of 26 years, to pursue my true dream of writing to uplift others.
Again, full disclosure, it has been scary as hell leaving the security of all that I ever knew behind--professionally, financially, even socially. Some mornings I wake up and think, what have I done! But I’ve never, Ever, been happier. And while I look back from time to time, I have absolutely zero regrets.
In short, don’t quit your day job when you join an MLM, but don't be shocked if you begin to view the dreams that you may have long ago buried, as not only possible, but as being integrally important to who you are.
Because your dreams are.
Maybe you will discover your dreams through an MLM like I did. But whatever your path is to discover them, don't be dispirited if your steps are baby ones. (On the first 9 years of my journey, mine certainly were, and each was integral to my soul's evolution. )
But don't be afraid to make big ones when you are ready.
I stand in this space now to tell you that your dreams matter, and that they are absolutely worth stepping out for. May you have a safe and successful (and enjoyable!) journey, however long the road may be, and whatever path you may travel.
Because no matter where you are on your quest,
Know that you are divinely loved and perfect,
Just as you are right now.
Love & Light,
Xoxo, The Bespoke Rose
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