Get a "L.I.F.E"

       In the words of "The Rock", Finally.....The MLM Punisher has returned to blogging! It's been a while since my last post, however that doesn't mean I'm disinterested... quite the contrary! The official launch of L.I.F.E. has happened with much fan fare! I've also been keeping a close eye on the Amthrax Blog which is pretty much the hub of all things Anti - TEAM / L.I.F.E ... or whatever Orrin Woodward's next "business" will be called (because there will be something else eventually I'm sure). You see, just because I haven't blogged for a couple of months, doesn't make me any less of a blogger! Nobody is going to tell me that I can't miss a blog post... or that my whole future depends on my next "fired up" blog post! I don't have to explain to any upline bloggers that "I'm just backing off blogging for a little while". Nope... true freedom is a wonderful thing!

      So what does the L.I.F.E. business bring to the table? Well... if you want an in depth analysis of the compensation plan, don't look here. The Amthrax Blog is where you can find that! In my humble opinion... it appears that the L.I.F.E. "business" is just the same old same old! Buy more books, CD's, DVD's, and attend the next function. Get others to do the same....repeat.....forever! We just went through the Christmas holidays, and I didn't have to worry about Christmas falling on a Tuesday night. What would we do? Can't miss a Tuesday night open meeting you see! As I remember it... the only Tuesday night open meeting that was ever cancelled was the one between Christmas and New Years! Every other week of the year, you can bet that a Tuesday night open meeting is going on somewhere! I also will note that I didn't miss any of my kids Christmas concerts this year. WOW...what a change!

      New Years is just around the corner. What will your New Years resolution be? Will it be to spend hundreds of dollars a month on books, CD's, and meetings, while trying to convince others to do the same? If your answer is yes... welcome to TEAM L.I.F.E. . Your New Year is bound to have less time and money in it! But wait you say.... I only have to "get three and it's free"! Wow.. what a deal! Considering after 6 years in team, I only saw maybe 1% of people sponsor 3 people into their team. That's back when we actually had products! Your "Leadership Development Material" IS your product?! Good luck with that. I'm sure during these times of economic down turn, people are just clamouring to throw money into books they don't read, and CD's that tell them to "get on system" and go to the next function! Wow....that's some high end teaching there. Guess what... when you go to the functions, you get to hear about the "system" again in person now! Much better.

     No thanks! I think I'll spend my New Year with TRUE friends and family. Not the ones that'll drop you like a bad habit when you don't follow the "system". You see the "Leaders" on TEAM are not your friend. Oh they'll smile and nod, shake your hand and try to remember your name to make you feel important the next time they see you, but they are doing this with specific intent. The longer they can dip you in their happy go lucky land... the better chance they have of sucking you in and getting you "plugged in" to the system. My New Years resolution you ask? Well... I think the more truth about my experiences with TEAM I can get out there... the better! I pray that more people stumble upon this silly little blog, and make decisions to get as far away from TEAM and L.I.F.E, as they can!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everybody!  Could this be the year we see the final desperate gasps of TEAM? Bring on the train wreck....! I can't wait to see what Orrin and his pals have designed next!

MLM Punisher

Mrs. Punisher

     The Punisher has been busy the last little while, living this thing called life.... NOT to be confused with the upcoming train wreck mlm called L.I.F.E! No, I mean the things that really matter like being with family and friends through a tough time. I recently lost a member of my family, and while it was not unexpected, it still puts things in perspective for you. It allows you to focus, and be reminded how finite our time on earth truly is.

     I found myself thinking back to my years with Team. Would I have missed this very important event? You see, when you are "in to win" on Team, it means putting all things in your life aside to "focus" on your "business". I missed lots of events while chasing the dream over my 6 years in Team. At the time it was no big deal, but now looking back.... what a shame. Birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, school events for my kids.... I mean I actually missed several Christmas concerts because they happened to fall on a Tuesday night! Couldn't miss a Tuesday night open meeting! That would mean I wasn't a "Leader", and would be showing others on my Team that they too could miss meetings! That's the way I thought back then. Sound familiar?

     I think the hardest thing for me has been watching my wife try to recover from our involvement in Team. The financial side of it is one thing, but the emotional recovery is different for everyone. I at least have this blog! I've met a lot of really good people, who have suffered similar experiences in Team. The great majority of these people are on the Amthrax Blog. My wife however doesn't even know that I'm the MLM Punisher! A true secret identity! She has however, only in the last year been able to talk openly with me about our time in Team. Mrs. Punisher made a comment the other day that was not only one of the funniest things I've ever heard.....but one of the truest statements ever! I was sharing some of the things I had learned on the Amthrax Blog, about the inner workings of Team with her. She had a shocked look on her face, and I asked her to describe how she felt. Her response was priceless.... " It's like finding out your mother is a whore" she said! LOL! That's totally it! You look at these people a certain way for years. Listen to their CD's, read their books, attend their live speaking events, and believe them to be a certain way. When you find out the truth....it can be shocking, and Mrs. Punisher's description is right on the mark!

     That's it for today my friends. I'll update you from time to time on Mrs. Punisher's progress, especially if she has anymore hilarious insight!

L.I.F.E. The Future Of Network Marketing-Part 1

     There has been a lot of hype around the latest and greatest idea coming out of the Team camp lately, and it hit a feverish pitch this last weekend at the Major Leadership Convention. I can only imagine how many gas station attendants were contacted between here and Ohio! The bottom line is that Team is rolling out the future of network marketing on November 1st of this year. From first glance it appears that Team is just merely rebranding their business (yet again), Team of Destiny anybody? I saw a flyer that was handed out to Team members at the Major Leadership Convention. It stated that the new "L.I.F.E." model "Rests upon three pillars of support"....because we all know how structurally sound those three pillared foundations are! These guys were engineers at one point right? I digress..... Let's take a look at these three pillars shall we. They are (in no particular order) Credibility, Competence, and Compensation.

1) Credibility - Are you serious? These "Best Selling Authors" achieved this ranking by moving their "Instant Classic" Launching a Leadership Revolution through their MLM organization! Most people "building their business" were encouraged to buy numerous copies to hand out to prospects or sell to their downlines! It was a "Book of the Month" selection, meaning everybody in their organization on "system" got it automatically sent to them, and was also used as the sign up book that a new person got when they got started in Team. Show me another author who had a force fed distribution deal awaiting their book! Show me the numbers on how many LLR books were sold outside Team, and see if we are still dealing with "Best Selling Authors".

2) Competence - "The founders of L.I.F.E. have over 100 years of combined experience in the community building profession". Wow.... over 100 years experience! They must really be good! Who knew "Community Building" was a profession? I thought this was a business? No.... only when your really good at it....then it's a "Profession"! The only thing these guys are competent at is finding new ways to drain money from the pockets of their devoted followers! New business.... so I can only imagine they will be revising the first night book. Leading the consumer rebellion....version....what....14 now? 15 maybe? Give me a break.

3) Compensation - So they are going to pay you to move CD's, DVD's, Books, and the like, to other MLM organizations, random people, and corporations? The best part is that they are going to pay "double" what other MLM's pay! Since 99% of people involved in MLM never make a cent.... what's double of nothing again...oh yeah....NOTHING! Should add up to a big pay day for the leaders of Team once again however!

     I personally can't wait to watch this train wreck of an idea unfold! My only regret is that a lot of people are going to get hurt along the way. Financially and emotionally. There are still people who I used to considered good friends, and have gone through numerous changes with Team though the years, still involved. It'll be tough to watch, however maybe......just maybe.....they'll stumble across this site! I will make future L.I.F.E. posts and updates as the sad and tragic facts regarding this "Business" come to light. And remember.....without the "F".........it's just a L.I.E.
     

Donkey Kong Kill Screen

On the advice of a good friend, I watched a documentary a couple weeks ago called The King of Kong. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it, especially if you've ever been involved in MLM, or you're a fan of classic video games.

      Long story short, A guy who has never really won at anything in his life, gets laid off his job, and turns to the video game classic Donkey Kong, to fill the hours of his day. He stumbles across the score for the world record, and sets out to beat this legendary score. The documentary follows his struggles as he not only has to beat the game, but the owner of the world record, and his legion of followers. Much like the main character, I was shocked at how one man could manipulate all of these other people into doing his bidding, just because he was the Donkey Kong World Champion. The main character actually beat the score on video tape....but the minions discounted it saying he cheated. The guy then made trips to an arcade and beat the score live! Well the minions were in scramble mode trying to gather people to watch him, in order to make him nervous and mess up! I won't ruin the documentary for you if your going to watch it, but let's just say it blew me away the lengths the minions went to, in order to protect their fearless leaders legendary score.

      What has this got to do with MLM you ask? After seeing this first hand, I witnessed that the followers in MLM's like Amway, and TEAM, have the same over the top devotion to their fearless "Leaders"! While you are living it....you don't even notice that it's happening! But to others watching from the outside.... they have the same reaction I did watching the minions follow around this "World Champion" Loser, trying to protect his little claim to fame! What are you doing? Can't you see what's going on around you?! Once you wake up and snap out of it.....it's pretty sad actually, looking back on it.

     Here's a challenge for anybody following a "Leader" in MLM.....are their words matching their actions? I mean not just the things they say to the big crowds of people... but stuff you see and hear behind closed doors as well. Who are you really following? Do they have YOUR best interests in mind....or their own? You could be just building your little heart out....showing the plan....going to meetings....doing "all the right things".... and in the mean time, someone else might have a different plan, and it effects YOUR "Business"! "Not my Leader" you say? Go ahead... do some searching on line and see the countless examples. Blindly following your "Leaders" will more often than not, lead to heart break, bitter disappointment, and the emptying of your wallet! Oh.... and by the way......there's a Donkey Kong kill screen coming up if anybody is interested.

Closer To....Or Further From?

     Hard to believe it's been a month since my last post! What a slacker. Actually I've been busy with this thing called life, and I find that my blog posts are directly related to my anger. You'll know when I'm ticked off, because I'll post more often. The best analogy I can give would be like Bruce Banner before he turns into the Incredible Hulk. I'll go long stretches where I feel fine, everything is ok, and then it starts to happen! Someone will say something, or I'll run into someone from my past "Team" life, and BOOM! The transformation into the MLM Punisher begins. This last week it was a combination of both! So..... here I am.

     It started off with running into a person I knew from the Team. Very nice person who I hadn't seen in a long time. After we dispatched with the small talk, it quickly went into a "have you talked to...(my upline) lately?" Ah...."No" I said, "Not in several years actually". Completely unfazed by my response, the conversation continued. "Well, it's all VERY exciting" they went on, waiting for the look of excitement on my face (when none was noted they continued). "We are going back to more of a Leadership focus, like we used to"! Ah.... "That's Great" I replied, "Good Luck with that". I didn't want to dig any further for fear of being pitched the plan right there on the street! The conversation was ended with some more small talk, and we went our separate ways.

     Now I know Amthrax has made mention of this new direction by Team some time ago, and I see from my little experience that he was bang on! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? This is it?! This is the big news! Hello....McFly....Anybody home? Remember when we left Amway for Monavie? The so called "Desert Experience", when all we did was promote "Leadership" material and wait for the 6 month no compete clause to expire....so we could all rejoice in the "Wal-Mart of the Internet" idea that Team Leaders had been eluding too!? How'd that turn out for ya? Oh... I remember NOBODY but profit sharers made money during the 6 months, and then we transitioned straight into Jungle Juice sales people! Now some of the same people who were in the Team when this happened....are "Excited" about a switch back to a more "Leadership" focus!!! WHAT.....(Anger....Rising....Must Control....Anger!). So let me get this straight....everybody is fired up to go out and possibly lose the retail product arm of your business, so that you can go out and promote "Leadership" Material that only Profit sharers and above will make money on? Wow..... I can see why everybody is excited!

     To further demonstrate this shift in focus, I see the Team has changed their registration forms (Yes.. again, for those keeping track at home). Now it only costs $122.95 to get started in team! I can see everybody getting "Fired Up", about the low start up fee now! It'll be SO MUCH EASIER to get people started! But wait....what does that $122.95 get me? You get registered to the Monavie website - $39, Chris and Orrin's latest book - $23.95, and a 4 month subscription to the Team website - $60. That's it! So... correct me if I'm wrong but that means that ALL of the money from registration of a new person goes directly to the TEAM, except for $39 which goes to Monavie! It's brilliant really. Whether the person ever attends a meeting, or even sees a bottle of Monavie....the Team makes $83.95 every time a person signs the dotted line!

     So Team members... as you embark on this newest transition phase, and I try to reduce my heart beat from over 140bpm during this rant, I want you to think long and hard about where YOU are really going with this "Business". Are all the changes the Team is making for YOU? How is this going to help YOU reach your goals and dreams? Remember....the reason you got started in the first place? I'll use a Teamism... Does this take you closer to, or further away from your goals and dreams?

You Want HOW Much Money?

     Ever wondered what it costs to get started  on the Team these days? Well wonder no more! I've got the complete break down for you.....and it's not pretty!

Option #1
Monavie registration - $39
One case of product (4 bottles of juice)  - $125-$146 (let's say $125)
TL155 "Drink it, Feel it, Share it" (brochure pack)  $20
Team Website subscription (Free 1st month) *
Total = $184 plus tax & shipping

Option # 2
Monavie registration - $39
"Leadership" product bundle (6 bottles of juice and case of energy drinks) - $280

TL155 "Drink it, Feel it, Share it" (brochure pack) - $20

Team Website subscription (Free 1st month) *

Total = $339 plus tax & shipping

* After the first month it's $19.95 per month or $60 every 4 months

Then..... we have the "System" which people are encouraged to "Get Started" with right away! I mean... really, you wouldn't get started in McDonald's and not use their system would you? Let's take a look at what that'll cost you.

Before you see what options await you, understand that CD's are valued at $6 a piece, and books are estimated at $15 each, however this is subject to change depending on the book. 

"Basic" Package

8 CD's per month = $48

1 Book of the month = $15

Team Website per month = $19.95

Total = $82.95 Per Month (plus tax & shipping)**

"Power Player" Package

12 CD's per month = $72

1 Book of the month = $15

Team Website per month = $19.95

Total = $106.95 Per Month (plus tax & shipping)

"Leadership" Package

16 CD's per month = $96

1 Book of the month = $15

Team Website per month = $19.95

Total = $130.95 Per Month (plus tax & shipping)

** Items are shipped every two weeks so they get you on the shipping charge twice!

Now....you can "Add On" some additional items that I'm sure will explode your "Business" further:

- A Standing Order Seminar Ticket - $25 each (add two if your married)

- A DVD of the Month - $10

- A Leadership Book of the Month - $ 15 (Estimated again)

- All Grace Outreach Pack (Christian Faith teachings, One CD & Book a month) - $21

- A Major Leadership Ticket (Every 4 Months, add two if your married) - $90

Did I miss anything? So for those keeping track at home....if you are a "Leader" and "All In" on this thing. You'll get everything you can....like I did for 6 years! Here was the bottom line for me:

"Leadership" Package = $130.95

Two Standing order tickets - $50

DVD of the month - $10

Leadership Book of the Month - $15

All Grace Outreach Pack - $21

Website Per Month - $19.95

Two Cases of Purple Juice - $250 (approx after shipping)

Total - $496.90 (plus tax & shipping)

That's $500 at least....every month! Plus $180 every fourth month for a Major Leadership! This is not including my gas, food, extra CD's for handing out to prospects, the weekly $5 fee for open meetings (add another $5 to that if your married), and last but not least.....what is YOUR TIME worth? I could rant on, and on here....but I'll let the numbers speak for themselves. These numbers are accurate according to the Team website as of April 25th 2011. I would recommend if you know anyone being prospected by Team, and they are not being told the facts.....refer them to this post! The facts are here for all to see.....and it's not pretty! 

Don't Eat The Lotus Flower!

     One of the great things that I get to do now that I'm not "running the roads" every night, is spend time with my children and watch movies. Most recently we watched the movie Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief. Good family movie, however there was one scene that gave me MLM flashbacks!

     It was the scene where the kids all enter a building that looked like a night club or casino. As soon as they arrived, the girls working there started coming by and offering food on a tray. The food was called Lotus Flowers, and they were said to be delicious! The three young heros in the movie ate some of these flowers, and everything changed! They forgot about the situation they were in, and started living for the moment. Time was flying by....minutes turned into days. Then one of the young heros decided to not eat anymore of the flowers. He became aware of his surroundings, saw that this place he was in was not designed for fun and good times....it was a prison! The flowers they ate, clouded their judgement....and kept them from ever leaving. The best part was when he started to become aware of what was happening,  more and more girls started showing up with trays of these Lotus Flowers, trying to convince him to eat them again. Come on....just one more......

     I couldn't help but see the similarities with the Team/Monavie "Business". The entire time you are "in" Team, they push the CD's, books, and meetings on you. Try them.....you'll like them....just listen to one. That's how it starts. Then before you know it, your on "System". Getting CD's and books delivered to you every couple of weeks. You listen more, and more, attending meeting after meeting, never able to get enough. You start to lose track of time. Weeks become months, months become years.... and then one day...you don't listen to as many CD's. You (heaven forbid) miss a meeting. You start to wake up! That's when the Team "Leaders" start to get worried. They start to hover.... CD's in hand! "Your not listening enough" as they hand you another stack of CD's. "The answers are in here"... "we really miss you at the meetings"....but it's too late.....your becoming aware of your surroundings. Your starting to think on your own again...... what am I doing? How long have I been at this? I've waisted how much money? Your starting to see that true freedom begins......when you leave Team!

     I've read a lot of posts on the internet recently from people looking for answers. How can I help my friend, relative, co-worker, spouse, get out of Team/Monavie. The answers are not simple, but there is one thing for certain........they have to stop eating the Lotus Flowers.

The World's Largest Bathroom Wall

     When I was still building Team/Amway/Monavie, one of the things I could count on was prospects "doing their research" on-line before they saw me at the follow through appointment. It's funny because when I first got started, it wasn't as much of a "problem" for me as it was near the end of my involvement. In response to this, Team leaders started helping us come up with ways to deal with "the internet problem" at follow through meetings. Clearly..... ignoring what was happening on-line was not going to help me this time! That's what I was told at first. "Ignore it", "They are just being negative", "The internet is the world's largest bathroom wall", "These critics are hired by other companies to put negative out there because we're growing too fast" (That was my favourite by the way!).

     So here are some of the things that I used to say to prospects at the follow through to combat Internet research. See if you've heard any of these!

     "You don't know who wrote that....or what their motivation was for writing it". True a lot of times. You don't know who the Punisher is....but my motivation is pretty clear! I spent a lot of wasted years building Team, and if I can help one person make the decision to not get involved...it will be time well spent on this blog.

     "Is that person on the internet going to help you like I am? I have a vested interest in you making money". Well if the question is, will the Punisher come to your house, sit at your kitchen table, and try to sign you up first night to hundreds of dollars worth of product and "System"....then the answer is NO. Obviously! What the Punisher will do however, is asking nothing of you other than your time to read this blog, and others just like it before you "invest" years of your life and thousands of dollars, chasing a finish line that never gets closer! By the way....if you join the Team or not....it doesn't affect my life or pocket book one bit....ask the guy who's getting you started if it's the same for him!

     "Anybody can write anything they want on-line, how do you know what they say is true?". Yep...another great point. That's also the greatest thing about the internet and the "Information Age" isn't it? An average guy like me, can get vital information out to the masses, where they can take the sum of all the information gathered and make an informed decision. The Team hates this! They want to "lead" you into the Team and their "System". Want proof? Ok...ask the guy that's trying to get you signed up, what the next step is? I'll bet you it's "come to the next open meeting / seminar". Guess what happens if you DO sign up....."come to the next open meeting / seminar"! Ask this question and then tell me I'm wrong!

     So you see dear reader.....the internet is really the world's largest bathroom wall! We can write whatever we want! Don't tell me you've never read the bathroom wall in real life....that's where the saying came from! I mean....what else are you going to do while sitting there right? The difference is what is being written on the wall? Does it make sense? Does it apply to you? Can you evaluate the information on the wall? I pray you'll do your research.....and not take years to come to the same conclusion that I did.

Pay The Price

     How many times have you heard this phrase? "Pay the price.... to live life nice". If your in an MLM I'd imagine you heard this your first meeting! While I concede the fact that anything worth doing requires effort (see how I threw another cliche in there for you), it does matter what you spend your time doing. I heard Chris Brady of TEAM say many times "What are you busy about?". If you are spending all your time chasing the dream in an MLM like TEAM.....take it from someone who's been there and done that..... your time can be "invested" elsewhere!

     After being hand dipped in the "system" for years, let's examine some of the choices I made to "pay the price". I was told that Tuesday night open meetings and monthly seminars were "can't miss" events. Unless of course you weren't a Leader, and didn't want to qualify for the "Power Player" program. So no matter what.....I was there! The only Tuesday open the TEAM ever cancelled was the one between Christmas and New Years... That's it. 51 weeks of the year, every Tuesday, my butt was in a seat. I missed Christmas concerts for my kids, school plays, parent teacher nights, family gatherings, weddings, nights out with friends who eventually stopped asking, and on and on. Oh I paid the price alright! But I was "fired up"......"doing what it takes"....."leading by example"....."digging depth"! WRONG. What I was doing was messing up my priorities.....ignoring the people who loved me the most....disappointing my kids.....SPENDING my time in all the wrong places. Sound familiar Ex-Teamers?

     So what is the price I paid in the end (remember....begin with the end in mind LOL)? Well post MLM  can be a lonely place. Most of my true friends stopped calling years ago. Tired of hearing no from me and afraid I would throw the "Plan" on them if they got too close....again. I seriously have to remind my extended family to tell me about family gatherings and the like, because they are used to me not coming anyway! My TEAM "Friends", were nothing more than people I saw on a weekly basis... who discarded me when I no longer was willing to chase the dream with them. The truth is I disappointed a lot of people, and have a long hill to climb to regain their trust and respect...if I can. However....I AM willing to pay the price to achieve THAT goal.

The Truth About TEAM

     I've been reading a lot of interesting comments on the Amthrax blog regarding TEAM and Orrin Woodward lately. I was not surprised by most of the comments on this blog, however what I was surprised about was who was making these comments! There are people speaking out on TEAM who used to be in the "inner circle" so to speak. We're talking Round Table members, Turbo 100's, and many others. These are people who like myself spent YEARS of their life chasing a LIE! While I can say I didn't reach the levels that some of these people did, I did see a lot of the same stuff. It comes back ultimately to one of my previous posts "It's Not Your Business". These folks who were running the roads, showing the plan, doing all the "right things", attending every swinging seminar, open meetings, full system.... and on and on.... had their "businesses" taken away by their uplines because they didn't see eye to eye on different points. Oh but don't worry...I'm sure it could never happen to you. I remember my upline trying to explain away a major leader leaving the TEAM, and heard him put the couple down to others! This was for YEARS a good "friend" of his.....supposedly. You see the leaders on the TEAM are only your "friend" as long as you are useful to them. When you stop towing the company line..... they will replace you in a minute. What ever you do.... don't think for yourself!! That is a dangerous concept on TEAM. "Do what the leaders do" you'll hear them say! What you won't hear them say is the rest of the sentence........"Or Else"!!!

A Critic Of A Critic?

So I've had to start moderating the comments on my Blog because of one person....the world "Famous" Tex. What I don't understand is with a business model so broken, and so many things to talk about, why he deems it necessary to attack anybody who doesn't see things 100% his way. He's so blinded by his hate of the tool issue, that he refuses to acknowledge anything else. The tool issue is a problem for sure, but that is only a piece of the puzzle. There are too many problems with this business to just sit down and write about in one post. Proof of this is a quick search of the web and looking at the various blogs about Amway, Monavie, and the like. You'll note Tex..... that they have more than one entry. It's not all about the tools. Instead of gaining allies however, Tex is acting like a wounded animal caught in a leg trap. Anybody who gets within a certain radius of him is going to get bit! Even if your on the same team and trying to help!

I didn't start this Blog to have a personal war with anybody. I started it because I.... like so many others, have had personal experiences in the Amway, Monavie, businesses that I feel could help others make informed decisions about their involvement. As for you Tex....you don't have to follow my "Lame" Blog any further! You can go back to your mom's basement to head up the command centre! No matter how much evidence you compile in your mission to end the tool scam... YOU will never win because I can only imagine the gong show you would be in a court of law! Somebody else may be successful in this.....it just won't be YOU.

Anybody Can Do This?

Every "Open Meeting" I ever attended I heard this statement as a selling point. Anybody can do this. The fact is......No.....they can't. Are you kidding me!? Do you have any idea what it takes to build an Amway business? Well before you go to bed tonight with dreams of financial freedom, and fancy cars dancing through your head, consider these points.

The time commitment. I was always told that it was flexible, and you could build it around your existing schedule. Unless your thinking of missing an open meeting that is! That's right....every Tuesday for LIFE. Open meetings ran at least 2 hours, maybe more if the speaker droned on longer. No big deal you say? It's like having a sports commitment or something similar you say? Alright, did I mention the monthly seminars? That's one Saturday a month and is the better part of the afternoon and evening that day. Oh did I mention that you haven't shown this to one person yet! Now add in 15 showings or "plans" a month at an hour a piece (I've been to plans that were way longer than that). Did I mention you have to get back together with these people for follow through appointments? At least another 15 hours of work there. Plus all the driving time, extra meetings with your "Team", helping your new people get started, contacting sessions with your group, attending house meetings.....should I go on? Do the math. You think your going to rocket yourself to financial freedom with a couple hours a week do ya? Wake up! Truth is most people get involved at the chance to get their time back! Does this sound like getting your time back? Oh, and by the way.....this NEVER ENDS! Sorry...were you told you could just "Walk away" from your "business" when it got big enough? LIE! Can you imagine how fast your group would collapse if you said "you know....I think I've built this big enough...I'm going to live the big life now" and left! Who would they be able to point to as a "Success"? Oh no....your not going anywhere! It's like the Hotel California.... you can check out any time you like....but you can never leave!

The financial commitment. Seriously. If you build it like the "Leaders" tell you. The amount of money you will spend is astounding! Remember those weekly open meetings? $5 per meeting. Monthly Seminar $30-$35 per seminar. Products on hand....the sky is the limit, but you will for sure have something on hand for people to try. In Amway it was XS energy drinks at $2.50 a can and some protein bars! With Monavie it was $35 bottles of Juice! THEN there is all the promotional items. Audio CD's, books, pamphlets, etc. Also known as "Tools". This will be a future post on it own (I know you can hardly wait Tex). Let's just say that this will be your largest financial investment by far! Sound easy so far? Sound like "Anybody Can Do This"? Really? That single mom with two kids? That high school drop out working at McDonald's? That single income family living pay check to pay check? No chance. All the supporters will point to the very few that have made money, and their personal stories of success. Well after 6 years of building.... and people were still pointing to the same folks they were on day one as examples of success....clearly not "Anybody Can Do This"!!  

What About The Prices?

Sorry to all three of my readers out there! I was away for  a couple of weeks because of work. It did get me thinking though. I do travel from time to time because of my job, and get to see different parts of the country. While I'm away from home I always like to see the difference in product prices compared to what I pay at home. Is it cheaper, more expensive, or about the same? Just something I tend to do. Don't tell me you've never done the same!

Which brings me to the title of this post...."What About The Prices?". The question of doom during my Amway experience. It was a fair question, and in fact, one I had asked myself! However when I actually found out the price of the products I almost died! I was quickly subdued by my upline who went on to tell me "All business owners buy from them self", and "as your business gets bigger, you'll get a better discounted price". I hate to break the bad news to you, but even at a 25% discount (which I did achieve), overpriced is still overpriced! So how do you overcome this objection? I was taught to not even bring the catalogue along until the third or forth meeting! Yeah....that's being proud of your company! I was also taught that if they weren't interested in the business aspect, you could convert them to a customer. Good luck with that! The most common answer I got to that was "So...I would buy these products at twice the price of what I could get them from at Wal-Mart.....because......???" Ah.....because I'm a nice guy, and could use the money?! No....ok....I'll leave now. All you pro Amway people out there, I'm sure will say that I didn't educate them on the products enough, and that they save the environment....save the animals... and save the world! Whatever. I hate to tell you this but....John Q Citizen doesn't care! He wants to pay less and get more! I've never had someone tell me their life changed because they used Amway toilet paper!

So as much as your upline will tell you "It's not about the products" (anybody heard that one before?), then it begs the question.... what is it really about then?

The Post You've Read Before!

This post is for anyone that is thinking of getting involved in an MLM, and is doing some research on line. Which by the way, I wish I had done more of during my time. However I was always told that "negative brings you down", and that "the internet is the worlds largest bathroom wall". While some of that is true, how can you truly assess anything without looking at all sides? Once you do that, wouldn't common sense and reason dictate what the right choice would be? Why would anybody who believes in what they do, try to limit your information before making a choice? Chew on that one for awhile.....

If you have been searching on line, then you've read this post before.... or at least a similar version somewhere else. Please..keep track of your out going, and incoming (or lack there of) expenses! I know your excited! I know you have met some people who are "Living the dream" or have "Fruit on the tree". I know you feel this could be your chance......I know. I simply encourage you to keep track of your numbers, like any real business would. If your already involved in MLM... this will probably fall on deaf ears... it did for me. When I was involved I thought " I know I have to invest in my own business, and I can write off my expenses" and "Most business don't make money in the first few years anyway". Sound familiar? I just encourage you to keep track of your money! A guy I built my business with for over 4 years just came over to visit during the Christmas holidays. It's really the first time we've sat down and talked since we both left. Now keep in mind, this was my right hand man during my building days. He was easily the most successful person in my Line of Sponsorship...by far, and I had HUNDREDS of people on my team. He told me when he quit, he had a $14,000 line of credit to pay off, and $8,000 on his credit card! Just a personal example of what can happen when you are "chasing the dream". I beg of you.... watch where your money is going! Pay attention to your bottom line, you don't have to be an accountant.... out going versus in coming. The money never lies. My upline told me once " Money runs away from poor thinking"....... I couldn't agree more.

It's NOT Your Business!

One thing your going to hear at any MLM meeting is "it's your business". They'll go on in great detail trying to convince you that you'll be the boss, work when you want, live your priorities... not your obligations... and on, and on. Nothing could be further from the truth! Here are a few points to consider:


1) The companies I was involved with (Amway / Monavie) preached 8-10 hours a week to build "your" business. Look, if you were just retailing product and nothing else, sure.... you could put in whatever amount of time you wanted. For the record, this is probably your best bet to be your own boss, however you'll still be a slave to your customers because if you think all of them will be on an autoship, and you won't be the middle man...your wrong! They'll show up at your house, call you on the phone, wanting you to order for them, or sell them some of your product....because.... you will have product. So if this sounds great, by all means, fill your basement and sell away my friend! However, this is not what they want! They want you to become a "Leader"! What is a Leader? I could spend an entire post on that alone... and probably will at a later date. Let's just say, that a Leader laughs at 8-10 hours a week. Who's looking for an extra job...anyone?


2) You don't OWN....anything! As an Independent Business Owner "IBO" wouldn't you think you actually own something? Oh...but it's an internet based business, they'll tell you! Why would you want the stress and financial hardship that goes with owning a "brick and mortar" store, they'll say! Ah.... because then the decisions are yours! You ARE the boss. In most MLM's ... you are a slave to whatever company's products you represent.....and their rules of conduct!


3) Which brings me to point #3! The rules of conduct. It's "Your" Business right? You want to run your business with honesty and integrity right? Well you can force yourself to do the right things....but what about others? What's that they say? A Leader...shouldn't force anybody to do anything? Your example of doing the right thing should be a shining light for others to follow! I challenge you right now to think of the most offensive person in your life....and imagine that they...were in business with you right now! I know what your thinking, "I would never allow someone like that to join my business with me". That's fine. Yes, you pick and choose who you sponsor, but what about after that? Stay in long enough, and I'll tell you... there will be people in your group that you could never have imagined! Some of them will do the craziest things! Even....break the rules of conduct! Now "Your" business is on the line! 


So... quick review. It's "Your" business, but you don't get to pick your hours, you own nothing, and your business can be destroyed by your downline, or taken from you by the company who's products your moving. If this sounds like "Your" business....Welcome to the world of MLM.

Prologue

Frank Castle a dedicated family man and professional, had his family killed after witnessing a mob hit. Castle, unable to cope with the death of those he loved, became The Punisher.... exposing corruption and taking out evil doers when the law failed.... or stopped short.

I haven't experienced the first hand death of any family members, however after years of building mlm "businesses", I know what pain feels like! How about the death of some previously existing relationships? Does that count? I had some good friends, that I haven't talked to in years, because they wouldn't "chase the dream" with me. What about the friends that did join my "team"... and then quit at some point before me! More damaged and lost relationships. Oh yes my friends... there are too many of those to count.

And so it begins... my first venture into the world of blogging. The Punisher and I have lots in common, so I guess the name will stick. Hello world....or more than likely...just me....and the random guy who hits this site by accident! I am the MLM Punisher!

The MLM Punisher

Coming Soon.........