If this offends some of you, my apologies. However, this is MY honest opinion. It seems like almost every day a friend of mine is posting about an upcoming Pampered Chef, Jamberry, Mary Kay, That Crazy Wrap party or another “amazing business opportunity” everyone just has to be a part of. If you have not seen similar posts in your newsfeed, you probably dont have a pulse. Apparently, this phenomenon has a name and may often be referred to as the rise of the MOMTREPRENEUR. If you have one of these women in your newsfeed, the odds are that you’re going to be barraged with constant friendly advertisements about their newest promotional skincare product, Mary Kay lipstick, or trendy Lia Sophia necklace. I hate to use the S-word here (SCAM), but the Federal Trade Commission estimates: 99% of MLM sales representatives lose money, making “even gambling look like a safe bet in comparison.” Doh! That doesn’t sound too good. Unfortunately, these parties are rarely presented as a money drain. Most of my Facebook friends seem to firmly believe that fill-in-the-blank home party venture is going to CHANGE THEIR LIVES AND CHANGE YOURS TOO. I totally understand the motivation behind multilevel marketing. It can be really hard to make ends meet when you have kids, I too dreamed of my own Pink Cadillac once upon a time trying to make ends meet as a single mom. You may not be able to even afford childcare in order to get a part-time job. If you want to make extra cash, why not join a fun, female-friendly company as a consultant to earn extra money on the side? In my non-expert opinion, these multilevel marketing business opportunities seem like so much more trouble than they’re worth. I can’t tell you how many friends I’ve seen begin advertising their new “consulting” business—and even be so aggressive as to send private messages to ask if I’m interested in their products—only to watch their business ventures naturally fizzle out a few months later. And that’s where you get to the worst of the problem. Most of these “opportunities” rely on abusing established friendships and relationships for profit. To “grow your network,” you need to get your friends to purchase products from you and often to bring them into the fold of selling crap as well. Most of these products can be purchased elsewhere at similar or even lower prices. But “momtrepreneurs” want you to purchase from them because you are friends or acquaintances and you can help them personally profit from a sale. Despite what these companies claim, that is not a great business model. What it is is borderline friend/family abuse. These businesses deal way too heavily in peer pressure and guilt to make money. It seems almost impossible to separate the momtrepreneur from the person who was once your friend without feeling continually pressured to buy her crap. I’ve gone to a few of these parties myself, and I’ve had a pretty okay time —but I absolutely dreaded the part at the end of the party where all the guests were put on the spot to sign up to host their own party to get more free crap. Multilevel marketing just isn’t for me. I’m also finding it harder and harder to be graceful with my friends that join the latest MLM business as a consultant. If I’m missing something, please clue me in. Is it possible to make money as a momtrepreneur without driving all of your friends away?
Posted on: Tue, 05 Aug 2014 15:09:24 +0000
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