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May 6, 2015
10:12:41am
It's time once again for an MLM rant, this time with sad story included.
I have some friends (a husband and wife) who have been involved with a large MLM for a number of years. I won't identify it here because the details of the story might give too much away. The wife used to be my boss a number of years ago, and was a really fantastic boss. I recently found out some details of their current situation, and I would like to share their story in the hopes that somebody (anybody) considering an MLM can quickly think better of it. I know there are a few defenders here on CB.

My former boss left her good job at my company, supposedly to be a full-time mom, but also because they thought their MLM involvement (their "business") was going to take off. They had just built an enormous house, primarily off his earnings as a plumber and hers as a director at my company. But, they apparently were also fairly heavily mortgaged. Her main reasoning for leaving? "I never get enough time to spend with my kids." "I'm working the corporate grind, and it's wearing me down."

Well, they went all out in the MLM. They were "promoted" to fairly higher up positions in the organization. I heard that they were making crazy amounts of money. I even mentioned that here on CB in another previous MLM thread. I googled them one time, and found a Youtube video of one of the MLM's big awards ceremonies, where they had my friends on stage, promoting them. My former boss actually was crying, and saying how she was SO happy she was able to leave behind the corporate rat race and spend more time with her family.

But, that all apparently was/is a lie. A lie that these two formerly rational people have been able to convince themselves is true. They stopped making payments on a vacation home they co-owned with a friend, to the point that HIS credit was damaged. They had to file for bankruptcy. They were able to save their large house because it was their primary residence, but they were no longer able to afford to live in it.

They rented out the house, and moved with their 4 kids to a tiny apartment in California. Were they used to have an office in Utah out of which they operated their "business", they are currently doing their MLM stuff out of their apartment.

I also heard this week that after my boss left, she asked another employee to let her into our building so she could film a "Leaving the Corporate World" video to show her downline people. You know, to show them "I made it, and you can too."

And the guy that co-owned the vacation home with them? When he was trying to get them to pay up because of the damage to his credit, they gave him this line: "Please just wait a little bit. We're almost millionaires."

That last comment is chilling: "we're almost millionaires". It's very telling. It is the mentality of a gambler, always fully believing the real score is just around the corner.

They are not spending more time with their kids. The husband said he is putting in about 100 hours a week. Similar time for the wife. They recently sent me a Facebook friend request (joint account, no less), and if their posting history and photos is any indication, this MLM is their life. Their kids are suffering, and the details there are really sad, but I prefer not to share them here. I'll just point out the obvious: they are not spending more time with their kids now, but instead a heck of a lot less.

MLMs are very much like gambling. They are in many ways like a religion, where these people get together and bear their testimonies. That's why I think it sucks in so many LDS people--they see the similarities, but fail to see the glaring practical differences where there is no good fruit of their efforts.
This message has been modified
Originally posted on May 6, 2015 at 10:12:41am
Message modified by jdub on May 6, 2015 at 10:15:44am
jdub
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