Crunching the numbers, Suzie discovered that over the three years she'd been selling the goods, she'd earned $16,500, but she had actually spent $19,300.
She said the MLM highlights your potential earning power, which is not actually the same as your profit ."They keep the model simple so it feels easy to achieve," she said. "[In 2019] I pulled right back … but it is time with him that I will never get back. And the damage has been done."The reply was brief.
Looking back over the past three years, Suzie can now see the red flags. And she can see how others might be tempted to join an MLM."I've definitely lost friends … you become so obsessed," she said."I'm ashamed I let our relationship deteriorate so badly … it was a nightmare," she said.And she said giving up the dream to achieve the kind of financial freedom this particular MLM promotes"has taken a huge weight off my shoulders".
Apart from a"lack of guaranteed income" and"no sick days", she said as an MLM rep you're in a potentially saturated market, you may need to purchase goods upfront and invest many more hours of your time than you realised.But Kate Carnell, who is the Australian and Small Business Family Enterprise Ombudsman, said MLMs could be a great way to make money for some people — provided it was the right fit for you.
Suzie should stop being ambitious with her own massage and MLM businesses. She should be a brainless zombie on the bus beside me flowing into the city to sit at a desk making squillions for a rich guy. At least she'll afford a holiday to Bali.