Beachbody, Arbonne, Monat, Seint, Savvi, NuSkin, Mary Kay, Young Living, and Rodan + Fields are some of the network marketing companies I’ve come across on Instagram or have personally been a part of either as a consumer or as a partner.
In 2016 I was asked by a relative if I would be interested in signing up for Beachbody. I had never heard of the company or remembered their infomercials (apparently there are a lot of infomercials), but I did want to lose weight and this sounded like fun. I also wanted to support my family member as she explained she was trying to start her online fitness business and I would be one of her first members. She also explained for me to receive the discounts for products, I would need to enroll as a “coach” at $15.95 a month. I think this was the coach fee back then. I had no desire to coach anything as I was a busy teacher and mom to three teenagers, yet getting a discount sounded like a good idea.
And, wouldn’t you know it, I loved Beachbody’s programs, products, and merchandise. The girl who enrolled me, or my coach, pushed me to share my journey on Instagram and to invite others to join me in their journey. This is when the fun began to feel more like fight in my Beachbody journey. Before I knew it, I was responsible for a team of women, some who were consumers and some who were coaches. I had to create content, run a group app, and attend virtual team meetings and trainings. During the summer, I flew across the country to Beachbody’s annual summit, which was insanely fun, and attended quarterly Beachbody team meet and greets.
If you’re aren’t familiar with how most network marketing or multi-level marketing (MLM) businesses run, here’s a mini lesson.
Enroll with start-up costs that is usually under $300 (dependent on the package you choose)
Usually all the work is online, but I am seeing Herbalife “loaded tea” shops popping up in small towns. Herbalife is an MLM, too.
No inventory, but sometimes, depending on the product, partners/coaches will mail out samples.
Training materials are usually in the business’s online office, but teams will create Facebook groups or hold weekly Zoom calls to support their members’ professional and personal development.
Commissions are earned from your sales and also from your recruits and their recruits.
This all sounds good and it can be good. I earned $500-$700 sometimes weekly on my commissions and even when I slowed down team building, I was still making money from my customers.
The downside is THE PRESSURE. Let’s pretend we aren’t talking about MLMs, but maybe I am describing a big vision you have for the work it will take to move the vision from your mind, to paper, and then to reality. There’s a lot of work involved in that, right? RIGHT. This is how it goes with MLMs; there’s a lot of work and I have met a lot of women who are earning six figures or more from their MLM business. This is also where the downside plays in because earning big money takes energy-sucking work. For example, I’ve built a successful teaching career, but it’s taken lots of energy-sucking work that I’m proud of, but it took lots of WORK! If building wealth was easy, we’d all be mega rich, but out of all the folks in the United States, only about 6.7 percent are millionaires.
If you Google network marketing or MLMs, you’ll find many haters. They are savage, ripping apart any little thing they can find on a coach or a partner or the company. I am not a hater but I do see how frustrating it can be for those who have joined with dreams of building enough income to leave their 9-5 or to bring their spouse home or to just break even, turn into feelings of failure. This despair will lead you to joining the ranks of haters, so be forewarned or you else you’ll find yourself swimming in Lake Commiseration. Don’t get that pissed off! There’s nothing wrong with being informed but spending your energy on hating won’t help you either.
Earlier, I mentioned pressure and there is a lot of inner pressure to meet a certain number or rank within your first three months, BUT and this is a huge BUT for those with BIG feelings about MLMs, think of something you want more than anything and why that thing hasn’t happened yet. Maybe you want a promotion or you want to return to school or you want to take a Disney trip. Why haven’t you done these things? What’s the wall between you and the thing happening? It’s the work, friend.
I’ve been dreaming of writing a memoir for Y E A R S. I’ve spent money on writing courses and had published writers look at my work. Even with their encouragement, I’ve pulled back. It’s the work and the failure I am afraid of.
Beachbody showed me that. Beachbody or BODi as they are now called showed me that I can do big things (I lost lots of weight and helped others do the same) because I grew professionally and personally. BODi has also shown me what I want to do more of in life and that it is going to take work to write the memoir, create social emotional wellness curriculum for children, and build wellness retreats for women. I didn’t become a millionaire with a network marketing company but I did gain priceless deep revelations about my work ethic and my dreams.
You see, inside of work, there’s transformation you didn’t see happening. You’ve got to put your head down and go for it! Saving for Disney, working towards the promotion, finishing a degree, or losing weight. Go for it!
Life isn’t linear (wouldn’t that be boring?) and you’ll take many twists, turns, and loops, and if an MLM is in your path, it’s going to take work and you will feel inner pressure, but instead of feeling failure, go with it, learn from the opportunity, and see how you can use the experience in your journey to doing the thing you keep dreaming and talking about. I am not telling you to join an MLM, but I am telling you to work towards what you want to do and inside of that journey, don’t count your failures, instead, count your steps to making things happen.
Easier said that done, yeah I know, but you know what I’m talking about, too. :)
I’m still with Beachbody/BODi and still love their products and programs. I also still continue inviting others. I have tried out Savvi’s athleisure and Monat’s hair and skincare. They are all good! Those loaded teas are good, too. I have a link HERE you can check out to see my links and discount codes. Being a partner with BODi led me to wellness influencing. Kinda cool, huh?