The fact that a close friend of mine had joined Amway and had gone platinum convinced me that it was a simple business to start and that I could easily replicate his success was one of the reasons I considered joining at one point in my life. Furthermore, I was seduced by the promise of a stream of residual income that would last the rest of my life. I honestly believed that there would come a day when I would have no employment and the most difficult decision I would have to make would be where to have lunch.
I became serious and began to expand the firm, eventually reaching various levels of success, culminating in a peak of 4000 PV revenue. After all was said and done, my upline had informed me that my net income would be $1000 per month if the proper guidelines were followed. However, even though I matched those criteria, my net income was nil since my upline expected IBOs to reinvest all of their earnings into tools and training (standing orders, functions, etc). At that moment, I began to wonder why we would put in so much effort and yet receive no cash compensation. I was assured that if I just maintained working hard at the business, the money will come in eventually.
According to reports, many IBOs were admitted for a variety of reasons, and I'm sure the displays of mansions, private aircraft, and luxury automobiles made some people salivate. Because Amway was so lucrative, some people were really excited about the prospect of telling their boss off and abandoning their jobs. Many people believe it because they want to believe it, which is understandable. Many people would welcome financial independence, especially if they could accomplish it in a matter of 2-5 years instead of decades.
I recall certain evening meetings where the group was asked "why" we were establishing Amway by the group's upline. It was either to spend more time with family or to potentially achieve financial independence. One popular option was for the wife to retire so that she could be the one to care for the children, and ultimately the father would follow suit. Many people joined Amway as a means of freeing up their time and earning more money, to put it simply. Money from your residual income, as well as time because you will not be required to work. The truly tragic part is that the vast majority of individuals who do it, even those who put up significant effort, end up with less time and money as a result of Amway and the systems they have set up.
It is more likely that consumers would think about better and more realistic ways to secure their financial futures, rather than why they should start an Amway firm. The unpleasant truth is that only a fraction of one percent of people will ever make a significant amount of money from Amway, and even those who do make money from Amway see a significant portion of their earnings redirected back into the company. IBOs would be far better off doing absolutely nothing than working with Amway.
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