What is MLM?
As moms I feel like all of us have heard about MLM’s, but what exactly does that stand for? Multilevel Marketing, scams, pyramid schemes and fake businesses are all terms I have heard for these MLM companies but why do moms get the bad wrap and why do we get extorted? So many of us are struggling, financially, finding friendships, getting our kids to eat healthy, and I can see where some of these “side gigs” can be appealing. You get to get out of the house and meet new people. Hopefully you can earn a little extra income- some even say a lot of income! But when you find out that most don’t and just end up causing more stress and financial trouble to begin with why are they even out there?
My first experience with MLM was at a Mary Kay party. A co worker of mine invited all the women at work to come to her house for a makeup party. I thought, sure I like makeup. And immediately it was not what I expected. The women was older and she didn’t know a ton about makeup, there weren’t samples and no one helped me do my makeup. Instead it was crappy makeup and pressure to purchase something I didn’t need or want. Since then I never attended another party and stuck with the department store to get my makeup.
The second time I’ve heard about MLM was as a mom. Which, as I mentioned prior, is so much more common. We always looked for story-times, reading has always been important to me and the library offers some great resources and free books! So when we saw a free story-time at a coffee shop near my house we gave it a try. But it wasn’t what I expected, she did a story and then went on and on to the parents about how great her books were. Which they weren’t too bad, but they were a bit expensive. Something about how she did it made it kind of uncomfortable, so we stopped going.
MLM has such a bad wrap, and it’s hard because so many are really just trying to get by. The worst of it is that you’re asked to push products on your friends and family. Making it hard to have genuine relationships. I’m thankful that although I have looked for side jobs I have never gotten into the “MLM” businesses. The oddest situation I’ve had was a family who approached my family and I at Target. They seemed nice enough and then started asking personal questions. Asking about our work and how much money we made, it was weird. Then they said to join them in a meeting about how to quit it all and never work again, but they’d show us how to earn money. It was a very strange and uncomfortable situation.
Bottom line, there is no such thing or way to quit everything and make money staying home doing nothing. All these are scams. And it sucks that those who are vulnerable get suckered into it. If you’re eager to make side money and don’t know how, make a list of your skills. Add a list of qualified references. And if you don’t have either find a local charity group and volunteer your time for 6 months to start learning and building your skills. Once you’ve done that contact small businesses and ask if they need contract help. List your qualifications. You’d be surprised how many small businesses might be open to your help. There are legitimate ways to make money but don’t follow the lead of someone who is trying to sneak their way around it. Pet sitting, dog walking, babysitting and running errands are all legit ways you can earn some side money. You’re worth more than a scam and you want your friendships to be real, not you trying to sell them something every time.
