Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Fighting For Dreams?

One of the things that many IBOs are badly misguided on is the concept of dreams and fighting for dreams. A dream is basically a long term goal. Someone might dream about playing in the National Football League. To accomplish that dream, one might play high school and/or college level football. For most, the dream will end. No matter how much someone wants to play in the NFL, only so many people are proficient enough to be able to make the team. Even fewer are elite players that become stars. So while you might fight for your dreams, there is also an alternate reality.

In the Amway business, via the "systems" such as WWDB or Network 21, the leaders will often sell hopes and dreams to the downline. That the downline can be retired at the age of 29, walking the beaches of the world while the income just rolls in forever and ever. These kinds of "dreams" would be the same as hoping to win the powerball lottery. You may have seen a few who did it but the chance of you duplicating it is very unlikely. Slim to none is your chance in reality.

Another things uplines will often do is tell anecdotal stories about crabs keeping each other in a bucket when one tries to escape, or about monkeys preventing each other from grabbing bananas at the top of the pole. While the stories may be interesting and even true, it doesn't necessarily apply to the Amway business. While it is true that an IBO may have friends and family who are skeptical about Amway, it is with good reason. Many people have gone through the Amway business with no success. Many people have lost money doing everyting they were advised to do by upline. There is a track record of financial disasters associated with Amway and the attached "systems". It's not like there's a long list of people who have walked away from Amway with the cash rolling in and not a care in the world. Ever wonder why none of the crown ambassadors have exercised the option to "walk away"?

I think people should have dreams. I think people should pursue their dreams. I also think people need to know that certain dreams can come true. There also needs to be a degree of reality in their dreams. There will always be some inspirational person such as a "Rudy" who overcame great odds to accomplish a dream, but the untold reality is that there were probably many many young men who dreamed of playing for Notre Dame that year. Likely, no one else accomplished the unlikely dream like a Rudy. What I am saying is that earning a nice income and having the option of early retirement can be acomplished in many ways. You might be choosing to use Amway to accomplish your financial dreams and that is your right. But the reality is that very few people have made all their financial dreams come true due to the Amway opportunity, as compared to the tens of millions who have tried.

Keep fighting for your dreams, but keep in mind that you might need a plan B and a dose of reality.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

In 2005 Amway/Quixtar reported that the average income for an "active" Quixtar IBO in 2005 was $115 a month ($1,380 annually), as documented in The Quixtar IBO Compensation Plan and on a Quixtar website.
The average annual Quixtar income for an IBO that qualified at the Platinum level in 2005 (0.1683% of IBOs) was $47,472 and for a Diamond (.0120% of IBOs) it was $146,995. The largest single annual bonus (in addition to monthly incomes) for a Diamond was $1,083,421.

An "active" IBO is qualified on the IBO Registration form: Based on an independent survey during 2001, “Active” means an IBO attempted to make a retail sale, or presented the Independent Business Ownership Plan, or received bonus money, or attended a company or IBO meeting in the year 2000. Approximately 66% of all IBOs of record were found to be "Active."

Keep in mind that these income figures are before business expenses.
Also keep in mind that Amway defenders will tell you that there are thousands of diamonds listed on the amwaywiki and over 4000 that still qualify. http://www.amwaywiki.com/List_of_Amway_Diamonds
The fact is that after over 40 years there are only approximately 600 Diamonds and above worldwide. Many on the amwaywiki have fallen out of qualification , quit or gotten terminated for faking pins or fraud, and some have not been in Amway for 20 or 30 years but the list is used to warp reality.
In a 1997 press release Amway claimed there are were over 3,000,000 distributors worldwide and if the numbers remain about the same 0.1683% or 5049 IBOs qualified Platinum in 2005 and .0120% or 600 qualified Diamond Worldwide. Keep in mind that the majority are Platinums and Diamonds that have been around for years and years at those levels. Makes you wonder where the other 3400 diamonds disappeared to that are listed on the amwaywiki.

***Former WWDB Lemming***

Anonymous said...

JoeCool, I don't understand why you have to be a wet blanket and douse the hopes and dreams of ambitious young people who want more out of life. The point in the stories is that critics like yourself steal the life out of IBO's and leave them having no hope for better things in life. You should shut off this blog and let people chase their dreams, even if you feel it is not worth the effort.

Joecool said...

Hi anonymous. Thanks for visiting my blog. I don't understand how I am stealing life out of anyone. I just write articles based on my experiences and opinions about Amway. It is you and others who seek information about Amway that come here and read my blog. I don't force anyone to visit this site and I don't force anyone to agree with what I write. It's out there for information seekers who can make their own conclusions about what I write.

Why would I shut off my blog? My blog is quite successful, averaging about 6000 visitors per month. How can i just up and quit with such an audience? :)

Anonymous said...

anon, shove it!

Anonymous said...

Joecool how terrible you are dousing the hopes and dreams of ambitious young people who want more out of life? How are you stopping people from chasing their dreams by providing factual based on experience information? When I wonder why the Ambots spend time reading and making stupid comments on your blog I can only assume that it is because they are scared of finding out the TRUTH and FACTS about the Amway business. You provide valuable information that was not available when I was in the business, if If I had access to the facts about WWDB, BWW and Amway I would never ever in a million years wasted my time and my downline's time in what was and still is nothing more than a cult.

****Former WWDB Lemming****

David said...

Joe: That's about 6000 more visitors than I ever had to my own website advertising my Amway business. I notice also you have what appears to be over 98,000 total visits to your site. I wonder how that compares to the number of visits and time spent on The Amway website these days. Of course we will never really know, as Amway, being a privately owned corporation does not have to divulge such information, along with their profit and loss statement.

Anonymous said...

oops...once again, i was referring to anon #2, but i'm pretty sure everyone knows that by now. ha. i just love saying it, so i'll say it again: anon #2, SHOVE IT! lol =D

Anonymous said...

Amway should be avoided at all costs, unless you are a materialitic obsessed individual, someone who wishes to turn everyone they know into an asset for your future. The entire basis of Amway is designed around how many people you can infect with this virus. and it is a virus at it's very core. It will eat at you and turn you into a shell. But that shell will be so delicious to you and your materialistic greed that you will never leave. Even if you wanted to leave, you'd have no will to do it, everyone around you knows where you live and who you are. They will never let you leave, unless you destroy your image and become what they consider poison. Someone who would even consider being poor. Even then, they will think you just need help, that you're broken. You will have to fight as hard to get out as you have gotten in. Any friends you know who will ask you to go to an unknown and vaguely described "Meeting" will attempt to send you to one of these things. You will feel uncomfortable, you will feel alien there, but the entire focus of those beginning meetings are to ease you in and see what they see: A blind dream that will propel you into this self centered illusion. It is almost impossible to not get caught into the tide, you'll almost want to fit into it..... but it won't be until you're alone again and the waters settle when you'll see clearly again and hear your own voice.

Now.... hopefully you catch on quickly, and hopefully you aren't too tied to it that you can break your own image enough for them to leave you be.

I wish others luck.

Anonymous said...

^ well-stated!

Anonymous said...

hmm...there are many amway user that they need the product...i saw a lot people buy amway product but they didn't join as IBO...as people fight for their dream as IBO they have a chance...better than who is fighting work for their boss but never got return...working in a company is worse than amway u work hard make money company value u...but when oneday u have accident or something u lost your value in company...i encourage who is still IBO not to quit...cause IBO is like a seller who is work hard to find a consumer and for their succes amway reward them heavily

Anonymous said...

yeah...right.