Friday, May 31, 2024

Ia Amway Your Business Or Hobby?

 Many Amway IBOs get into the business with high expectations. They get in with oftentimes, a dream of early retirement, living a fabulous lifestyle, mansions, sports cars and "walking the beaches. In order to do this, IBOs are taught that they need to "plug into the system". So IBOs get on standing order, they attend all the meetings and functions, they read books and show the plan. They think these activities will make them rich. The sad reality is that it lines their upline's pockets.  All the while, the upline are pushing these tools on downline as if it's a sure fire way to riches, while they laugh all the way to the bank with profits from their own trusting downline.

But because the Amway business has so many handicaps and shortfalls, the IBO soon falls into the trap of "playing Amway". The IBO will do their 100 PV, either by self-consumption or selling products, or a combination of the two, and will continue to listen to the cds or tapes and will continue to attend every meeting. When I was an IBO, our group had many who did not sponsor a single person, yet they were at all of the meetings and functions. These folks, in my opinion, had Amway as a hobby.  I say that because a business exists to make money/profits.  Amway may start out as a business to many, then the upline moves the goal posts to how Amway makes you nicer, a better husband or wife, etc, and that Amway is not necessarily about money.  What utter BS.  Who would join Amway as a business owner if they didn't think they would profit?  Upline does this because the masses of downline are losing money each and every month.

A hobby is something you do in your spare time, usually something you enjoy. For many people, Amway meetings are a social event. It is evidenced when some people say they enjoy the meetings, being with "positive people", and they have become nicer as a result of their involvement. While this may or may not be a side benefit of the functions and meetings, it is not relative to the bottom line of a business. A business exists to make money. If a business is losing money, expenses are usually cut and or changes are made to the business plan to maximize profits.  The problem is that the vast majority of IBOs do not make any profits.

If you have been an IBO for more than a month or two, have you actually sponsored someone? If the excitement of being a new IBO has not resulted in acquiring new downline, it is unlikely that you will ever have a downline. If you have been in the system reading books, listening to standing order and attending functions and showing the plan, and you have no results, you have Amway as a hobby and not a business. Don't feel bad, sponsoring other IBOs is not a common or easy feat. But as a business owner, you should think about your involvement in the business and if you find you are participating in a hobby rather than running a profitable business, then you should decide whether or not you are accomplishing what you set out to do. 

Are you running a business (to make money) or are you playing Amway as a hobby?

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