One of the things I recall as an IBO was thinking how sorry I felt for people who were not IBOs because we were all going to be rich and everyone else was a loser. Our upline used to tell us that we were winners - and if you weren't a winner, then obviously, you are a loser. Many times, the term "broke" was attached to the term loser. That was my mindset back then, but having been out of the system more than ten years, I can look back and laugh, realizing that the losers were the ones buying stuff they don't need, stalking people at malls and bookstores, and wasting their time and money on tapes (cds), books and functions.
What goes unnoticed in many cases, is how much time and money really goes down the drain for IBOs who work the system. Your life revolves around the business if you are dedicated and hard core. You are always looking for prospects and people to show the plan to, and you have to rearrange your schedules, or outright skip social or family gatherings because of the neverending number of meetings and functions, many of which teach you nothing about running a profitable business. When I first left the Amway business, I was sort of angry at the time and effort that was wasted, along with the cahs I threw down the crapper.
But after I did finally cut ties with the business and the people associated with it, I got back into a routine of sorts. I focused on my job and after some years of gaining experience and working my way up the corporate ladder, I received some promotions and I am scheduled to be retired before the age of 60 with a decent retirement income and will likely have my home paid off by then. So while I did have to work a dreaded job to be able to retire, pretty much all IBOs are also working a job or business PLUS having to expend their time and money to run their Amway business which has little to no chance of providing a long term stable and significant income. And if I may add, it is the systems such as WWDB or N21 that usually end up costing the IBOs the most money because of things like the functions.
So I will ask the question. Who's the real loser? The person diligently working and saving for their future or the person chasing a dream that is unlikely to materialize? Factoring in the expenditure of time also makes the systems even more costly than it appears on the surface.
Great post. Fully agree. Having been in WWDB, I know exactly what you are talking about. I felt the same sorrow for people who were not in the business thinking that I was going to get rich and they had to stay poor. I really got angry sometimes when people would say no because of it. But looking back, they were the smart ones and I was the idiot and loser. Now that I am not in the business, I, like you, have been doing so much better out of it than in it. Once I quit, I had a lot more time and a lot more money. I could spend time with my kids again. And my wife. And I ran my own life again instead of having to run everything by upline. It's fantastic! So glad I finally saw the light and left WWDB and Amway altogether.
ReplyDeleteAfter I quit Amway, it was shocking to me, how much free time and extra money I had. It was truly getting the gorilla off my back. Life was good again.
DeleteThe use of the word "loser" by Ambots has to be understood as just a synonym for "person not involved in Amway." In this sense, the word is functioning just like the term "heretic" in religion, or "bourgeois" in Communism.
ReplyDeleteIt's merely an abusive term, directed against those who decline to be a part of the Amway cult. I suggest that, for Ambots, the term "loser" actually means the following:
Someone who is not afraid to think for himself.
Someone whose brain doesn't stop functioning when he's at a rally.
Someone who can actually do the math on a profit-and-loss sheet.
Someone who doesn't think Charlie Marsh was the second coming of Christ.
Someone whose family and friends are more important than a "meeting."
Someone who won't spend a fortune on useless tapes and CDs.
Someone who doesn't think Ada, Michigan, is the center of the universe.
I could go on and on, but you get the idea.
Great comments. I'll add a few.
DeleteSomeone who cannot properly evaluate a business plan.
Someone who blindly trusts some Amway guru over long time friends or family.
What is an Amway IBO?? Idiot By Omission. There is nothing good or sane in being conned into becoming a so-called Amway "IBO" aka " independent business owner". You don't own a business,; you're just a fooled weakling being hood-winked into making your upline wealthier by buying into things like CommuniKate apps,books, CD's, attending meetings, conventions,. The uplines make their cash fortunes off of the IBO minions who attend these functions - only to brainwash the IBO. It's pretty sad when you think about it. Nothing like payingvthe cult leaders to brainwash the naive down lines. It's criminally insane what the up lines get away with, yet no one is bold or brave enough to prosecute or hold them accountable....
ReplyDeleteI wrote an article some years ago. As an IBO, what do you really "own" as a business owner? You have no equity in the business. You should have little or no inventory, you don't own your downline. All you own is your place on the pyramid. Not much more.
Delete