To my loyal blog readers, Joecool will be traveling and walking the beaches of the world for the next couple of weeks. Guess what? I'm paying for it with my J-O-B income and not from Amway. I'll be visiting several different countries and taking in the sights and experiences.
I'll be checking in to publish comments occasionally but there won't be any new articles until after the first week of January. I'd like to take the time to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!
See you all in 2017! Joecool out!
Congratulations on your vacation! I'm happy to hear that you are able to take time off at this important time of the year, and even happier to hear that Amway and WWDB are not forcing you to work over time. Enjoy your trip!
ReplyDeleteThanks Dr. Doe! I'm looking forward to the travel and the sightseeing. Can't wait to get on that plane!
ReplyDeleteThank you Joe for all your hard work. Enjoy the well earned break.
ReplyDeleteThanks and Merry Christmas to you!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, Joecool! Keep the blog runnin' and spread the word.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone! Leaving on my trip Christmas day!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Joecool and Anna Banana!! :)
ReplyDeleteJoe
ReplyDeleteI was an ibo for roughly a year and I really feel the need to share my side of the story as well. It was typical: a recruiter showed me the business opportunity and being the gullible person that I am, I believed much of what they sold. However as the months went by, many additional fees popped up that were not in the business plan. $300 for 100 pv a month plus books, CDs, gas etc. And that was just the beginners level. If you don't cough up cash, you're shunned in your group. What kind of business exists where you're encouraged to lose upwards of $300 a month and expect nothing in return? They withhold information and tell half-truths to mislead people. If I had known this I would have scrammed on the spot. I had given so much time and effort for it to go nowhere.
Looking back, there were already warning signs in the first few months. But I guess I was indoctrinated in their beliefs to leave just then. "Don't ask for advice from outside", "Everyone not in amway is a loser or broke", "We are your friends and we want you to be successful". Some relatives were in amway in the past and discouraged me. Of course, I didn't take their advise at the time. One prospect was formerly in another MLM and explain the flaws of these businesses. That conversation was very eye opening and I couldn't say anything in return. Needless to say, I felt my heart die a little that day. But I still stuck with amway.
Another thing is that they do have very charismatic people. The way these people carry themselves just makes you want to believe in what they say. You need to have the mental strength to see through all their lies. Their suits and "business environment" is just to make it seem like a plausible business. Overpriced products, incompetent uplines, deliberate misinformation, unnecessary tools that feed money into pockets of higher ranks in amway: this is what the business is really about. Your amway friends? They don't give a shit about you. Diamond lifestyle? Rented mansions and cars from people with middle level income who had to recruit everyday and fly everywhere to preach lies.
Soon, this business became... unsustainable for me
This probably won't convince some who are already in the business. But tragically, as said by Joe Cool, self-realization needs to take place and only then can you snap out of this fake dream. It happened to me. The few weeks that followed after I left, I was extremely bitter and depressed and constantly questioned my value as a human being. I looked for those "internet advice" the amway people scorned for solace and chanced upon this blog. And they more I read, the more it seemed similar to my situation. As i read on, it became clear I am the I'm not the one in the wrong, it's the ones who make a living off of lying and selling false hope to people who are wrong.
They claim they're digging for some treasure deep in the ground, but they're actually digging their graves and dragging other people with them. If only I was sensible enough to quit earlier. But I should still consider myself fortunate as I managed to crawl out of a shallow grave. Hard work pays off in the long run. That much is true. But hard work in amway? You are paying your "employer"/upline to work your ass off for them.
In the end, it’s the amway ibos that are worse off than the ”outside people” and the fact that they don’t know this or choose not to believe it, is sad even for me.
There, I've had my say.
Joe Cool, you truly are a blessing.
Thanks for your blog.
Thanks for your comments and for sharing your story. Hopefully it will help someone. The Amway leaders are especially insidious because they pretend that they have the answer to financial freedom and that you can unlock it if you will only listen and follow their advice. They use terms like "simple" or "anyone can do it". That fact is that Amway is not "simple" and "anyone" can succeed in the same way that anyone can win the lottery.
ReplyDeleteIf Amway is so simple, why is it so difficult to understand the compensation plan?
Why is it so hard to get people to see the plan, never mind actually sponsoring downline? Why is it so difficult to sell any products?
Amway sounds and looks good on paper but the reality is that it's a convoluted and complex scam.
The Amway cult is very much like the Church of Scientology, another money-robbing fraud. Persons who join are expected to follow the directions of the cult blindly and unthinkingly, and most important, they are expected to shell out thousands of dollars in various fees and charges and contributions.
ReplyDeleteAnd Amway also propagandizes its members to feel like worthless failures if they even so much as question the sacred "Plan." And if they dare to quit, they are considered losers, traitors, and human vermin.
This is why people who quit Amway go through a period of self-loathing and despair. But if they get through it, they will be vaccinated against MLM cults forever.