Many people have ended up in an MLM because they wanted to help a friend out. But it is important to understand the red flags of how they can motivate and manipulate. Today's guest is Roberta Blevins. Roberta is an anti-MLM advocate who starred in the Amazon Prime documentary Lula Rich and speaks out on social media against MLMs, scams, frauds, and cults and is the host of the podcast Life After MLM.
[0:45] - Roberta shares her background and what she does now.
[2:20] - In 2015, Roberta heard about LulaRoe and was initially very excited.
[3:34] - She wasn't making any more than she had been making in the job she left, but was working a lot more.
[4:40] - Roberta realized that it wasn't the right way to run a business and it took a toll on her and her family's mental health.
[6:17] - Pressure and pushback against questions are major red flags.
[7:28] - Avoid being alone and being led to a second location when talking to someone.
[8:28] - Roberta explains how different MLMs operate under a pay-to-play model.
[10:05] - The only way to make money is to hit qualifying monthly quotas that are a big challenge to accomplish.
[11:58] - What is the difference between a pyramid scheme and an MLM?
[14:43] - MLMs tend to invade every area of your life.
[16:10] - Many people have a fake-it-till-you-make-it approach which is misleading people to be recruited.
[19:26] - Social media plays into this fabricated lifestyle.
[21:42] - MLMs exploit personal relationships.
[22:54] - Roberta shares how "icky" it felt to keep a "dirt list".
[24:38] - There are stories of some people signing up their children in order to meet their recruitment quota.
[26:30] - Roberta explains the history of MLMs and how they started.
[29:21] - MLMs aren't going anywhere, but Roberta wants to see regulation in an unregulated space.
[31:48] - Roberta shares about some of the background work she is doing to help create dialogue about regulation.
[34:12] - Social media has strengthened MLMs and has gotten more people to sign up.
[35:53] - In some MLMs, more than half of the sellers are making no money.
[37:26] - Numbers don't lie. If you are spending or making money, you should track it.
[38:51] - Track any amount of time you spend on the business.
[41:07] - Roberta outlines a strategy if you are in an MLM and deciding if it is the right fit for you.
[44:30] - Have someone who is unbiased listen to you. Be that person for someone else.
[46:35] - A company should be able to stand up to scrutiny.
Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review.
