MLM VS NETWORK MARKETING VS ENTREPRENEURSHIP
I am sure that this is going to ruffle a few feathers, and I’m fine with that, but there are just some things out there in the Home business Industry that just baffle me. And to be honest, I would love to hear people’s opinions and their own experiences with what I’m about to discuss. And I want to make a disclaimer right here, right now… There is no judgment here, I don’t care what you are involved in as long as you are acting with integrity, are passionate about what you are doing and about the product or service you are promoting.
Now, I’m not going to go into the depths of each of these models as this is not what this is about. This is about making the decision to join an MLM or Network Marketing business and make someone else rich selling and promoting their products for them and not starting your own venture and branding yourself and your own products!
Firstly, MLM or Multi Level Marketing, I mean lets face it, this business model has been around forever. Some of the oldest businesses that follow the MLM business model are Amway, Avon, Tupperware, Herbalife and the new kids on the block Monavie, you cannot deny they do bring in some huge company profits and the mere fact they have been around forever must say something about them right? Aside from these popular few there are also 1000′s of other MLM companies out there for you to choose from.
Secondly, Network Marketing is very similar to MLM however generally the Compensation Plan is different and the general structure of your team or how you recruit into your business is different also. You will hear big names like Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki, being bantered around when people are talking about big hitters or well known entrepreneurs who back this Network Marketing business model idea.
I personally don’t have an opinion on what is best or what isn’t as this is an individual experience and opinion. I only have an opinion on my own experience and that is what I want to share with you today.
My story… I have been involved in both Network Marketing and MLM and really did not like the experience of being part of either business. Now while I did have my share of success I never felt like I was doing what I should be doing. I really, truly believed with all my heart that I was passionate about the product I was promoting but after a while I started to realise I wasn’t “passionate” about the products personally. I could simply see the value and benefit of the product I was promoting. I was in love with the idea of the value and benefit. Something just always felt like it was missing.
The more I grew as an entrepreneur through courses or Personal Development the more I realised that I was truly missing something, that key ingredient to my success. That was when I started to look at things differently. I started to realise that what I was actually yearning for was my own success, my own true financial freedom. It clicked… I needed to recreate myself . I needed to launch myself based on my passion, to help people become financially free.
Then I got thinking… if I am going to spend all this time and effort on personally branding myself, why don’t I take advantage of that work with the thing that all people need. MONEY. At this point I started working with my business partner Broker Jones in launching Oceanside Network and putting all my energy and resources into something I was passionate about. Building someone else’s business is not ultimately going to make you richer isn’t it? I mean when I was involved with the MLM and Network Marketing with all the compliance you had to follow and the other restrictions, it was starting to feel like I was still “working” for someone else.
Now I’m not a quitter, this word (along with “try”) is not even in my personal vocabulary. But what I have learned from all my experiences working online is that you need to understand and be mindful that as you grow and educate yourself in your passion or Personal Development, the potential to “outgrow” your MLM or NM business is really quite high, especially if your first time experience in working from home is by you joining an MLM or NM business. Now I’m not saying that you or your personal brand are literally becoming “bigger” than the Tupperware or Avon name or brand… I simply mean that you might find yourself or your passions newly aligned elsewhere. What you need to understand is that if you decide to leave and try other things don’t feel you are quitting. I hear so many stories of sponsors/team leaders etc telling their team they are quitting and giving up if they choose to follow something else. As long as you are being true to you, that’s all that matters. It is far more productive to be spending your time doing something you love than staying with something because someone is telling you to!
Some people also stay in their MLM or NM business with the goal in mind of making money in the MLM or NM to fund their own business or create their own products. To those I say this, be mindful or how much time & $$’s you are spending every month keeping the MLM or NM business going… Would you be far better off putting that time and money into your own venture??
I truly believe now that the lines are becoming blurred between Personally Branding yourself with the goal in mind to recruit to some sort of MLM or NM business and Personally Branding yourself “as your business”. The latter is far more appealing to me and in my opinion more effective and entrepreneurial. And will make you a lot more money at the end of the day!
Would love to hear all your opinions and especially your experiences in MLM, NM or better still if you are like me and have been inspired to truly create your own brand and start your own venture like I did please share your stories with me below! And feel free to inspire all your friends on Twitter and FB by passing this on, you never know who is looking for inspiration to launch themselves in a brand new direction!
