I remember being young and desperate for money. There were times when I would have done almost anything to get some cash. In fact, I’ve had some “jobs” that I’m not really proud of. The most embarrassing is when I was selling knock-off colognes and perfumes. I thought I was going to make a lot of money because, I’ve been able to sell almost anything to anybody when the mood suited me.

Turns out, that I wasn’t really “hired” to sell knock-off stuff. I was really hired to bring in other people to sell knock-off’s and I would get a portion of their sales. They guy who brought me in would also get a portion, as would the girl who broght him in. It wasn’t long before I saw the scam for what it was; a pyramid scheme or Multi-Level Marketing scam (MLM). Of course, I got out and never looked back.

Flash forward a bunch of years. My sister-in-law, Princess Edemame, is selling scrap book supplies. It’s good stuff, but it seems like she has A LOT of product. My wife (who wasn’t yet), bought some stuff, and others did too, but I didn’t understand the appeal. I thought it was a girl thing.

Flash forward a few more years, and PE was raving about this site that slams Mary Kay consultants and exposes the pyramid for what it is. She’s talking about how many people get sucked into “the pink fog” and how this is hilarious.

A few days ago, I’m checking through my blogroll to see what’s up, I go to her site, and start checking out HER blogroll. I saw the Pink Truth www.pinktruth.com and started reading. This brought out the memories of my own experience in MLM.

Young people are especially susceptible to the lure of these scams, because they promise lots of money to people with no experience in life. They also indoctrinate you, not unlike a cult, into their way of life. Pink Truth says it better (and way more frequently), but the simple truth is, with MLM, you only make money by sucking other people into the group and having them do the same.

The moral here: In most cases, the amount of money you can make doing anything is dependent on the amount of work, preparation, education, and sweat you are willing to put into an effort. If you are thinking joining a MLM, or have been approached by a “friend” who is a sales rep for any of these companies, before you pay out any money, check out PINK TRUTH www.pinktruth.com! If after reading, you still want in, at least you won’t go in blind.