Moms, Stop Shaming the MLM Mom
All you have to do is head over to your local moms group Facebook page to see an inundation of “pyramid scheme” accusations and the heartiest dose of mom-shaming you’ve ever seen. And to be honest, it’s not only extremely unfortunate, but also entirely uncalled for. So if you’ve ever been the mom to utter condeming generalizations at a fellow mother trying to make a living for her family, today I’m calling you out.
STOP.
But don’t worry, I would never ask you to stop something without telling you why it’s so important that this common infraction comes to an end. So let me take a few minutes to educate you on why direct sales comapnies aren’t what you say they are, and why your words are so harming to feminine progress - and more specifically, damaging to the progress of mothers.
What is a direct sales company?
Direct sales is a retail channel for large and small companies alike that relies on word of mouth marketing from an independent salesforce, typically in place of traditional advertising. Direct selling is a legal and viable way to market products and services to consumers, and allows for individuals to generate an income on their own schedule.
What is a pyramid scheme?
A Pyramid (or Ponzi) Scheme is an illegal business structure used to trick innocent individuals into investing into a product or business with no real value, in order to create a payout for the first few early investors. Creators of pyramid schemes often disguise themselves as having a direct sales or MLM structure, but in reality there is no real business transactions taking place. In other words, products and services are not actually being distributed to real consumers in the real world on a large scale.
The Good of Direct Selling:
Low Barriers of Entry
Direct selling creates an opportunity for everyday people to start and grow a viable business for themselves with very low barriers of entry. What does this mean? It means that with no previous business experience on your resume, and no need for thousands of dollars of upfront capital, you can enter into a legal and proven business model and begin to build a secondary income stream.
Singular Focus
The people entering the individual sales force of direct sales companies also have the added benefit of an already proven business structure, well researched and manufactured products, and typically all of the components of a traditional business without any of the leg work. Manufacturing? Distribution? Research and development? Customer Service? Website and app creation? Managing employees? All of that is taken care of for you. Your role is simply to drive volume to the company.
Training and Support
Arguably the best part of the system of marketing that direct selling has created is the access to mentors who are driven, goal oriented, and growth minded individuals. Many of the large direct selling companies have huge mentorship and training teams made up of people who have built successful businesses in that industry. Not only do many individuals report learning the ins and outs of business through these groups, but more importantly they develop a winning mentality for life.
The Bad of Direct Selling:
Anyone Can Do It
Wait a second… Didn’t we just list low barriers of entry as a good thing? Yes, but what that also means is that you get a lot of people with zero business experience learning how to run a business for themselves for the first time. This can mean awkward, pushy sales as they learn how to be genuine and comfortable in their new role. It can also mean a lot of people quit before giving it a real shot. Why? Because it’s not a job. Which means a paycheck doesn’t come just because you put in some time and effort. And let’s be honest, our culture can be a little impatient with needing instant results.
Not All Companies Are Created Equal
Just like any other industry, not all direct sales companies are as good as the next. Some run their businesses very professionally, while others do not. In most arenas, people will look at each company as individuals, rather than a representation of the industry as a whole. For example, if you have a bad experience with Kroger, you don’t assume all grocery stores are bad. But for some reason, people haven’t figured this out yet with the direct selling industry. But I’m here to promote common sense, so now is the time to make this connection people!
I’m Not Interested In Direct Sales
Cool. That’s awesome. But here is the truth - you still have a role to play. Why? Because other moms depend on your vital, uninvolved role here. According to the statistics from the Direct Selling Association, 75% of direct sellers and buyers in 2018 were female. Additionally, nearly 70% of them were between the ages of 25-54. What does this mean? It means that most of the industry is made up of moms. And here is what I know to be true about many of them.
Many of them are stay at home moms who want to feel like they’re a financial contributer of their household. They find worth in that.
Many of them are working moms who are spread so thin and want to create more options for their family. They find worth in that.
Many of them are women who were never raised to believe in themselves until they got around a group of people who told them they are capable and worthy. They find worth in that.
Many of them are in the depths of raising children, running a household, being a wife, and they are desperately in search of something that they can do for themselves. They find worth in that.
So what happens when you make degrading, hurtful comments about “pyramid schemes” and “MLMs,” saying none of them work, they’ve been tricked into one, and laugh at them for even trying?
You ignite feelings of shame in a place that otherwise was making her feel strong, worthy, and capable, maybe for the first time in her life.
Where Do We Go From Here?
If you are in direct sales:
Be confident in what you are doing and what it is doing for you.
Be authentic in all that you do.
If someone is not interested in a product or company, be perfectly okay with that. Don’t be pushy and don’t get weird. Allow them to do what’s best for them and you continue to do what is best for you. Those can coexist.
If you are not in direct sales:
Encourage your direct selling mommy peers and tell them you’re proud of them for going after something for themselves. Let them know you are rooting for them the whole way.
If you are not in the market for something they are selling, don’t buy it. Buying something out of feelings of guilt or pity will only stir up negative emotions about the business as a whole.
Equally, if you are in the market for something that can come from a direct selling company, find a mom to support. Most of the products are amazing and you can always feel good about helping out a fellow mom and supporting her family and goals.
Stop speaking negatively about it. If you’ve read this, you’re now informed on the difference between a legitimate business model and an illegal pyramid scheme. So let’s stop confusing the two and spreading harmful ignorance.